Abstract
M.Ed.
Career decision-making has always been a complicated process for South African African students. They often do not receive enough information about career implications of the courses that they are about to choose which may lead to many South African African students making a career choice on a trial and error basis . In addition, they lack the skills of integrating career and self-knowledge and are likely to lack realistic understanding of the world of work and opportunities available for them. The influence of parents or significant others is one of the many factors that influence career decisions. Many African South African students are the first generation students in Higher Education due to the restrictions of the Apartheid era before 1994 and the socio-economic status resulting from that in the decade after 1994. This study focuses on the first year South African students who entered Higher Education in 2008. The investigation is about the perceptions of these first generation students about the influence of significant people on their career decisions.
The inquiry utilized a qualitative approach due to its exploratory, descriptive and contextual nature. Furthermore, qualitative research provides information on how the first year students at the University of Johannesburg have made their career decisions. The data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with eighteen participants which permitted the participants to express themselves in ways that are not constrained and dictated by the researcher. Data obtained was analyzed using content analysis to determine the common themes that emerged and to offer a model for systematic qualitative analysis with clear procedures for checking the quality of analysis conducted. The findings revealed that there are no significant differences between the first generation rural and urban students. The role models (parents, teachers, cousins, siblings, uncles, social workers) of both rural and urban students provided support with regard to career information, emotional support in the form of acknowledgement and faith in the participants. The influence is broad and covers all the aspects relating to career decision making such as self-knowledge, reality check, remuneration, career planning, career and self exploration. Career counseling should receive renewed attention on school and HE level and all stakeholders in the school and business community should be involved. Parents should be involved in all instances.