Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 11 (6): 833-839, 2012 ISSN 1990-9233 IDOSI Publications, 2012

Youths Future and Prospects: Examining Awareness about Professional Field among Educated Youth of Gujrat, Pakistan
1

Yasir Saeed, 1Muhammad Shoaib and 2Kashif Ashfaq

Department of Sociology, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan Department of Population Sciences, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan

Abstract: Education is very necessary for a better professional career in field; and awareness about the professional field make the students more determined for the career they have to choose after completing study. Researchers conducted this study to know the level of awareness of educated youth about the professional field. Students of final semester of University of Gujrat was the target population for this study and sample size was selected by using proportionate stratified sampling and 10% sample size was selected among the total population of final semester of the selected social and basic science subjects. Frequency tables, Mann-whitney U, Kruskal-walis and correlation tests were used for data analysis. The findings show that higher level of awareness about the scope of subject impacts positively on the level of awareness about the professional field of the students. Academic performance does not have significant relationship with the level of awareness. On the basis of this study, it is recommended that the teachers at universities should provide assistance to students about professional field so that they can easily decide about their professional career. Key words: Education % Youth % Professional field % Career % Awareness % Academic major % Gujrat % Pakistan INTRODUCTION Education is always considered a better way to seek an effective profession in field but if a person even being an educated not well aware of suitable professional choices he may have complexity in selecting career field for himself. Most of the students of this era come to colleges with at least some understanding of the career in which they can work easily and effectively depending upon their abilities although students values matter the most in selecting career choices for them [1]. Students mostly choose the subjects in college according to their abilities depending upon those they make their career choices where they can enhance their pre-existed abilities in them [2]. When they reach to university level they have made their minds to get a job as a foremost objective of them after completing education and in university a sound educated can give the students greater career opportunities and prepare them to make significant contributions in their chosen field. This is also necessary that when referring to university education, the students should have prepared for the workplace, which should include appropriate career related assistance and guidance [3]. University education is at the centre of human resource development. The nations professional and highly skilled personnel such as Engineers, Universities developed and trained several administrators/Managers, Accountants, Surgeons and Para-Medics, Lawyers, Scientist, Technicians and Lecturers in various disciplines are included in it. The world over, the fundamental mission of Universities is to promote the life of the mind through intellectual inquiry and to generate, store and transmit specialized knowledge and sophisticated expertise, higher forms of culture and ethical bases of conduct [4, 5]. The usefulness of University education to a nations development and well being when it states that particularly University education, is fundamental to the construction of a knowledge economy and the society in all nations [6]. When students are enrolled in university, they mostly select the major subject more suitable for them in future and develop a perception about their professional field in which they could utilize their learned knowledge from their institution and students chosen subject significantly influence their career choice and planning for future. Those who choose more career oriented subject will have more opportunities in professional field [7].

Corresponding Author: Yasir Saeed, Department of Sociology, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan. E-mail: yasir.saeed@uog.edu.pk.

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Another important basis for student-centered approach could be the growing number of working class students entering in higher education and they take university degree as a road to job security and financial self-sufficiency necessary for economic development [8]. Therefore, universities are focusing on providing students what they need in job-market i.e. the generic skills or range of qualities and capacities [9] necessary for employability. Proper guidance about the subject related career makes the students determinant about the profession and they can learn more to utilize in their future [10]. If guidance is not available for students at home or institutions they would not be able to properly utilize their talent in the field they are able for. In Pakistan where an estimated 103 million people, or 63 percent of the population, are less than 25 years old and often lack access to education and employment opportunities. There were 113 mainstream universities and 1,371 degree colleges other than unregistered colleges and universities in the country in 2007, where 424,271 and 324,988 students were enrolled, respectively. These institutions are producing a lot of talent for the country [11]. If these young men studying in colleges and universities are not properly given instructions, there will be no better use of their education and this is happening in Pakistan from where mostly students prefer to migrate to other countries after getting higher education [12] resulting in brain drain of educated youth to other countries. Proper guidance at the time of subject selection according to the existed abilities of the student will make them more efficient in the professional field and they can provide benefit to the country by using their skills. Level of awareness about professional career of the students significantly depends on the qualification of parents because parents are the initial motives to learn for children and also parents are well aware of their childrens abilities so they can give a useful and suitable suggestions to their children about professional field and can show them the way to their land countrys success but all this is possible if parents are itself aware of the suitable field of life where their children can well utilize their talent [13]. Parents academic and career expectations from their children are also an important factor having significant involvement in career decision making of the children [14]. Well educated parents will expect and prepare their children according to their abilities which make to stay on right path to get succeed in life while illiterate parents are more likely to expect from their something children other than childrens capabilities.

