Roots of Ambition: Career Aspirations Among Rural Secondary School Students in Banswara, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

This study investigates determinants of career aspirations among secondary students in rural Banswara district, Rajasthan, India, where cultural, structural, and informational barriers necessitate a context-specific approach to understanding aspiration formation. Focusing on school-level students is critical, as early choices regarding subjects and universities’ entrance exams substantially impact future educational and career opportunities. Addressing a notable gap in the literature, which has largely concentrated on university-level aspirations, this research uses a semi-structured survey of 80 students from five secondary schools representing government, private, and government-aided institutions. The survey, administered in Hindi, explored key themes: parental influence, socioeconomic status, institutional support, gender norms, role models, and self-motivation. Most students aspire for financially stable government employment. Younger participants emphasised service-oriented goals, while older students prioritised job stability and higher income. Distinct gender patterns emerged: girls favoured teaching and clerical posts, boys preferred engineering and skilled trades. Socioeconomic background, especially parental education, strongly influenced career aspirations, with lower parental educational attainment correlating with vocational or manual job preferences. Although only 7% explicitly cited parental influence as decisive, parental educational background shaped students’ perceptions of higher education’s value and their likelihood of career discussions with teachers. Girls received less encouragement at home and were also less likely to seek school-based guidance. Remarkably, access to infrastructure or digital resources had limited effect on career awareness; students relied primarily on family and teachers for information. Direct exposure to professionals in students’ desired career, effectively reducing knowledge gaps. These findings expand our understanding of early-stage, rural aspirations, with implications for designing interventions like government and school policies focusing on financial aid and mentorship to address gender and socio-economic disparities in rural students’ career development.