Career aspirations of senior secondary school students in Eswatini

Abstract

Understanding the career aspirations of students can inform policymakers and educators on how best they can be supported at society and school levels to facilitate the transition from school to further education and work. Existing literature is not comprehensive on the career aspirations of secondary school students in Eswatini, yet they are important. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the career aspirations of senior secondary school students in Eswatini. The design of the study was a descriptive survey targeting Form-4 students, from eight schools in Eswatini. A total of 180 students were randomly sampled. A questionnaire was developed and used for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that most of the senior secondary students aspired to be medical doctors, pilots, and actors. Thus, being a medical doctor, pilot and actor were the most desired careers by senior secondary school students in Eswatini. The study recommended that career guidance and counselling officials should organise career expos so that students are exposed to a wide range of career choices.

Keywords: Career, career aspirations, career path, sources of aspiration;