Abstract:
The educational opportunities of the Nigerian youths are very much influenced by many factors in their' environments to the extent that many a time they choose or aspire to enter into occupations that are not realistic and in consonance with their intellectual abilities and aptitudes. The purpose The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the factors that influence secondary school students in their occupational choices or aspirations, A stratified random sample of four hundred SS3 students comprising of equal number of boys and girls from one hundred and thirty secondary schools in Enugu Education zone, was used for the study. Data were collected by mans of questionnaire and analysed employing mean, percentages, t - test, and chi-square statistics. The study revealed that parents have the greatest influence on their children in their occupational choices or aspirations. Other factors identified in this study are socio-economic in nature. Financial remuneration, working conditions, nature of the occupation and the tendency to belong to the prestige occupations such as medicine, engineering and law f om the major "determinants for the respondents. Occupational choices and aspirations. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended among other things that functional guidance and counseling efforts should begin from the primary school through the senior secondary and should be emphasised at the junior secondary school level.
