Exploring students’ career awareness at intermediate level in Faisalabad: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Career Awareness is crucial for student's informed education and career decisions. The present study was conducted to evaluate the career awareness, influencing factors on academic program choice and future education plans of intermediate level students of Faisalabad, Pakistan. The participants recruited for the study were 392 students of public and private colleges and higher secondary schools in a cross-sectional survey type, using a structured questionnaire that consisted of demographic items, multiple choice questions, and 5-point Likert Scale statements. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 23. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-test were used and p < 0.05 was considered statistical significance. For most, choosing a college major was done based on personal interest (68%), but other factors included parents, teachers, peers and social trends. The most prevalent current study program was Intermediate in Computer Science (53.8%) while the most common future field of study was Computer Science/Information Technology (40.1%). Female students were significantly more aware of career opportunities than male students (p = 0.011), and had higher support for career counseling services than male students (p = 0.001). The study concludes that; Career awareness was satisfactory but external factors played a significant role in students' choices about their education. The introduction of planned career counseling program in matriculation and intermediate might help to ensure that students are choosing subjects for their future learning that are suitable for their career goals.