Factors influencing occupational choice : a perspective from teachers in Botswana

The purpose of this study was to uncover, explore, understand, and describe some of the factors influencing occupational choice. The factors investigated were socialization, gender, socio-economic background, education, and labour market. The study was descriptive and utilized an in depth interview. Five high school teachers in an urban area in Botswana were chosen for this study. Three men and two women, between twenty-four and forty-two years of age were each interviewed three to four times; each interview was about one hour. These stories were analyzed and discussed under several topics supported by direct excerpts. Though the results indicate that occupational choice was restricted by a strong interaction between the factors, there is also some evidence indicating that choice of careers was influenced by gender. Participants were socialized by parents of the same sex, and had role models of the same sex. The findings of this study also showed that differences in socio-economic background limited exposure to different careers, particularly of the male participants who grew up in rural areas. There was no difference in education as all the participants reported that their education influenced their career interests and their final choice. The results further showed that labour market was the overriding factor as the participants, particularly the males, had to choose a career that assured them of a job.