Factors that Influence Students’ Career Choice: 7 Ps of Career Selection

Choosing a career rightly turns out to be the very important decision for students to take, which further molds the professional future of students as well as gives them satisfaction and mental well-being. According to the India Skills Report of 2023 - 24, almost 49% of Indian graduates are considered unemployable due to the mismatch between the education and industry demand. This gives voice to the necessity of sound and conscious career planning.

Performance misalignment could lead to chronic job dissatisfaction and increased anxiety and elevate to burnout levels. A good career, on the other hand, is tailored to a student's interests as well as abilities, resulting in higher productivity and well-being.

Choosing Right Career is So Important For Students

Career planning is no longer a one-time activity. This journey does not end just by choosing a stream after school or enrolling in a course in a university, for it's a continually evolving one until a job is found that would truly satisfy their interests and goals.

At times, students would choose their stream according to their performance in specific subjects. For example, scoring above 90% in science might push one towards engineering or medicine. However, aptitude and interest are often overlooked. In over 90% of the cases, such decisions turn out to be misaligned or made in haste. Relying solely on exam performance can be misleading when choosing a lifelong career.

Career Guidance Solutions

To overcome this gap, students today can avail themselves of career counseling, psychometric tests, and mentorship programs. These provide insights into students' strengths, interests, and personality traits, thereby allowing them to make better choices. For example, an aptitude test assesses logical reasoning, verbal ability, and spatial awareness, providing a data-driven avenue toward a possible career.

Mentorship by experts and professionals can also serve as a bridge between aspiration and reality. The real-world insights, challenges, and opportunities mentors share are crucial to shaping the minds of young people.

Students struggling with anxiety when it comes to exams or those who fall short of their potential because of test-taking abilities are often referred to as average. But what if the truly average are those totally oriented to rote learning? They get marks, but there's hardly any understanding or passion for the subjects.

Make your Career choice Wisely

A wrong career choice can lead to significant financial and emotional costs. Students may end up changing courses, pursuing additional degrees, or starting over—each decision involving time, money, and energy. A clear career plan early on can help minimize these costs and fast-track personal growth.

Financial Planning for Career Growth

Switching career paths can be expensive. From application fees to training costs and relocation expenses, every shift adds up. It's essential to understand the Return on Investment (ROI) for each career option. For instance, pursuing a professional certification in data analytics may offer quicker ROI than a full-fledged MBA, depending on one’s goals and circumstances.

Find the Best Career For You

It is quite important for students to discover their competence and inclination at an early age to excel in their chosen paths. This early exposure such as internships, shadowing, or informational interviews is sure to be very beneficial in this regard.

Brig. S. N. Setia, Director at ICT and long-time affiliate with Manav Rachna International University (MRIU), has curated the 7 most common factors that influence a student's career decision. These 7 P’s often cause students to sway from their optimal path.

Also Check:- List of all Courses you can choose after 12th.

7 Most Common Factors that Influence Career Choice Among Students

1. Parents' Desire/Parental Pressure:

Choosing a career just to live up to the parents expectation is the most common decision taken by students at an early stage, which they tend to regret later. Most of the students from business families are by default expected to choose commerce and hence B.Com or BBA as their suited career course. Some who resist submit to the parental pressure leading to an unsuccessful career graph. Such influences under the garb of adhering to their guardians wish are considered unfruitful for the students in long run.

2. Peer Persuasion:

This is the easiest way of getting away from making a self decision. Most of the students want to follow the crowd to get to their destination. Follow your friends' is the most trending exercise visible during the selection of a university/college. Majority choice is considered the best choice. This mindset has increased the count in the mediocre group where students fail to succeed in their career and just keep on with an average performance.

3. Past Performance:

This is in fact the most unjustified and distorted basis of analyzing one's performance and interest area. In India, we are not only churned in an old education system of rote learning but we believe in the numbers to prove our caliber. This practice of determining one's interest field based on one time exam performance has often led to a wrong career decision.

4. Potential:

The potential of a student can be a legitimate criterion for choosing a career. Very few are able to identify their potential and choose their subject of knowledge based on it. A career selected on the basis of one's potential has greater prospect of assuring success.

