CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
The purpose of conducting this research is to explore and learn those factors that affect undergraduates’ career choice in Malaysia those factors that affect undergraduates’ career choice in Malaysia. Chapter 1 comprises research background which demonstrates the overview of the research topic as well as problem statement that includes a brief discussion of issues which is significant to assist as guidelines in determining the independent variables that affects the dependent variable. Next, the purpose of this study will be listed in research objective along with the research questions and formulated hypothesis. Subsequently, the importance of the investigation is discussed in the significance of the study. Lastly, the chapter layout which briefly describes the summary of each chapter in this research report and the conclusion for this chapter is presented.
1.1 Research Background
The higher education landscape in Malaysia has gone through significant changes as time passes by. A number of reasons are responsible for the high demand for higher education in Malaysia that operates both at personal and societal levels. At the personal level, higher education is considered to be the key to obtaining jobs that pay good salaries, confer social status and prestige, and provide avenues for social mobility while at the societal level, the Malaysian government is using higher education programmes to restructure Malaysian society to have a more indigenous population pursuing higher education, thus, enabling them to improve their livelihood later in life (Ghazali & Kassim, 2003; Yusof et al. as cited in Zain, Jan & Ibrahim, 2013). Based on the Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2015), between year 1990 and 2010, there has been a six times increase in Bachelor degree enrolment and the ministry expressed his aimed to expand the enrolment in the following years in Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025. All over the world, higher education is mostly sought-after because of its promise of better future prospects for degree holders (Zain, et al., 2013).
Based on the Jobstreet.com survey on Employees’ Job Satisfaction in Malaysia, the number of dissatisfied employees is relatively high as 74% of the respondents expressed that they were not satisfied with their current job in year 2015 although there is a slight drop of 4% compared to year 2012. This issue cannot be neglected as job dissatisfaction will lead to high turnover rate, job stress and lack of productivity. According to Judge, Heller and Mount (2002), job satisfaction is greatly affected by career choice. Normally, people is assumed to be more satisfied with the career they select, rather than ones they fell into, or were forced to take because of a lack of other alternatives (Godbey & Johnson, 2011).
Career is the sequential set of experiences and attitudes related to work that an individual has over the span of his or her work life while choice is separating or choosing one preferred out of many available things or selections (Abbasi & Sarwat, 2014). Career choice is one of the many vital decisions that every undergraduates will make in order to progress in their future plans. This decision will impart them throughout their lives. The essence of who the undergraduates are will revolve around what the undergraduates wish to do with their life-long work. The kind of career they pursue can affect their lives in various ways. For instance, it can determine where they live and the type of friends kept. It also reveals how much education one will have and determine the amount of money one will earn. What undergraduates want to achieve from a career may be different, some desire for high income; others want adventures while some others hope to serve people to make the world a better place. Every undergraduate carry the unique story of their past and this influence how they view the world (Olamide & Olawaiye, 2013). Choosing a career that is fit to oneself can make a difference between enjoying and detesting the career in future life.
In the opinion of Issa and Nwalo (2008), the career choice, subjects, and courses of study and the subsequent career paths to follow are usually a nightmare for prospective undergraduate students around the world. Choosing career choices that cannot be achieved may lead to frustration and displeasure towards the job. Aguiar, Pessoa, Camara, Perrier, & Figueiredo (2009) states that understanding the variables that lead to the career choice is significant because that decision establishes expectations for one’s future and may affect one’s satisfaction with the career. Therefore, factors that influence undergraduates’ career choice has to be identified in order to assist the undergraduates in making wise choice of career that match with their values to contribute to the society and nation.
1.2 Problem Statement
Millennials have a reputation for job-hopping (Gallup, 2016). Millennials are as those are born between year 1981 to year 2000 and their age group are between 17 to 36 years old ("Generational Differences Chart", 2017). This age group person usually are either in study or working stage. For individuals who are in working stage, researcher stated that those who are involved in job-hopping may suffer from "greener grass syndrome," which they begin to believe that anything would become better compared to the current situation. Individuals are indecisive toward their career. As a result, individuals find themselves filled with anxiety and a sense of urgency. They are not proactively seeking the right opportunity, they are merely reacting to their current circumstances (Chrissy, 2017).
