Career Choice Barriers, Supports, and Coping Strategies: College Students' Experiences

This study used qualitative methods to examine the perceived influences on college students' selection and implementation of career choices. Students at two universities participated in a structured interview examining (a) factors that had affected their choice of occupational field, (b) supports and barriers to pursuing their choices, and (c) methods they had used to cope with choice barriers. Across both samples, person factors (e.g., interests) and work-relevant experiences were frequently cited bases for choice selection, although contextual factors (e.g., financial constraints, social supports) were among the most salient barriers and supports to choice implementation. Each sample also reported choice selection and implementation influences and coping strategies that may have been linked to their particular environmental and developmental contexts. Implications of these findings for career theory, research, and practice are considered.