A Study of the Influences in the Choice of Grade 10 Students to Pursue a Career in the Tourism Industry

Choosing a career has always been a crossroad to take among students because this decision would be the start of whatever career path they wish to pursue in their lifetime. The choice could either mean a ‘make or break’ in their future lives. Hence, a thorough consideration of various significant factors has to be made before that choice should be made. The main objective of the study was to determine what factors motivate students in their preference to study tourism program and eventually pursue a career in the industry. A questionnaire-based survey was randomly administered to 150 high school students currently enrolled in the 10th year level in various public and private schools in Lucena City. The data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 and presented in the form of frequency and percentage tables. Five motivational factors that influence Grade 10 students in the choice to pursue a career in the tourism industry were revealed in the study. These factors, ranked according to their importance as perceived by the students, were: self-fulfillment of perceptions, industry appeal and opportunities, external influences and motivation, ease of study of the course, and immersion to foreign experience. Findings of this study may help parents, students, educators and institutions to understand the factors deemed of utmost importance by the students in their choice of a tourism career in the future. Further, the study recommends career education so that parents and students alike may make a well informed career decision.