What Percentage of Students are Undecided about Career Choice?

What Percentage of Students are Undecided about Career Choice?

Choosing a career path can be such a daunting task to do if you are undecided about what you want. However, some people find it easy to decide on a career and follow their dreams. There are many students that go through high school and college still undecided about their careers.So we will see what percentage of students are undecided about career choice in this article

As soon as you reach high school, you are advised to start considering what career you would like to go into. Many students get through high school and go into college not knowing what career they are interested in. Approximately 75 percentage of students start college and are undecided about their career choice. 

Explore your interests right from a very young age

Included in this 75% are those students that enter college and have no idea which career they will go into. It also includes students that change courses that they have enrolled in  into other courses. Knowing what career you are interested in is such a major and important factor that can determine your future. It all starts when you are young and continues as you grow. 

Why do you think everybody asks you what you want to be when you’re older? Remember how in elementary and middle school there would be ‘career day’, where learners get to dress up as what they want to be when they are older. It is all to prepare you for your future. Never underestimate any stage of your life because they all lead to your growth.

Reasons why students are undecided about their career choices

When somebody is undecided about their career choice, the first reason that people jump to justify this is that ‘they are not serious about life’. It’s not always about not being serious about life, people tend to have their own reasons. Keep reading to find out what these reasons are and see if you are a victim of any of them. These are some of the reasons why students are undecided about their career choice:

Interests in certain career path

Some students have more than one interest in careers meaning they are interested in more than one career. That confusion alone can be a major cause for one to be undecided. The lack of knowledge and support can also contribute to the prolonged confusion. These types of students need guidance, and they need to do their research so they can make the right choice.

Academic capabilities

Not everyone is gifted in academics which is why so many students will struggle to choose their careers. You might be interested in a career however you might not have the academic abilities to pursue that career. As a result, many students settle for careers that they are not interested in, or they remain undecided for some time. 

Family or parental influences

As soon as people grow, their families are of great influence on who they later become in future. There is a huge difference between being influenced and having the decisions made for you. Your mom may think that a career in computer science is the best career but your dad on the other hand might think that a career in accounting is better for you. These clashes can lead to great confusion for the student. You might have your own interests, but your family may be influencing you to take on something totally different to your interests. 

Personality

Your personality contributes to your career choice because people will tend to follow a career based on their personality type. If you are more extroverted than introverted for example, you might be interested in a career that will allow you to interact with people. People can be unsure of which career fits in with their personality thus become undecided on their career. 

Life Opportunities

Certain factors such as life opportunities can cause students to have uncertainty when it comes to picking careers. Oftentimes, one has to start by getting a job before being able to attend college. This results in people settling for any job opportunity they come across, which does not necessarily reflect which career path they might be interested in. Some students might have to resort to any course they can get into at college because they have to take care of their family. 

The importance of choosing the right career path

There are many different careers to choose from and the most important thing to remember is to choose one that best fits your interests. Don’t get caught up on how many careers you can pursue or how rich you want to become, keep in mind that you have to be satisfied with your choice. This is what you have to think about when choosing your career path:

  • Passion and interests
  • Job security
  • Salary and income
  • Financial freedom
  • Job satisfaction

How to choose the right career 

For those students who are struggling to pick the right career, these tips might be useful in assisting you make that huge decision. Picking the right career can be a rocky road so these tips should be of great value to you.

  • Engage in career tests
  • Do your research
  • Network- get information from other people
  • Attend career exhibitions

Conclusion

Not knowing what career you want to pursue can be frustrating thus there are a few things that you can do to make your task a little easier. 75% of students are undecided about their career based on a few factors. If you are part of this number, do not put pressure on yourself because you are not alone. There are many things you can do to help you make that decision.