Navigating Futures: Analysing Career Awareness Levels Among Undergraduate Students

Authors

  • Priyabrata Sen Research Scholar, Department of Teacher Education, Rajendra University Balangir Author
  • Mrs. Rajashree Bag Assistant professor, Department of Teacher Education Rajendra University Balangir Author
  • Umarani Sahoo Research Scholar, Department of Teacher Education, Rajendra University Balangir Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n05.014

Keywords:

Career Awareness, Undergraduate Students, Employability, Academic stream, Future preparedness, Career guidance, Mentorship, Digital Tools, Career Counsellor

Abstract

In the contemporary era, Career Awareness serve as a critical tool for the undergraduate students, helping them to become an active planner of their own employability from passive recipients of information. By enhancing the career awareness, students can coordinate their aspirations with their individual strengths and find satisfying career options. The primary aim of the present study is to analyse the level of career awareness among undergraduate students and identify the factors influencing their future preparedness. A total of 300 undergraduate students drawn as sample for the study from Nayagarh District, Odisha. Self developed questionnaire based on different career information was used for data collection. The data were analysed through different analysis techniques like Mean, Standard deviation, percentage analysis, frequency, t-test and One way ANOVA by using SPSS software. The study revealed that majority of students (53.33%) have moderate level of career awareness. In relation to Academic stream, there is significant difference in career awareness level observed, with Commerce students (M = 147.57, SD = 12.806) have the highest career awareness level, followed by science students (M = 143.25, SD = 13.122), while Arts students (M = 134.20, SD = 11.802) recorded the lowest level. On the basis of gender analysis revealed that female (M = 145.46) possesses significantly higher career awareness than males (M = 140.81). Additionally, the result found that social media plays a significant for career guidance than the convectional campus facilities, a considerable number of students reported a lack of mentorship from their teachers. The study also showed that family influence and economic background significantly influencing the career awareness level. The findings of the study suggested that organization of career talks and integration of digital tools must be integrated in educational institutions for creating awareness among undergraduate students. Further it is recommended that career counsellor must be appointed in educational institutions on regular basis.

References

[1] Bandillo, T. P., Bundalian, P. N. J., Coz, K. C. S., Garinga, L. E. V., Labrilla, L. A. T. A., Lanida, R. R., Lapugot, J. P. F., Santos, A. M., Siman, R. A. P., & Solmoro, A. B. (2024). Predictors of career awareness on selected BSAIS students in Laguna University: A basis for career awareness program. Journal of Research in Business and Management, 12(5), 124–130.

[2] Bhakti, C. P., Ardiyanti, D., Kumara, A. R., Ghiffari, M. A. N., & Azfin, T. A. (2024). Analysis of the Level of Career Awareness of Junior High School Students in Yogyakarta City. Indonesian Journal of Guidance and Counseling: Theory and Application, 1(13), 43 – 54. Retrieved October 13, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15294/d1rvfr30

[3] Chandrakanth, G., & Singh, P. A. (2024). A study on assessment of career awareness of higher secondary school students. International Journal of Trends in Emerging Research and Development, 2(3), 190-194.

[4] Dagyar, M., Kasalak, G., & Ugurlu, N. (2020). Academic career awareness and academic career interest among Turkish undergraduate students. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(15), 937 – 954. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v15i5.5123 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v15i5.5123

[5] Dupont, P., & Gingras, M. (1990). Questionnaire sur l’éducation à la carrière (pp. 1–8). Centre de recherche sur l’éducation et la vie au travail, Université de Sherbrooke.

[6] Kishore, M. (2024). Analysis on the awareness of career development among high school students. APCDA Career Practice Journal, 1, 24–26.

[7] Kilic. S., & Gunal, Y. (2023). University students’ career decision regret: A mixed method research. International Journal of Educational Research Review, 8(3), 521–531. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.1257601 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.1257601

[8] Nasir, R., & Lin, L. S. (2013). The relationship between self-concept and career awareness amongst students. Asian Social Science, 9(1), 193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v9n1p193

[9] Ndagi, M. M., Abdulrahman, I., Enagi, H. M., & Abubakar, D. A. (2024). Effect of Family, School, Environment and Personality Factors on Career Awareness and Preference of Secondary School Students in Niger State. Ceddi Journal of Education, 1(3), 1 – 7. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.56134/cje.v3i1.72 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56134/cje.v3i1.72

[10] Nikale, M. P., More, A. G., & Ghodke, P. D. (2025). A comparative study of the level of career awareness among junior (intermediate) college students. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education, 2(11), 1562 - 1569. Retrieved August 10, 2025.

[11] Perry, N., & VanZandt, Z. (2006). Exploring Future Options: A Career Development Curriculum for Middle School Students. G –Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. USA: IDEA.

[12] Rahman, A. W. A., Mahmud, M. I., Mansor, A. Z., Rasul, M. S., Mokhtar, N., Rohanai, R., & Razak, N. N. A. (2024). Level of Knowledge and Attitude in Career Choice of Undergraduates Students. International journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 8(14), Retrieved December 12, 2024, from DOI:10.6007/IJARBSS/v14i8/22483 DOI: https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i8/22483

[13] Ramakrishnan, Selvapranambika. (2022). Understanding the nature of Career Planning among the Higher Secondary students in Coimbatore and Tirupur District. IJR. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.6343348. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4579036

[14] Rao, K. S. K., & Nag, M. K. (2026). Role of Artificial Intelligence in Revolutionizing Lesson Plan for teaching:A Systematic Review. RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary, 11(4), 286-295.https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n04.031 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n04.031

[15] Sadjail, S. A., Sansawi, D. J., & Matolo, M. L. (2022). Factors Influencing Students in Choosing their College Course. Psych Educ, 1 – 5. Retrieved December 13, 2024, from doi: 10.5281/zenodo.6994851

[16] Sappayani, R. A. (2022). Factors Affecting the Career Preferences of Freshman College Students of Basilan State College. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications, 5(5), 133 – 140. Retrieved December 10, 2024.

[17] Sethy, R. (2017). Career awareness of students at secondary schools of Odisha. Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(29), 4822-4835.

[18] Super, D. E., & Hall, D. T. (1978). Career development: Exploration and planning. Annual Review of Psychology, 29, 333–372. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.29.020178.002001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.29.020178.002001

[19] Tamuli, T., & Hazarika, B. (2024). A Study on Career Awareness among Senior Secondary School Students in North Lakhimpur Area of Lakhimpur District. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), 2(6), Retrieved November 11, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i02.15045

[20] Uttamrao, D. C. C., & Dhondiram, M. P. A. (2022). A Study of Career Awareness of Higher Secondary School Students in Rural Area of Sinnar Taluka. International journal for innovative research in multidisciplinary field, 9(8), 76 – 82. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from 10.2015/IJIRMF/202209014

[21] Wang, Y. (2023). The Influence of Overparenting on College Students’ Career Indecision: A Moderated Mediation Analysis. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S436675 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S436675

Downloads

Published

2026-05-15

How to Cite

Sen, P., Bag, R., & Sahoo, U. (2026). Navigating Futures: Analysing Career Awareness Levels Among Undergraduate Students. RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary, 11(5), 135-149. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n05.014