The relationship between career variables and occupational aspirations/expectations for Australian high school adolescents

Abstract

This study surveyed 925 Australian high school students enrolled in grades 8-12 on measures of occupational aspirations, occupational expectations, career status aspirations and career status expectations, and tested the association between these variables and career maturity, career indecision, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career barriers. Adolescents generally aspired to/expected to work within a small range of RIASEC occupational categories. One third of students reported occupational aspiration/expectation discrepancies. These differed across gender, and across age for females, but not for males. Students who demonstrated both occupational and status aspiration and expectation discrepancies reported more career indecision, were less confident about making a career-related decision, and were less career mature. Students generally held higher occupational status aspirations than expectations, and males were more likely to choose professional occupations than females. Age differences were found for status expectations, but not for status aspirations.