Career decision-making in impoverished contexts: Why do rural youth find it hard or easy to make a career choice?

Background: In the ever-changing economic landscape characterised by job scarcities and high rates of unemployment, making a sensible career choice has become increasingly crucial in helping individuals find their career paths. However, deciding on a career is seldom a straightforward task for rural youth in South Africa because of limited access to career counselling and geographical disadvantages, which limit their ability to make informed and purposeful career decisions. Objectives: The study explores the factors that influence the ease and difficulty of making a career choice among youth in the North West province of South Africa. It focuses on the enablers and barriers to career decision-making in young people from economically deprived contexts. Methods: A qualitative research approach was employed to examine the experiences of 83 youth participants through semi-structured questionnaires. Inductive content analysis was used to identify emerging themes and acquire in-depth insights into the participants’ narratives. Results: The findings revealed that a lack of career guidance and education support, as well as career choice influences, such as parental-imposed career choices, contributed to the difficulty in making a career choice. On the contrary, career development efforts, personal career aspirations and career choice influences, such as role modelling, made it relatively easy for rural youth to make a career choice. Conclusion: This study highlights that the career decision-making process among rural youth is influenced by a multitude of contextual factors. Therefore, the findings of this study underscore the importance of a career counselling intervention strategy that is tailored to accommodate the diverse needs of rural youth. Contribution: This study demonstrates that contextual factors can undermine the prospects of personal development. In particular, the study highlights the role of rurality as a symbol of social class that shapes career choices.