Factors Influencing Career Choice of Secondary School Students, Kenya

Guidance and counseling play a key role in facilitating access and progression in an individual's lifetime. In order to impart essential skills effectively and successfully to the youth, an effective secondary school education must provide good balance between academic education and skills development. Due to rapid changes in society, students require guidance and counseling to enable them make proper career choices and for acquiring the right skills for successfully adjustment in the environment. The study sought to identify factors influencing career choice among public secondary school students in Nyandarua District. It was found that peer pressure, society, parents, career guidance, and teachers greatly influence student's decisions on careers and jobs. It was also found that most students didn't have reliable information on careers and jobs placement due to absence of career instruction at school. The study also indicated that parents were among the least effective agents of career guidance.