Social network plays an important role in recognizing the future field for students, they may get information of subject related professional fields through parents, siblings, other relatives as well as friends who have experience of professional field. In Pakistan, because of prevailing patriarchal society [15], the opportunities for males are more than that of females and they are more likely to well aware of the field they have to select after completing their study, because outside exposure of females is less common than males so they have also less sources of awareness about their well suited professional field. This study was designed to know about the level of awareness of students about their professional field and to know about their awareness about their studied subject in the university. This research will help to know the benefits of the subjects for the future of students; further this study will reveal that either student were only studying for getting degree or for the sake of only getting jobs. Objectives: C The main objective of the study is to find out the level of awareness of educated youth about the professional field that they will join after study. To find out the impact of awareness about the scope of academic major on awareness of professional field. To find out the relationship between parents education and level of awareness about the professional field among educated youth. METHODS AND MATERIALS This study was designed as cross sectional in which students of University of Gujrat studying in final semester were included. Students of final semester i.e. 7th semester of BS (4 year) program and 3rd semester of MS (2 year) program were included as target population. The reason for selecting these students that they have spent enough time in studying a particular subject and soon have to enter the professional field. They were more likely to know well about the scope of the subjects they were studying in university. Total population of the final semesters in selected disciplines of basic and social sciences was 1200 in which researchers selected the 10% as sample and total sample size was 120 students proportionately taken from both basic and social sciences group. Proportionate stratified sampling was used and 10% respondents were taken from

C C

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each of selected discipline. Sociology, population sciences, psychology, statistics and economics are selected in the social science group and bio chemistry, physics, chemistry, botany and information technology are selected among the basic science group by simple random method and data was collected in the BS and MS programs of the selected departments by personally visiting in classes. A well structured self administered questionnaire was designed to collect data. Data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS. Mann-whitney U and Krukal-wallis H test were used to find out the dependency of awareness about professional field on certain independent variables like gender, birth order, subject studied in university. RESULTS Descriptive Statistics: More than one third of the total respondents were male which shows the dominance of females in the university. About 43% respondents were taken from the 3rd semester of MS while about 57% respondents were studying in 7th semester of BS program in different selected subjects. Half of the respondents fall in the age group of 20 to 22 years because this age group is more prevalent among the students of final semester, a little more than one third of the respondents are 23 to 25 years old while only 21% respondents are above age 25. 58% of the respondents are taken from the subjects of basic sciences proportionately while about 42% are from social sciences. This proportion shows that trend of students toward social sciences is lower than toward basic sciences. Just 18% of the fathers of our respondents have attained less than matriculation education while more than one third have attained bachelor and more level of education. About 37% mothers of our respondents have not attained education more than matriculation indicating the lower education of mothers than that of fathers of respondents. There are about 15% have attained bachelor and above level of education. More than three quarter of respondents reported that they seek guidance from any one regarding professional career. Among those who got guidance, it is found that, more than a quarter seeks help about professional career to their parents; about 21% reported that they took help from their friends and about half quarter students are aware of professional career because of their teacher. It can be observed in the above Table 8 that most of the respondents fall in the category of AGREE in all indicators showing that the students are much aware of the scope of subject in the professional field.

Table 1: Gender of the Respondent Gender f Male 42 Female 78 Total 120 Table 2: University; Program Program MS BS Total Table 3: Age of Respondents Age 20 - 22 23 - 25 25+ Valid Total Missing Total

% 35.0 65.0 100.0

f 52 68 120

% 43.3 56.7 100.0

f 51 42 25 118 2 120

% 42.5 35.0 20.8 98.3 1.7 100.0

Table 4: Subject of the Respondents Subject Basic Sciences Social Sciences Total

f 70 50 120

% 58.3 41.7 100.0

Table 5: Parents Education Education of Father -----------------------Education Level f % Illiterate 5 4.2 Primary 4 3.3 Middle 13 10.8 Matriculation 26 21.7 Intermediate 24 20.0 Bachelor 26 21.7 Master and Above 20 16.7 Valid Total 118 98.3 Missing 2 1.7 Total 120 100.0 Table 6: Seek help from anyone? Seek Help Yes No Valid Total Missing Total

Education of Mother --------------------------f % 19 15.8 14 11.7 11 9.2 39 32.5 17 14.2 14 11.7 4 3.3 118 98.3 2 1.7 120 100.0

f 76 40 116 4 120

% 63.3 33.3 96.7 3.3 100.0

Table 7: Who guide you for your career From whom f Parents 33 Friends 25 Teachers 16 Media 2 Others 1 Valid Total 77 Missing 43 Total 120

