Chapter 1

Background of the Study

Choosing a career is not an easy task. It is a reality that labor is the focal point of all human

endeavors and that it serves as both a means of subsistence and a means of fulfillment. Students

should check for potential influences on their decision-making. They must pick a profession that

matches their interests, talents, and aptitudes. If they have a solid education, there is a good

probability that they will have a better future and be constantly prepared to face the working world for

the betterment of their life. When you select a career, you are deciding on a line of employment in

which you will probably gain expertise through education and expertise overtime. You’ll probably

spend at least a few years working in this sector one of the most crucial choices you can make is to

focus on and select a career path. Before deciding on your ultimate professional path, you need to take

into account a variety of criteria.

A famous adage tells us “If you chose the career you love, you don’t have to work a single day

in your life “. This means that choosing a career can be very satisfying if you have made the right

choice. On the other hand, a wrong decision can leave you wishing that you had trodden a different

path. Students need to look for possible factors that affect their decision making. They need to choose

a career that fits in their skills and abilities which they want to engage in.

Although many would argue that a person's enthusiasm for a certain area has the greatest

influence, relatively few people know exactly what they want to do with their lives after high school,

which gives the impression that there are important motivations. Your career decision essentially

dictates a lot of your life's events and can determine the lifestyle you would lead. As a result, picking

a career is an important process that requires careful consideration of a variety of factors. According

to Pascual (2014) student’s first consideration in choosing a career path to pursue is the availability of

work after college. Koech and his colleagues (2016) concluded that the student’s social interactions

with teachers, parents and peers affects the student’s career choice.
 When we think about career choice, several things immediately come to mind job

description, training and education required career outlook, and salary but there are number of factors

that may influence your decisions. According to Alexander (2010), the three most important

motivators of students in choosing a career are good salary, stable job, and low stress. Approximately

80% of college freshmen have not declared a college major 50% of those who have declared a major

will switch during college. These numbers prove that students are not being turned into who they are

before making major decisions- a costly mistake. Most parents who have saved for college plan on

their child graduating in four years. What are the chances that a student who changes a majors over

and over or transfer schools will graduate in four years? Simply put: It’s not possible

Keep in mind that the road to career happiness is usually full of bumps and curves rather than a

straight direct path. While peer pressure and post study placements can affect your decision at 16,

there are those who end up regretting their decisions even when they are 30. Students are making

decisions that greatly affect their future educational and career paths. Many times they do not have the

necessary information or assistance to help them make decisions that would engender success in their

educational and career paths.

Students must have a foundation of career awareness and experiences before they may

consider their career plans. Through these experiences, they can better understand what is required of

them while considering a certain career or career cluster and create realistic future plans. They lack

the ability to envisage their future selves or the person they aspire to become. They pursue life or

career routes at random that, while at the time appearing appealing, may not be the best fit for them,

and they repeatedly come to a dead end.

The process of choosing a career takes a long period of time for some people. Typically, it

requires thinking and serious consideration of several factors because, in the end, one might not be

able to land in a job that he has dreamed of. It is a fact that everybody wants prosperity in life. The

importance of serious planning or choosing a vocation especially for those whose decisions are

greatly influence by their parents, relatives and friends leave them with problems of choosing what

they really want to be. It is important for an individual to know his abilities and interests. With so
many factors to consider in making a career decision, students experience career uncertainty which

affects their emotion, attitude, and behavior (Trevor Roberts 2006). They face complex decisional

tasks such as exploring different course of actions, reflecting on interests and skills, comparing

suitable course of actions, and choosing one option.

The researcher observed that students have inadequate information about the different career

choices. Some students tend to base their career choice on the result of the aptitude tests and interest

tests administered to them while others’ choices are based on their parent’s preferences, peer

influence, role models and the chance of working abroad.

Hence, it could be very useful to have a decision tool that incorporates different factors to help

students decide what career track to pursue. Hence, this study aims to assess the factors that affects

the career choice of Bachelor of Science in Criminology Students of Saint Ferdinand College.

