Abstract:

This study examined the relationship between career values and some individual characteristics of university students in their final year of higher education. A sample of 192 Çukurova University students in business administration, civil engineering, Turkish literature and theology departments were surveyed to see if relationships exist between their career choices and individual characteristics such as gender, major and size of geographical living area prior to entering the university. To measure the students’ career values, Schein’s career anchors scale was administered. In this scale items were supposed to distinguish technical, entrepreneurial, competition, privacy, independence, security, respect and managerial dimensions of aspired careers. Analysis of data indicated that differences exist among students responses to career values in terms of privacy, managerial and entrepreneurial dimensions of aspired careers. It seems that student’s department and privacy, independence, entrepreneurial and security dimensions of career choice are significantly related. Gender seems to be a differentiating factor in response to security dimension of career. Further research should consider more biographical variables such as occupation of parents, family income and parents’ educational attainment in the analysis of university student’s career values.