CAREER ASPIRATIONS OF UNDERGRADUATE AGRICULTURE STUDENTS

I.H. ANSARI¹, M.A. ANSARI²*
¹Department of Agriculture Communication, College of Agriculture, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, 263153, Uttarakhand, India
²Department of Agriculture Communication, College of Agriculture, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, 263153, Uttarakhand, India
* Corresponding Author : aslam1405@gmail.com

Received : 22-08-2019     Accepted : 26-10-2019     Published : 30-10-2019
Volume : 11     Issue : 20       Pages : 9131 - 9134
Int J Agr Sci 11.20 (2019):9131-9134

Keywords : Career Aspirations, Higher agricultural education, Occupational choices of Agriculture graduates, Career goals, Undergraduate agriculture students
Academic Editor : Nasrollahi I., Gajendra Rana, Srinivas Sathapathy, Dr B. S. Vyakarnahal
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to Department of Agriculture Communication, College of Agriculture, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, 263153, Uttarakhand, India
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

Choosing a right and relevant career path is very important for the youth of today. Everyone aspires to achieve something unique in their life. The present study was conducted in a premier State Agriculture University (SAU) in Uttarakhand to find out career aspirations of Undergraduate Agriculture students. The study sample comprised of final year students of Undergraduate course, i.e. B. Sc. Agriculture. Following census method of sampling, the study included all the final year Undergraduate Agriculture students (n=126). The study findings revealed that“ pursing higher studies, i.e. doing M.Sc. /Ph. D.” was found to be the most preferred career aspiration of Undergraduate Agriculture students followed by “becoming a scientist in ICAR (Indian Council of Agriculture Research) system”, “securing an administration position in SAU/ICAR”, “securing job in central government” whereas “becoming a Professor/Teacher in an SAU” was the least preferred career choice. Further, student’s academic performance, family background, parent’s occupation, parent’s annual income, mass media exposure, and achievement motivation displayed a positive and significant correlation with career aspirations of the undergraduate agricultural students. The study findings will be helpful for higher agriculture educationists, agriculture policy makers and planners to understand the nature and extent of career aspirations and accordingly devise suitable policies and promote alternative occupations.

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