Specifically it will identify factors influencing career choices in terms of personal, social and financial

factors and propose a guide on career choice based on the assess factors.

The students will become aware of the importance of choosing a right career and will lessen

the number of students who are possibly shifting courses and eventually minimize the risk of

dropping from the school. Furthermore, it will strengthen the career guidance and counseling services

of the school since it will help the students to make good career choices and prevent them from falling

into the unemployment and job mismatch trap.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the factors affecting the career choice of Bachelor of Science in
Criminology Students of Saint Ferdinand College. This study further seeks the answers of the
following sub problems:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Sex

b. Parent’s Educational Attainment

c. Family’s Monthly Income

2. What are the factors affecting the Bachelor of Science in Criminology students of Saint Ferdinand

College in terms of Financial, Social and Personal factors?

Hypothesis

There is no relationship between the factors and the career choice of Bachelor of Science in
Criminology Students of Saint Ferdinand College.

Objectives of the Study

The study will seek to assess the factors that affects the career choice of Bachelor of
Science in Criminology Students of Saint Ferdinand College.

Specifically, it will identify factors influencing career choices in terms of personal,

social, and financial factors and propose a guide on career choice based on the assess factors.
 Conceptual Framework

Financial
Factors

Social Factors
Career Choice

Personal Factors

Operational Framework
Input:

1. Profile of the
respondents in terms Process:
of:
a. Sex The researcher wants to
gather information
b. Parent’s Output:
about the factors
educational
affecting the career The researcher will based on
attainment choice of Criminology the answer they gathered to
c. Family’s Monthly students of Saint clearly state the factors
Income Ferdinand College. To affecting the career- choice of
2. Factors affecting be able to attain this the Criminology Students and
the career choice in researchers will give propose a guide based on the
terms of: questionnaires which is assessed factors.
related to the topic that
a. Financial they want to study.
Factors
b. Personal
Factors
c. Social Factors
Significance of the Study

This study has significance to several areas. The result of this study will be beneficial to:

Students. The result of the study will provide students an idea and knowledge about factors
that affecting them on their career choice

Guidance Counsellors. In this study, the high school counselors will find a way on how to
guide and motivate the students in the career that they choose to.

Parents. In this study, the parents will understand how they influenced their children on the
career that they choose.

Future Researches. The result of this study will provide the future researchers knowledge
about career choice

Teachers. In this study, the teachers would be guided in helping students in pursuing the
career that they choose and be reminded on why they took that.

Researchers. In the study, the researchers would generate information that would redirect the
plight of the country’s human resources. This is to limit the emergence of labor mismatch.

School Administrators. The study would provide a guide to help the administrators in
enhancing their program and guiding the students on choosing the right career.

Scope and Limitation

The participants of the study are the enrolled Bachelor of Science in

Criminology Students of Saint Ferdinand College. (SY:2022-2023)

This study will only tackle the factors that affecting the career choice Bachelor of
Science in Criminology Students of Saint Ferdinand College.
Definition of Terms

Career Choice- Process of choosing a career path which can involve choices regarding
education and training for a given career (igi-global dictionary).

Factors- It is a quantity by which a given quantity is multiplied or divided in order to indicate

a difference in measurement (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In this study factors will be used
as the things that influences or affect the career choice of the respondents.

Influencing- The power to change or affect someone or something (Merriam Webster

Dictionary). In this study it is the ability of someone or something to affect the career choice
of the respondents.

Financial Factors- Factors to be used for evaluating alternatives with regard to financial
measures (igi-global dictionary). In this study financial factors are those things that
influences the career choice in terms of f terms of financial aspects.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CAREER CHOICE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN

CRIMINIOLOGY STUDENTS OF SAINT FERDINAND COLLEGE

FOR THE YEAR 2022

Dissertation Proposal
Presented to
The Faculty of the College of Criminology
St. Ferdinand College
City of Ilagan Isabela

To Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Criminology

By:
Joshua M. Manaligod