BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The General Academic Strand is a senior high school program that aims to equip

students with the necessary knowledge and skills for various college courses and

careers.

The study seeks to explore the experiences and insights of students who have

made their career choices while still in high school. It aims to understand the factors that

influenced their decision-making process, the resources they used to gather information

about their career choices, and the challenges they faced in making their decision.

The study aims to examine how students' career choices align with their

interests, skills, and values. It seeks to explore how students see their future career

paths and the steps they plan to take to achieve their goals. It aims to shed light on the

perspectives of students who have already made their career choices and provide

insights into how schools and educators can better support students in making informed

decisions about their future careers.

The background of the study involves understanding the perspectives of students

who have already chosen their future careers while enrolled in the General Academic

Strand (Castro, Dano, & Lumbera, 2021). The authors aim to explore the factors that

influenced their decision-making process, the resources they used to gather information

about their career choices, and the challenges they faced in making their decision.

Additionally, the authors seek to examine how students' career choices align with their

interests, skills, and values, as well as how students perceive their future career paths

and the steps they plan to take to achieve their goals.

 INTRODUCTION

Career decision-making is a complex process that involves various factors such

as interests, skills, values, and personal circumstances (Savickas, 2013). In recent

years, there has been an increasing emphasis on supporting students in making

informed decisions about their future careers, especially in senior high school programs

such as the General Academic Strand (GAS) in the Philippines. GAS aims to equip

students with the necessary knowledge and skills for various college courses and

careers, providing them with a general education that can prepare them for a wide

range of academic and professional paths.

However, little is known about the experiences and perspectives of students who

have already chosen their future careers while enrolled in the GAS program.

Understanding these perspectives can provide insights into the factors that influenced

their decision-making process, the resources they used to gather information about their

career choices, and the challenges they faced in making their decision. Moreover,

examining how students' career choices align with their interests, skills, and values can

help educators and career counselors support students in making informed decisions

and planning their future career paths.