Factors That Influence Third-Year Medical Technology Students Regarding Their Career Path Aspirations

Abstract

Deciding on a career path is one of the most difficult decisions a student could make (Gati & Asher, 2001). To help them assess and determine the career they desire, they are influenced by a unique set of factors that improve their decision-making and help them settle on a career path. These influencers are categorized into environmental and personal factors. They are used to determine the level of influence and association in how they affect their career choices. This study explored the factors that influence two hundred seventy (270) third-year Medical Technology students enrolled in A.Y. 2020-2021 regarding their career path aspirations. The researcher-made online survey questionnaire used in the study focused on three main objectives: influential factors, student’s career path, and the association between the two main factors and career path. The results showed that under environmental factors, the subfactors “Academic Qualification” and “Job Opportunity” were highly influential in the students’ decision to take up medical technology. In contrast, subfactors “Interest,” “Desire,” “Contribution to Society,” ”Academic Excellence,” “Suits Personality,” and “Quality of Life” under personal factors were highly influential. Additionally, among the environmental factors related to future career paths, only “Career Advancement” had a significantly weak positive association with the latter. As for the personal factors, the majority of the subfactors: “Dreams,” “Desire,” “Contribution to Society,” “Suits Personality,” and “Quality of Life” had a significantly weak positive association. Overall, personal factors have a higher influence than environmental factors.