Natlada, Earn, Sermsintham

Mr. Abel Cadias

English 10 / 1001
June 5, 2019

The Influences on the Career Choices of Mahidol University International Demonstration

School Grade 10 Students

Students now are the driving engine of the future. Their choice of selecting their own career

is very important. It shapes the way of the nation and determines what they will face with the rest of

their lives. Mahidol University International Demonstration School is an international school with a

goal for students to be able to develop their skills and character to become an effective and ethical

leader in their own career path. But before getting to that point, students are provided with plenty of

choices from parents, counselors, teachers and more. According to Koech (2016) research, students’

decision was actually influenced by many social aspects through interaction with those setups, such

as parents’ advice, mentors advice, friends advice or others. How could students be assured that what

they chose is exactly what they like or is it just what they were influenced by? Parents should be

aware that the choice your kids chose is what they want, not just a sudden decision in a flash that

they will regret it after that. The three major influences on career choice of MUIDS grade 10

students beside personal interest choice are own skills and ability, family company, and parents

choice.

The purpose of this research report is to find out what is the main influence that affects the

grade 10 students of Mahidol University International Demonstration School careers’ choice by

using a survey. This research is important to bring awareness to parents and school about whether

the students chose the correct path for themselves. The author also used three academic articles from

various sources to relate the results and interpretation of the survey to other research studies.
 The question asked what mainly influence the students career choice. The choices are family

company, parents job, parents choice, personal interest, own skills and ability and job salary. There

is a total of 60 students who took the survey. The figure below shows that 33 students or 55% of

grade 10 students career choice were based on personal interest. Followed by own skills and ability,

parents choice, family company, job salary and parents job with percentages of 13.3% (8 students),

11.7% (7 students), 10% (6 students), and a tie of 5% (3 students) respectively. Most of the grade 10

students have chosen their career choice based on their personal interest which shows that they trust

their own thoughts. However, for others that are influenced by other aspects can be more likely to

result in stress that could lead to dropouts if they don’t think well before making a decision. Such is

the result because Mahidol University International Demonstration School students are in a social

group that has freedom in choosing their career path. While students in the lower social group may

not be able to do what they like due to parents suggestion or financial problems.

Figure 1 Influences on Career Choice of Mahidol University International Demonstration

School Grade 10 students

Career choice choosing is the start of determining students’ future and most students are

influenced by numerous factors. Most people believe that choosing the way that they love will
always be the best path because getting to do what they want is enough. Students who chose the

wrong career path might lack the knowledge and skills for their career because of their negative

attitudes and personality issues (Nyamwange, 2016). Students who didn’t choose what they

interested in doesn’t mean that it is a wrong choice. Despite their personal interest, potential and

patience is also the key to determine whether students are ready for their choice or not. Potential and

patience is necessary for people to be able to stay with what they love to do (Hannon, 2015). By

understanding this concept, students should be able to decide which path suit themselves the most,

even when they were influenced by many social factors.

This research report concludes that choosing the right career choice is one of the most

important parts of most people lives. Even though it may not come from their own interest, it would

be better if the choice makes them happy and they are confident with their choice. Most of the grade

10 students at Mahidol University International Demonstration School have chosen their career path

from their own interest, but some were influenced by other factors. Potential and patience are very

important to determine whether the students’ choice is the right one or not. They will need to have

the skills and patience for the career they have chosen. If students feel like they won’t have fun

doing their career, it means that it is not the right choice.

References

Hannon, K​. (2015). Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness Retrieved from Google
Books website:
https://books.google.com/books/about/Love_Your_Job.html?id=XvQwBgAAQBAJ

Koech, J​. (2016, February). FACTORS INFLUENCING CAREER CHOICES AMONG

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA: A CASE
STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF ELDORET. Retrieved from
http://ijcar.net/assets/pdf/Vol3-No2-February2016/03.pd​f

Nyamwange, J. (2016) Influence of Student’s Interest on Career Choice among First Year University
Students in Public and Private Universities in Kisii County, Kenya. ​Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1092415.pdf