Vocational identity and students’ college degree choices: a preliminary study.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Students’ degree choices are often made without an achieved vocational identity. In fact, some students perceive a discrepancy between their ambitions and their university course choices. In this preliminary study, I employed the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to study the experiences of two master’s degree economics students enrolled in two Italian universities. The aim was to understand the students’ perception of emotional costs associated with the discrepancy between their vocational identity and their university degree choices. Five themes, regret, disappointment, selfishness, the influence of family/teachers and job opportunities emerged from the interpretation. The emotional cost of wrong degree choices hindered the students’ process of overcoming their psychosocial crises. Finally, recommendations were made for providing counselling services in secondary schools.