WhatInfluencesStudentDecisionsin

SchoolandCareer?

AResearchReportPrepared
fortheWorkforceDevelopmentTeamofthe
NorthernIllinoisP20Network

by
RimaRoy,ResearchAssociate
NIUCenterforGovernmentalStudies

September1,2016

ExecutiveSummary
Researchonthefactorsthatinfluencestudentcareertrajectoriesindicatesthatthefactorsshapinghigh
schoolandcollegestudentsarelargelythesame.Studentscareerchoicesareinfluencedbyfamily,
peers,education,passion,salary,pastexperiences,personality,andculturalvalues.Thedegreeto
whichtheyinfluencespecificdecisionsisdrivenheavilybythestudentsstageinlife.Forhighschool
students,parents,teachers,careercounselors,andcelebritiesplayamoreprominentrolethan
economicstabilityandinterestinafield,thatfeaturemoreprominentlyincollegestudentsdecisions.
Twoonlinesearchengineswereusedtoidentifyrelevantresearchonthistopic.Academicjournals
wereidentifiedthroughNIUsEBSCOHostResearchDatabasesusingthekeywordsstudent,career
andinfluence.Manystudieswereconductedinothercountrieswithdifferenteducationalandcareer
preparationsystems,andsowereexcludedfromthisanalysis.AGooglesearchusingthesame
keywordsalsoreturnednumerousresults,anumberofwhichareincludedinthisreport.Athirdsource
wastheEducationAdvisoryBoardwebsite,towhichNIUsubscribes.
Asimplewaytographicallydisplaytheconceptsthatcorrelatetostudentcareerinfluencesisaword
cloud.Asillustratedinthethreewordcloudspresentedbelow,thesizeofthewordisproportionalto
itsfrequency.Wordcloudsprovideanarrativesnapshotofatopicinthesamewayagraphdepicts
numbers.Allthreewordcloudsweregeneratedbyenteringtheinfluencesandfactorsfromthe
researchstudiesandarticlesintoanExcelfileandapplyinganopensourcewordcloudgenerator1.

WordCloudforHighSchoolandCollegeGraduateInfluencersCombined

Seehttps://www.jasondavies.com/wordcloud/#%2F%2Fwww.jasondavies.com%2Fwordcloud%2Fabout%2F
andhttps://wordsift.org/

WordCloudforCollegeGraduateCareerInfluencersOnly

WordCloudforHighSchoolCareerInfluencersOnly

Findings
Collegestudentschoosetheirjobfieldsformanyreasons.Factorsidentifiedinaliteraturereviewand
discussedinthisreportincludefollowing:

Rolemodels(parents,coachesandteachers)
Peers
Socialmedia
Financialconsiderations
Aptitudeandacademicability
Personality
Previousexperience
Cultureandenvironment
Recruitmentprograms

Theinformationpresentedinthisshortreportisnotexhaustiveandisintendedtobeahighlevel
overviewofthekeyfactorsaddressedinavailableresearch.Also,itisimportanttonotethatgender
biasandracialandethnicstereotypingpersistasinfluencersofcareerdecisions,butlittleresearchwas
foundthatexploredspecificallyhowprejudiceoperatesattheindividuallevelascareerdecisionsare
made.

Rolemodelsinastudentslifeinfluencecareerchoices.Theyincludeaparent,teacher,career
counselor,recentemployer,celebrities,andreligiousleaders.
TheParent.Theimportanceofparentalinfluenceupontheirchildrenscareerchoiceis
consistentlyimportant,evenacrossgenderandraciallines.Althoughschools,peers,andthe
studentscommunityallhaveanimpactontheyoungadultscareerchoice,theparents
expectationsandperceptionsofvocationalfitfortheirchildrenhavebeenfoundtobethekey
rolesinshapingtheircareerchoices(Ferry,2006)2.Inonestudy(Creamer&Laughlin,2005)3,
thisinfluencehasbeensostrongastooverridetheinfluenceofteachers,faculty,andcareer
counselors,wholikelyknowmoreaboutthecareerfieldinquestionbutwerenotaswellknown
and/ortrustedasthestudentsparentsforthistypeofdecision.
Someofthewaysinwhichparentsinfluencetheirchildrenscareerdecisionsare:

Theexpectationsparentshavefortheirchildren'seducationandcareer.

Theexampletheysetfortheirchildren.

Thevaluestheyshowtotheirfamily,friendsandtosociety.

Theopportunitiestheyoffertheirchildrentolearnanddevelop.