% 27.5 20.8 13.3 1.7 .8 64.2 35.8 100.0

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Table 8: Level of Awareness About Scope of Subject Indicators included in this variable 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Succeed to get a job Enough time for family and friends Time to leisure activities Personal and professional field Maintain and secure employment Desired Lifestyle Abilities to meet the challenges Opportunities for ownership Strongly Disagree --------------------f % 6 4 7 3 6 11 6 8 5.0 3.3 5.8 2.5 5.0 9.2 5.0 6.7 Disagree ----------------f % 2 24 25 14 12 11 3 9 1.7 20.0 20.8 11.7 10.0 9.2 2.5 7.5 Neutral -----------------f % 11 26 33 26 27 22 25 26 9.2 21.7 27.5 21.7 22.5 18.3 20.8 21.7 Agree -----------------f % 70 50 43 52 62 53 59 54 58.8 41.7 35.8 43.3 51.7 44.2 49.2 45.0 Strongly Agree -------------------f % 31 16 11 25 13 23 27 23 25.8 13.3 9.2 20.8 10.0 19.2 22.5 19.2

Table 9: Level of Awareness About Professional Field Indicators included in this variable 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Chances for desirable work Decision is easy for career goals Awareness about your interests Awareness about your Abilities Awareness of govt. jobs Get job according to abilities Opportunities are very high for you Strongly Disagree -------------------f % 5 5 2 3 6 3 7 4.2 4.2 1.7 2.5 5.0 2.5 5.8 Disagree -----------------F % 13 20 5 9 15 13 10 10.8 16.7 4.2 7.5 12.5 10.8 8.3 Neutral ------------------F % 36 25 22 22 14 30 39 30.0 20.8 18.3 18.3 11.7 25.0 32.5 Agree -----------------f % 52 55 58 58 60 49 40 43.3 45.8 48.3 48.3 50.0 40.8 33.3 Strongly Agree --------------------f % 14 15 33 28 24 25 24 11.7 12.5 27.5 23.3 20.0 20.8 20.0

Table 10: Mean of Certain Ratio Scale Variables Current CGPA Total score of awareness about scope of subject Total Score of awareness about professional field

N Mean Std. Deviation Minimum Maximum Table 11: Calculations

Valid 116 120 120 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Missing 4 0 0 2.89 0.43 2.00 4.00 28.80 5.07 8 39 25.57 4.48 10 35

Total Score of awareness about professional field Total Score of Awareness About Scope of Subject Correlation Coefficient P-value N Correlation Coefficient P-value N 0.240 0.008 120 1.000 -120

Current CGPA 0.022 0.812 116 0.054 0.566 116

Total Score of Awareness About Professional Field

Table 12: Means of Awareness Score Across Nature of Subject Department Basic Sciences Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mann-Whitney U p-value Total score of awareness about scope of subject 28.69 70 5.26 28.96 50 4.83 28.80 120 5.07 1677.50 0.699 Total Score of awareness about professional field 25.76 70 4.48 25.30 50 4.51 25.57 120 4.48 1579.50 0.362

Social Sciences

Total

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Table 13: Means of Awareness Score Across Parents Education Fathers Education -------------------------------------------------------Awareness about Awareness about scope of subject professional field Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Mean N Std. Deviation Chi-Square value p-value 26.40 5 2.79 32.50 4 4.43 26.15 13 5.22 27.58 26 4.94 30.54 24 5.24 29.65 26 5.74 28.15 20 3.11 28.69 118 5.050 16.952 0.009 22.40 5 3.64 29.00 4 2.70 25.92 13 4.19 25.15 26 5.38 24.67 24 4.89 26.35 26 4.15 25.75 20 3.55 25.52 118 4.50 7.451 0.281 Mothers Education -------------------------------------------------------Awareness about Awareness about scope of subject professional field 27.79 19 5.53 27.43 14 7.11 30.55 11 2.46 29.56 39 5.02 27.00 17 5.14 29.50 14 3.08 28.25 4 3.77 28.69 118 5.049 6.583 0.361 25.89 19 5.01 23.57 14 6.75 25.00 11 3.40 26.00 39 3.45 25.65 17 5.20 26.36 14 3.58 23.75 4 4.71 25.52 118 4.50 2.937 0.817