5. Placements:

We wish to choose a profession that can provide for our bread and butter. Placement opportunities in a particular university are thus considered the most important factor for the students when they harp about their career choice. Good placement options are an important motivation driver for students in their Career Planning.

6. Personality Driven:

Careers are often shaped by personality traits. A confident communicator may gravitate toward mass communication, while a natural leader may excel in management roles. Understanding your own strengths through personality tests like MBTI can add clarity.

"Interface Peaks Not Just Hard Skills but Also Soft Skills: Communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence now stand on par with know-how in technical skills and are now considered essential fundamentals in all domains like sales and marketing, hospitality, even IT, etc."

7. Affordability (Paisa):

Many students compromise on their dreams due to financial constraints. In India, it is hard to talk about quality education being uniformly available. Thus, for many students, it is a choice between what they can afford and what they really want.

“Brig. Setia says Career choice should not be based on any particular model or concept. One should choose his/her career on the basis of his interest in a particular area.”

The above mentioned model of 7 P's can only be an influential factor in the career selection process, it should not be the criterion for Career Planning.

Career Planning is essential to ensure a successful and enriching work life.

Impact of Technology on Career Selection

Modern career planning is being revolutionized by AI-driven career prediction tools and platforms like Mindler, CareerGuide, and Univariety. These services help students match their profiles with real-world job requirements. AI analysis of academic records, psychometric data, and market trends results in a refined set of career recommendations.

Moreover, online learning platforms like Coursera, Skillshare, and Udemy allow these students to up-skill at any time and place, thus providing them with even greater career flexibility.

Emerging Career Trends

Jobs today have entered the fast lane of evolution in the 21st century. Career areas such as data science, digital marketing, UI/UX design, blockchain development, and ethical hacking are calling for attention. Students need to be agile, open to change, and ready to upskill frequently to stay competitive.

Never too Late : Success Stories

Many professionals have successfully shifted careers after a poor initial choice. For instance, Varun Agarwal, an Indian entrepreneur and bestselling author, started off in engineering but later became a filmmaker, author, and co-founder of an ed-tech startup. Stories like his serve as inspiration and proof that it’s never too late to pivot.

“I was stuck in the wrong career for 5 years. But once I found my real calling in design, everything changed,” says Megha B., a successful UX designer.”

Actionable Steps for Students

Here’s a quick career planning checklist for students:

• Take an aptitude and personality test.
• List your top 3 interest areas.
• Research emerging trends in those fields.
• Talk to a career counselor or mentor.
• Explore internships or projects in your areas of interest.
• Calculate the ROI and affordability of relevant courses.
• Create a 3-year roadmap toward your ideal job.

FAQs

1. What are the 7 factors affecting career choice?

The 7 key factors that influence a student's career choice are known as the 7 P’s:

• Parents' Desire/Parental Pressure – Family expectations often shape decisions.
• Peer Persuasion – Following friends' choices without personal consideration.
• Past Performance – Using exam scores as the main benchmark for career paths.
• Potential – Valuation of a student having abilities and strengths that match with certain careers.
• Placements – Security of a job and chances of campus recruitment
• Personality Driven - Choosing careers, depending on personal traits and interest.
• Paisa (Affordability) - financial constraints impacting access to the desired courses or institutions.

These factors often act as a guiding framework for students and parents when making important career decisions.

2. What are the four P's that can help in choosing a career?

The commonly discussed four P’s of career planning include:

• Passion – What you love doing.
• Potential – What you’re good at.
• Purpose – What the world needs and what gives meaning to your work.
• Pay – What can financially support your lifestyle.

These four pillars help align a student’s career with both emotional fulfillment and practical success.

3. What is the major factor that impels towards a specific career choice?

The most influencing factor would be parental pressure. Most students tend to follow the recommended or expected career path by their parents without actually thinking consciously about their interests, abilities, and future goals. Parental guidance is very important, but it should be an equal blend such that personal aptitude and passion are incorporated for lifelong happiness and success.