Ferry,N.M.(2006).FactorsinfluencingcareerchoicesofadolescentsandyoungadultsinruralPennsylvania.
JournalofExtension,44(3),16.
3
Creamer,E.G.&Laughlin,A.(2005).Selfauthorshipandwomenscareerdecisionmaking.JournalofCollege
StudentDevelopment,46(1),1327.

Thetypeofparentchildrelationshiptheydevelop.

http://www.careerkey.org/chooseacareer/parentseffect.html
Accordingtoasurveyofover1,500parentsofprospectivestudents,morethantwothirdssay
theyeitherdirectoractas5050partnersintheirchildscollegesearchprocess.Collegesstill
struggletoeffectivelyengageparentsthroughtheirwebsiteandcommunicationplan.

Coachesandteachersalsocanhaveasignificantimpactonastudentslife(WildmanandTorres,
2002)4.Academicorathleticcoachesarerolemodelsforstudentsandalsoplayabigpartin
moldingfuturegenerations.Coacheshelpprepareyoungmenandwomenforthechallenges
outsideofhighschoolbyexposingthemtochallengesincludingsituationsinandoutofthe
classroom(Blum,19955).
Educationsherpas.InanAugust2016EABDailyBriefing6,educationsherpasweredescribed
asmentorsforlowincomeandfirstgenerationstudentsnavigatinghighereducationandtheir
careers.Advocatessaysuchguidesareincreasinglyimportantinaneraofneweducational
models,includingMOOCsandcompetencybaseddegrees,becausethoseinnovationswouldn't
beequallyaccessibletoallstudentsotherwise.
Peers.GenerationZknowsitisacovetedtargetmarketandhaslearnedfromanearlyagenottotake
marketingmessagesatfacevalue.7Todaysprospectivestudentsaremostinfluencedbythosewhoare
livingtheexperience,ratherthanguidancecounselors,admissionsofficers,orothertraditionalexperts.
InastudyconductedbyEDUVENTURES,itisshownthatGenerationZvaluepeeropinionsabove
admissionandguidancecounselors.

RoleofSocialMedia:LinkedInisasocialnetworkthatmostprofessionalsunderstandhowtotake
advantageof.Forcollegestudentsitcanserveasanonlineresumeportal,butforcollegestudentswho
wereunawareoftheircareeroptions,LinkedIndevelopedLinkedInStudents.Thisappprovidesa
startingpointforexploringthefirststageofaprofessionalcareerbyhighlightingcompaniesandjob
titlesthatmightbesuitable,basedonwhatschooloneattendsandthemajor.Studentsmayalsouse
socialmediatofollowcareerinfluencingindividualsonTwitterorothersocialmedia.Bysharingtheir
experience,knowledge,lessonslearnedandadvice,entrepreneurssuchasRandiZuckerberg(sisterto
FacebooksCEOMarkZuckerberg),RichardBranson,AdamToren,andGuyKawasakicanhelpinspire
studentcareers.8
Financialaspectsthatstudentsconsiderincludehighearningpotential,benefits,andopportunitiesfor
advancement(Beggsetal.,2008).Alongwithstabilityduringtheircareer,somestudentsarelooking
aheadtoretirement.Studentswanttomakesuretheyaresecurefortherestoftheirlives,andmay
lookintocareersthathavebenefitstohelptheminthelongrun(WildmanandTorres,2002).Thesalary
andbenefitsjobsofferplayaroleintheircareerchoice.

Wildman,M.L.andR.M.Torres.2002.Factorsinfluencingchoiceofmajorinagriculture.NACTAJournal.46(3):4.
Blum,D.E.1995.Coachesasrolemodels.TheChronicleofHigherEducation.41(38):A35.
6
https://www.eab.com/dailybriefing/dailybriefingprint?i={D27B42B18C3248B2B1CEC82099C3EC81}
7
http://www.eduventures.com/tag/collegestudents/
8
http://www.payscale.com/careernews/2013/09/7careerinfluencerstofollowontwitter
5