In order to further understanding the root cause of career choice indecision among Millenials, there are some research studies related to those age group who are in school stage, and especially those who are studying undergraduate. According to Shahmir, Afidatul, & Rajoo (2015), students might not find it easy to make such a decision of career as they are still in a career field exploration level. Failure to decide what occupation to seek is known as career indecision (Abu, 2009). According to Lock (2009), nowadays graduates are faced with issues high rates of unemployment when they decide to seek employment in the labour market. Some students may decide to further study and may switch from one major career to another because of uncertainty and indecision toward their future career.
Adopted from: Department of Statistic Malaysia, Labour force report, Malaysia 2016
The figure above showed that the number of unemployment in Malaysia in year 2015 and 2016. The highest contribution was registered by the age group of 20-24 years old which is 37.7 per cent out of total unemployment rate in year 2016 (Uzir, 2017). Average graduation age for bachelor degree level in Malaysia is 24-25 ("Starting your Career in Malaysia Country Guide for International Students", 2017). It can be assumed that the most unemployed persons by age groups are fresh graduates in Malaysia.
Unemployment rate among graduate increased in Malaysia is one of the symptom shows that graduate lack of decision making toward their future career. Therefore, there should has one area to investigate student’s career development which is career choices that relate to one’s career decision making. Factor of influencing career choice among undergraduate is a part of research that worth to be investigated.
In the early years, there were some researchers stated that there are few factors may affect the career choice among undergraduates. However, these kind of researches are still ongoing and found out more factors which may influence the career choices among undergraduates. Salami (1999) found that many undergraduates make wrong career choices due to ignorance, inexperience, peer pressure, advice from friends, parents and teachers, or as a result of prestige attached to certain jobs without adequate guidance and career counseling. (as cited in Koech, et al., 2016). While Shahmir, Afidatul, and Rajoo (2015), stated that family influence, personal interests and economic considerations may affect career choice. There are still have many potential researches about factor influencing career choice among undergraduates worth to be investigated.
The research is still worth to be investigated and it is important for researchers to conduct a study within the context of Malaysia. Firstly, most past research papers regarding career choice in Malaysia were done 2 years ago (See, 2015). The research results of past research papers may be outdated and the current employment trend among young adults may differ from the previous researches. Hence, it cannot successfully reflect current young adults’ career choice. This research study is carried out in order to determine latest trend of undergraduates’ career choice.
Secondly, previous studies such as (Wilson, Jesson, Langley, Hatfield, & Clarke, 2006; Wong, 2008; Mao, 2013) have researched factors influencing career choice. Furthermore, most of the past studies mentioned above were not conducted in the Malaysian context.
As a conclusion, this study is worth to be conducted in order to identify the factors that will influence career choices among university students in Malaysia and find out how the findings of the study would affect the Malaysian undergraduates.
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1.3 Research Objectives
The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between the factors affect career choices among undergraduate students.
1.3.1 General Objective
The general objective of this study is to investigate the factors affect career choices among undergraduate students in UTAR. This research is also concerned with the factors would take into consideration to enhance career decision making and for future application for a job.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
1. To determine whether there is a significant relationship between parental influence and career choice.
2. To determine whether there is a significant relationship between peer influence and career choice.
3. To determine whether there is a significant relationship between school influence and career choice.
4. To determine whether there is a significant relationship between interest influence and career choice.
5. To determine whether there is a significant relationship between parental influence, peer influence, school influence, and interest influence and career choice.
1.4 Research Questions
1. Does parental influence have a significant relationship with career choice?
2. Does peer influence have a significant relationship with career choice?
3. Does school influence have a significant relationship with career choice?
4. Does interest influence have a significant relationship with career choice?
5. Does parental influence, peer influence, school influence, and interest influence have a significant relationship with career choice?
1.5 Hypotheses of the Study
Hypothesis 1
H1: There is significant relationship between parental influence and career choice of undergraduate students.