Level of Education Illiterate

Primary

Middle

Matriculation

Intermediate

Bachelor

Master and Above

Total

In the case of awareness about professional field most of the respondents fall in the same category as in the above variable i.e. AGREE, therefore it can be said that almost same proportion as in the above variable is aware of the professional field related to their subjects and which they have to join after completing the study. The findings of the above table show that students average CGPA is 2.89 with standard deviation of 0.43. Mean score of awareness about the scope of subject is 28.80 with standard deviation of 5.07 points while the maximum of its score can be 40; therefore it shows that students are much aware of the scope of their subject because average value is near to maximum value. Average Score of awareness about professional field is 25.5 with the standard deviation of 4.48 points, it also falls in high level of awareness because average value is near to maximum value which is 35 points in this case. Inferential Statistics: Hypothesis-1= Higher the level of awareness about the scope of subject, higher will be the level of awareness about professional field. 837

Hypothesis-2=

Higher the academic performance of the students, higher will be the awareness level about the scope of subject and about the professional field. "= Level of significance = 0.05 Test Statistics= Spearman Correlation Test Data is not normal according to shpirio-wilk test of normality so researcher have to move toward nonparametric test of correlation. p-value of the test shows that total score of awareness about the scope of subject has significant relationship with total score of awareness about professional field, correlation coefficient value (0.240) indicates that there exists positive relationship between these two variables. These findings accept our hypothesis that higher level of awareness about the scope of subject in the professional field will leads toward higher level of awareness about the professional field. Awareness about scope of subject and about professional field are not significantly related with the current CGPAs of students so it shows that better academic performance do not impact significantly on the level of awareness about professional field.

Middle-East J. Sci. Res., 11 (6): 833-839, 2012

Awareness about scope of subject and about professional field do not differ on the basis of basic and social sciences. H1= Awareness about scope of subject and about professional field significantly differ on the basis of basic and social sciences. "= Level of significance = 0.05 Test Statistics= Mann-Whitney U Test Data is not normal according to shpirio-wilk test of normality so researcher have to move toward nonparametric test of equality of mean. Mean values of total score shows that awareness about scope of subject is more than awareness about professional field. It can also be observed in the findings of above table that total score of awareness is not different on the basis of basic and social science subjects. This is because of availability of equal resources of guidance for students of both categories of subjects in the university. P-values of test are less greater than level of significance which accepts the null hypothesis and confirms that there is no significant difference in the total score of awareness on the basis of basic and social science subjects. P-value of kruskal-walis test for awareness about scope of subject with respect to fathers education is less then level of significance indicating the significant impact of fathers education on the awareness about scope of subject. Impact of fathers education on the awareness about professional field and impact of mothers education on both the level of awareness about scope of subject and professional field is negligible, p-values for these variables is greater than level of significance showing that there do not exists significant difference in awareness level with respect to the various levels of education. DISCUSSION It was found in the study that majority of the students are more or less aware of their subject related professional field and it was seen that there exists no significant difference on the basis of academic major subject of the students, the major subjects were divided into basic and social science and awareness level did not show significant difference on the basis of basic and social science group. The studies that found the significant impact of academic major on the career choice of the students but in the case of this study, students of every subject were found equally aware of their professional field, they have 838

H0=

equal resources to get aware of professional filed [16]. However there found a significant positive relationship between level of awareness about scope of students chosen subject and level of awareness about professional field. This study is suggesting that when a student knows more about his subject, he will be well aware of his professional field. Parents involvement in the academics of their children significantly positively impacts on the academic performance as well as post academic success [23]. Further momentous impact of parents education on the career selection of the children was found in 2009 [13]. We also found significant impact of fathers education on the awareness of students about the scope of their selected subject but not on the awareness about the professional field while mothers education has also negligible effect on the level of awareness about professional field. This is because of patriarchal society [15] in Pakistan where female education is less than that of males and this can be observed in our findings of parents education, where mothers of our respondents are less educated than fathers. There was significant relationship between academic achievements and success in professional career, a person can be successful in professional field if he has more much awareness about that field [24]. In this study there did not found any significant relationship between academic success and level of awareness about professional field because at university level a person is aware about their professional field to the extent to which the academic success does not matter much. Suggestions and Recommendations: This study suggests that the level of awareness of students about the scope of their subjects in the professional field should be enhanced; it will eventually increase the understanding of the students about their professional field. This can be done by launching such programs in the educational sectors to aware the students about their subject relevant field in which they could apply their learned knowledge in better ways. Faculty members should be provided awareness about their role in providing career assistance to the students at university level is important. Moreover, professional advisors at the school or college levels may be helpful as students enter the University and begin the transition from high school to college. Helping students, schedule their classes according to established curriculum guidelines is mere the first step. Faculty advisors can better meet the career assistance needs of the students.

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