Copyright© 2007 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 20                   For Publication Date: April 27, 2007             No. 10

High School Seniors May have Unrealistic Career Goals 

In a study of student goals that examined the educational and occupational plans of high schoolers in the United States, it was found that many seniors’ expectations are out of alignment with the achievements of recent school graduates as they struggle with being ill-prepared to complete college level work. In the article, “Have Adolescents Become Too Ambitious? High School Senior’ Educational and Occupational Plans, 1976 to 2000,” researchers Reynolds, Stewart, Macdonald, and Sischo utilized data from the University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” survey in conjunction with research from three other national surveys (National Longitudinal Study, High School and Beyond, and National Educational Longitudinal Study). They reported major findings regarding high school students: 

• In examining high school senior classes over the last 25 years, strong evidence shows that today’s teenager are highly ambitious but not  realistic in their goals.

• “First, high school seniors’ plans for schooling and work have become dramatically more ambitious since 1976, close to 50% of high school seniors in 2000 plan to get an advanced degree and 63% plan to work in a professional job.”

• “Seniors today are more likely to plan to use a two-year degree as an educational stepping stone between high school and more advanced degrees, a pathway with very low odds of success.”

• “The gap between students’ plans and what is probable [in terms of educational success] has grown from 1976 to 2000.  The rise in unrealistic expectations is also reflected in the declining influence of high school curricular program and past grades on plans for schooling for work.” Students are relying less on institutional feedback in making decisions regarding their educational career plans.

This research sheds light on the growth in enrollment of community colleges across the country. What this means is that community colleges offer the best pathway for a large number of high school seniors who find they are not fully prepared for college, but this is the best pathway to their career goals. According to Willard Hom, Director of Research and Planning at the System Office of the California Community Colleges, this study has much relevance for researchers and policy makers in education. This national trend, where youth have a rising set of goals but insufficient levels of preparation to achieve them, means that  the job facing community colleges is becoming more difficult over time. This trend matters in any longitudinal evaluation of the performance of community colleges and in plans for adequate budgets for them. 

Reynolds, Stewart, Macdonald, and Sischo’s research can be found in the peer reviewed journal Social Problems (2006, Vol. 53, Issue 2, pp. 186-206).

—Jamillah Moore, Ed.D.