As higher education continues to expand its reach, it is crucial to recognize students as important stakeholders in the labor market. Their opinions on career choice are significant to serve as references for both employers and education providers. Music students recognize the challenges associated with securing employment and display a strong eagerness to bolster their readiness for future careers. There is a limited amount of empirical research that examines Chinese music students’ perception of career choice in Western China, using demographic information and professional option purpose as variables for variance analysis. This study investigated career decisions among music major students within higher education. Engaging a cohort of 356 music major students representing five universities in Western China, this investigation employed an online survey to uncover students’ perspectives on career choices. The results indicated that income and job security were paramount determinants shaping students’ career choices. In addition, individual factors related to the variables of socioeconomic, societal, geographical, institutional affiliations added another layer of complexity in decision making. The findings could serve as reference for policy makers and institutions in career preparation for music major students.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.