Hypothesis 2
H2: There is significant relationship between peer influence and career choice of undergraduate students.
Hypothesis 3
H3: There is significant relationship between school influence and career choice of undergraduate students.
Hypothesis 4
H4: There is significant relationship between interest influence and career choice of undergraduate students.
Hypothesis 5
H5: There is significant relationship between parental influence, peer influence, school influence, and interest influence and career choice of undergraduate students.
1.6 Significance of the Study
There several reasons why it is worth to conduct this research.
Career choice is one option that fresh graduate faced when they are graduated, they wanted to be or wanted to have on the first job. Every student is able to gain more information through educational institution especially for the students who are studied on the bachelor level in the university. There were thousands of students who graduated from university in a year no matter public university or private university across the country and they will compete with other people to get a limited job. Before they get their first job, their course of studied also will influence on it and they must know their capability that fit with the organization or not. Though the academic, they can get different courses that offered by the university that they are interested and also variety of soft skills programs for students. Based on these learning progress through institution or personal learning can provide more chance and more choice to them on the working field.
Every human has different of need and perspective that must be met in order to excel in life. This is because human is come from different background, religion, places and culture and also speaking in different language. Every family has different styles of teaching children. So, children, teenager or a student may affected by their parents and family member. This study helps fresh graduates to identify their personal needs on apply for the career and to know what factor that will influence it. Once they can recognize their needs when selecting a job, they can reduce the job-hopping rate and reduce the unemployment rate on fresh graduate.
Human capital is essentially important for organization to success but if the company fails to understand fresh graduate employee need and fails to retain them it will cause a lot of unnecessary cost to company such as on hiring cost, training cost and so on. This study helps the company able to understand the Malaysian student need and fit in order to retain the talented employee. This is because when a company hiring a new employee, it involves a lot of procedures and cost as well.
Company need to promote an advertisement through website, media or newspaper, manager must go through the detail of applicant to identify them that are qualified with the job vacancy or not, and also the company manager need to spend the time to interview the applicant who may suitable with the job. After selected the employee company may need to provide training program for new employee and this involves another huge cost as well. So, if the employee feels they are not suitable with the job or feels stress on it they might resign. At the end what company spends on the cost to new employee it will run off. But if company can clearly understand the Malaysian student need and fit them with the right job position this will be a competitive advantage to company to compete with other competitors and can reduce or avoid the unnecessary cost to company.
1.7 Scope of the Study
Research will conduct in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). Students from different faculty will become a sample of respondent that gives feedback from a questionnaire given. This research will focus to the third year and final year of undergraduate student. Time taken for to conduct the survey is before the students graduate and before their industrial training.
1.8 Chapter Layout
This research project will be discussed thoroughly through five chapters. The general descriptions of each chapter will be shown as below:
Chapter 1
This chapter covers the overview of this research which includes research background, problem statements, research objectives, research questions, significant of the study, chapter layout and an overall conclusion of chapter 1.
Chapter 2
This chapter is to build the theoretical basis for the research by reviewing relevant journals article to identify research issues which are worth researching. The conceptual framework proposed will based on the relevant theoretical models being reviewed previously. Theoretical framework also provided to proceed with further investigation.
Chapter 3
This chapter will be describes the background of the research methodology, research design, data collection methods, sampling design, research instrument, constructs measurement, data processing and data analysis. Besides, the steps in processing the data and the analysis of the data will be described in this chapter.
Chapter 4
This chapter describes interpretations of the result based on data analysis.
Chapter 5
Last but not least, we will have further discussion about the major findings, summary of our statistical analyses, implications of the study, limitations of this research project and recommendation for further research study. We will also summarize the whole research project.
1.9 Conclusion
Chapter one provided insights on the overview research study’s background and the problems highlighted which influence to the need of the study. The researchers had presented a brief introduction on career choices, significant of the study, research objectives, research questions and hypothesis. Several past relevant researches done by other researchers will be described the study by proceeding to Chapter Two. The following chapter will discuss the relevant literature review of career choice.