Aptitudealsoisadecisionfactor(Beggsetal.,2008).Somestudentslacktheabilityortheworkhabits
tosucceedinsomemajors.Thesestudentsmayfindabetterfitinamajorthatrequiresfewerdifficult
classeswhichaffectsthecareeroptionsavailabletothem.Otherstudentshavetheabilitytohandle
majorswithgreaterworkloadsandchoosethecareerpaththatwillleadtoajobrequiringmore
education,e.g.engineers,doctors,andlawyers.Somehighschoolstudentsjointhearmedforcesafter
graduating.Thearmedforcescanhelpstudentswhostrugglewithstructureandmotivation(Gilroy,
20079).
Otherstudentswillgototradeschoolsinsteadofattendingcollege.Tradeschoolscanprovidetraining
infieldssuchasmechanics,welding,electricity,orplumbing(Stamps,1998).Theshortschoolyear
allowsstudentstogotoworkmorequicklyaftergraduatingfromhighschoolinsteadofhavingtostayin
schoolforfourormoreyears.Tradeschoolsalsoallowstudentstoworkinafieldofinterestwhilegoing
toschool.
Personalityalsofactorsincareerchoice.Studieshaveshownthatstudentswillchooseamajorthatthey
thinkwillfittheirpersonalitytype(Mihyeon,200910).Theconfidencethatastudenthascandetermine
howfartheywillgowiththeireducation.Studentswhobelieveinthemselveshavemoreconfidence
andaremorelikelytogoforwhattheywantinsteadofsettlingforsomethingthatiscomfortable.
Personalitycanalsoplayaroleinchoosingamajor.Forexample,studentswhohaveaninvestigative
personalityaremorelikelytomajorinsciencefields.Studentswithanartisticpersonalityaremorelikely
tomajorinartsandininterdisciplinaryfields.Studentswhoareverysocialpeoplearemorelikelyto
majorinthesocialsciences(PorterandUmbach,200611).
PreviousExperiencesKrumboltz'sSocialLearningandPlannedHappenstancetheoriesaddressfactors
relatedtoourexperienceswithothersandinpreviousworksituations.Havingpositiveexperiencesand
rolemodelsworkinginspecificcareersmayinfluencethesetofcareersweconsiderasoptionsfor
ourselves.OneaspectofSocialCognitiveCareerTheoryaddressesthefactthatwearelikelytoconsider
continuingaparticulartaskifwehavehadapositiveexperiencedoingit.Wetendfocusonareasin
whichwehavehadprovensuccessandachievedpositiveselfesteem.
CultureandEnvironment:Theenvironmentinwhichastudentgrowsupplaysavitalroleintheirchoice
ofcareerpath.Regionalculture,localcommunityexpectations,andextendedfamily,mayimpactcareer
decisions.Multiculturalcareercounselinghasemergedasaspecializedfieldtotaketheseinfluences
intoconsiderationwhenworkingwithstudents.Wecantattributethepredominantcharacteristicsofa
culturetoanyspecificperson,butanawarenessofthevaluesandexpectationsoftheculturemayhelp
understandhowwemakeourcareerchoices.
CollegeRecruitmentPrograms:Manystudentsignorecollegecareerservicesandadvisementfortoo
longanddontusethemtotheirfullpotential.Anumberofleadinginstitutionsarepromotingearly
studentengagementwithcareerdevelopmentbycouplingserviceswithkeystudentmilestones,

Gilroy,M.2007.GItuitionbenefits:whatsright,whatswrong.TheHispanicOutlookinHigherEducation.17(8):
1517
10
Mihyeon,K.2009.Therelationshipbetweenthinkingstyledifferencesandcareerchoiceforhighachievinghigh
schoolstudents.PhDDiss.DeptofEducation.TheCollegeofWilliamandMary.
11
Porter,S.R.andP.D.Umbach.2006.Collegemajorchoice:Ananalysisofpersonenviroment.ResearchinHigher
Education.47(4):429449.

encouragingstudentstosystematicallyexplorecareeroptions,makeinformedchoices,andset
themselvesupforpostgraduatesuccess.

Careerpreparationisincreasinglybeingidentifiedasthetopdriverofcollegeenrollmentamong
traditionalagedundergraduatestudents,surpassingcoreacademics,thesocialenvironment,and
affordability.Studentsarechoosingschoolsthattheybelievewillrewardtheirinvestmentsoftimeand
moneywithstrongcareeroutcomesinboththeshortandlongterm.12

