CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Occupational decisions are made by students at different period of time in their learning process in school. Some of them begin to make their career choices during their secondary school education, for some occupational aspirations begin by the time they enter their final year, while others, their career aspiration and choice are quite fixed even before they enter school. Just as career decisions differ among students, so are their corresponding characteristics for such decisions peculiar to individual persons. Occupational choice is the most important event in an individual’s life. Person’s success, satisfaction and happiness depend on how accurately he chooses his career, however, there are some factors that influence occupational choice and one of them is personality trait. Personality influences the essential choices we make in life including choice of partner, education and career (Moorjani, 2007). Personality thus, could be defined as the set of characteristics within an individual influencing his cognitions and behaviors in different contexts (Mcoetzee & Schreuder, 2002). It is also seen as the structures inside a person that explain why he or she creates a particular impression on others (MacKinnon, 1969). Allport, (1961) sees Personality as a dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create a person’s characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings.
Over the years researchers have considered personality traits differently. Allport et al (1965) described different trait like central, secondary, common and cardinal traits while Cattell’s (1966) research explored 16 primary and five secondary factors and Eysenck expressed that only three traits of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism are enough to explain the personality of individuals (Eysenck, 1975). However, today Big Five of Goldberg (1992) is mostly accepted for the personality trait constructs which contain core dimensions of personality. Big five include openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (Costa and McCrae, 1985).
Furthermore, Personality trait as found in Carter, NM (2003) is a quality or characteristic that distinguishes the character, action and attitude of a person, animal or geographical location. It is also defined as descriptions of people in terms of relatively stable patterns of behavior, thoughts, and emotions (McCrae & Costa, 2003). Thus, Personality traits reflect people’s characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Today, changes and transformations have taken place in all areas, and the effects of this process have reflected in the working life. Occupational choice is a developmental process that extends throughout life; it involves not a single decision but a series of decisions. According to Holland’s theory, career indecision might result from the person scoring high on completely different domains (Holland, 1997). Holland (1997) reached the conclusion that occupational choices can be looked at as a reflection of personality. According to him, a career choice is successful if it includes the personality type, since it is through career that individuals express their full personalities.
Having an occupation gives the identity and status of the person. Occupation increases the individual’s self-esteem, gives sense of belonging and facilitates to establish a relationship with the other members of the society, for these reasons, occupation is important for individuals and this raises the issue of the right choice of an occupation. Making right choice of an occupation requires considering the possessed individual values as the source of individual differences. They function to evaluate our own behaviors and attitudes as well as others. Values vary from person to person and the social and personal preference is the result of continuous beliefs that act in a particular way of living and behaving or vice versa (Antony, 1998).
The choosing of careers has remained a constant challenge for students and career counsellors as they search for a career decision making process that is both developmentally comprehensive and designed to prepare students for life-long career planning. Choosing a career from a large and challenging array of possibilities is a problem to the youth because a lot of attention is paid to academic performance with little information on the link between the subject chosen and future careers. The researcher is of the view that the derailment in career development is due to lack of Secondary School and University plans that provide students with sound occupational information and self-awareness. On this note, students are likely to face barriers that may deter their optimal career development. It is on record that while factors such as gender, peer pressure, parents, exam grades and career status are the first to be considered by students during career decision making process: Little or no consideration is given to personality types.
Studies showed that people get employment in areas that are neither in line with their careers or professional training nor personality traits or interests. They go for what is available rather than what is in their personal interest, value, ability or skill to re-orient their interest to the available training (Godia, 2009, Ojenge and Muchemi, 2000). When such people are employed they experience job frustration and dissatisfaction. This is characterized by low work morale and reduced productivity which has far reaching social and economic consequences. Hence, the researcher is of the point that, understanding your skills, interests, values, and personality is the first step toward choosing a career path. Learning what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and what you value most in your life or work environment is necessary before you embark on exploring possible careers.
It is on the heels of the foregoing impacts of personality traits on individual’s choice of occupation that this study will examine the extent to which personality traits have played a role in our occupational choices, using the undergraduate of Akwa Ibom State University as a case study.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Occupational selection is one of many important choices students will make in determining future plans. This decision will impact them throughout their lives. The essence of who the student is will revolve around what the student wants to do with their life-long work. Making the choice of occupation means a lot for an individual in terms of guiding and shaping the life, because the choice of occupation for an individual is the means of income-generation, but some students do not begin to explore real occupational possibilities until graduation from the university. Some on the other hand do not seriously consider many alternative choices in career selection. A student’s personality must be a self-motivated type, as to investigate occupational possibilities from early in their lives, and not the procrastinating type that waits until they are compelled to decide (Basavage, 1996).
Personality has been a tough quality for parents and teachers to mold into the individual especially if the occupation in question is not in agreement with the student. Booker (2009) stated that students needs to have a good understanding of themselves, their personality traits, if they are to make intelligent career plans. What they would like to be is a determining factor in their career. The personality factors to be considered include their mental abilities, special abilities, and interests, but many students fail to recognize their area of interest before making an occupational choice and this have led to many wrong occupational choices by some individuals. Also, practically, wrong career choice has been made by some due to the ignorance of specific personality traits of the individual. Thus, this research work seeks to examine the extent to which personality trait have influenced occupational choices.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The main objective of the study is to examine the relationship between personality traits and occupational choices. Specifically, the study seeks to:
Examine the relationship between openness to experience and entrepreneurs as a choice of occupation.
Examine the relationship between extraversion and teaching as a career choice.
Examine the relationship between agreeableness and a journalism as a career choice.
Examine the relationship between conscientiousness and Agriculturist as a choice of profession.
Examine the relationship between neuroticism and engineering as a choice of occupation.
Examine the relationship between the prevailing market conditions and occupational choice.
1.4 Research Questions
This research work will provide answers to the following questions:
To what extent has openness to experience influenced entrepreneurs as a choice of career?
To what extent has extraversion influenced teaching as a career choice?.
To what extent has agreeableness influenced a journalism as a career choice?
To what extent has conscientiousness influenced Agriculturist as a choice of profession?
To what extent has neuroticism influenced engineering as a choice of occupation?
To what extent has the prevailing market condition influenced occupational choice?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
H01 There is no positive and significant relationship between openness to experience and entrepreneur as a career choice.
H02 There is no positive and significant relationship between extraversion and teaching as a career choice.
H03 There is no positive and significant relationship between agreeableness and journalism as a career choice.
H04 There is no positive and significant relationship between conscientiousness and Agriculturist as a profession.
H05 There is no positive and significant relationship between neuroticism and engineering as a choice of occupation.
H06 There is no positive relationship between prevailing market condition and occupational choice.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The importance of this study is channeled toward realizing the relationship between personality traits and occupational choice. Thus, this study is significant in many ways that will help enlighten students and other concerned individuals or groups on the best ways of choosing occupation, putting into consideration their personality traits.
The findings of the study will serve students to a great extent in that the importance of personality traits in occupational choice will be disclosed. The findings will also serve as a basis and framework for future researchers who may embark on similar field of knowledge under this study, thus, serving as a reference point to the concerned. Therefore, the outcome of this research work shall provide guidance to help new incumbents to have the right occupational choice to make their life more successful.