12

http://www.eduventures.com/tag/collegestudents/

Examplesofhowcollegesanduniversitiesareresponding:
UCSanDiegorecentlyintegrateditsCareerServicesCenterwithitsofficeofAlumniandCommunity
Engagementaspartofastrategicinitiativetoleveragetheiralumnibasetohelpstudentsfindjobsandmake
connections.
TheUniversityofEvansvilleoffersendtoendcareerdevelopmentbeginningwiththeirCareerAdvantage
Program(CAP)forprospectivestudentsandtheirfamiliesbeforetheyevendecidetoenroll.Oncetheyarrive,the
AdvancedCareerEducation(ACE)Certificateprogramguidesstudentsthroughaselfpacedcareerdevelopment
programandrecognizestheireffortsforsuccessfulcompletion.
SweetBriarCollegereachesouttoeachstudentindividuallybeginningintheirfreshmanyeartoinvolvethemwith
thecareercenterandtheirprogramming.TheCollegehostsregulareventsfocusedaroundmajorgroupsthatbring
togetherstudents,faculty,employers,andalumnifromcommonareasforapanelandnetworking.
MisericoridaUniversityguaranteesthatifstudentswhoparticipatefullyintheprogramallfouryearsincluding
learningtobuildtheirresumes,learnprofessionaletiquette,andcompletemockinterviewswithrealemployers
donotreceiveajobofferorentergraduateschoolwithinsixmonthsofgraduation,theUniversitywillprovide
themwithapaidinternshipintheirchosenfield.
BentleyUniversity,nearly90%offreshmantakepartintheCDI101class,whichallowsthemtobuildouttheirown
comprehensivecareertoolkit,participateinmockinterviews,anddeliverelevatorpitchesinfrontofcorporate
recruiters.ItisthefirststepintheHIREEducationprogramthatcontinuesthroughouttheirfouryears.

Followingarethreegraphicsthatvisualizecareerinfluences.

Source:JacksonCareer,BrightFutures,May14,2013.WhatareYourCareerInfluencers?

Source:http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/newsevents/documents/johnhooperresults2014/whenigrowup.pdf


Source:https://www.eab.com//media/EAB/ResearchandInsights/SAF/Resources/SAFCareerEngagePosterImage.jpg

10

References

Blum,D.E.1995.Coachesasrolemodels.TheChronicleofHigherEducation.41(38):A35.

Clutter,C.(1995).TheEffectsofParentalInfluenceonTheirChildrensCareerChoices.FortHaysState
University.
Creamer,E.G.&Laughlin,A.(2005).Selfauthorshipandwomenscareerdecisionmaking.JournalofCollege

StudentDevelopment,46(1),1327.
Ferry,N.M.(2006).FactorsinfluencingcareerchoicesofadolescentsandyoungadultsinruralPennsylvania.

JournalofExtension,44(3),16.

Fizer,M.D.(December2013)FactorsAffectingCareerChoicesofCollegeStudentsEnrolledinAgriculture.
TheUniversityofTennessee.
Gilroy,M.2007.GItuitionbenefits:whatsright,whatswrong.TheHispanicOutlookinHigherEducation.17(8):

1517

http://aedfoundation.org/2015/11/19/whataretheinfluencesaffectingstudentcareerdecisions/
http://aednet.org/thetopinfluencesonstudentcareerdecisions/
http://aednet.org/thetopinfluencesonstudentcareerdecisions/
http://venturebeat.com/2016/04/17/linkedinsnewestapphelpscollegegradsfindajob/
http://www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk/articles/article/251/whohasthemostinfluenceoveryoung
peoplescareerdecisions
http://www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk/articles/article/251/whohasthemostinfluenceoveryoung
peoplescareerdecisions
http://www.eduventures.com/tag/collegestudents/

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/05/17/whatinfluencesyourcareerchoice/
http://www.payscale.com/careernews/2013/09/7careerinfluencerstofollowontwitter
http://www.qualifax.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179&Itemid=207
https://jacksoncareer.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/whatareyourcareerinfluencers/
https://www.eab.com/dailybriefing/dailybriefingprint?i={D27B42B18C3248B2B1CEC82099C3EC81}
https://www.eab.com/dailybriefing/dailybriefingprint?i={D27B42B18C3248B2B1CEC82099C3EC81}

https://www.utm.edu/departments/msanr/_pdfs/Fizer_Research_Project_Final.pdf
Mihyeon,K.2009.Therelationshipbetweenthinkingstyledifferencesandcareerchoiceforhighachievinghigh
schoolstudents.PhDDiss.DeptofEducation.TheCollegeofWilliamandMary

Porter,S.R.andP.D.Umbach.2006.Collegemajorchoice:AnanalysisofPersonenvironment.ResearchinHigher

Education.47(4):429449.
Wildman,M.L.andR.M.Torres.2002.Factorsinfluencingchoiceofmajorinagriculture.NACTAJournal.46(3):4.