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Abstract

Factors influencing career preferences of business students are explored. This study builds upon an original research project conducted in 1995, which focused on comparing pursuits of entrepreneurship versus more traditional business employment as career paths for business students. In the present study, 40 students enrolled in the senior-level capstone business course and 26 students enrolled in the freshman-level introductory business course in an AACSB accredited business school were administered surveys to determine career preferences and the factors influencing those preferences. The results of the introductory-level course are compared to those of students in the senior-level capstone business course and reported. These results are also compared with the original findings of the 1995 study, which was done nearly thirty years earlier at the same institution. The new study largely replicated the 1995 findings with graduating students were much more likely to indicate a career preference for employment with a mid- to large-sized company. Among Business Policy students, the choice of entrepreneurship and self-employment decreased from 1995 to 2023. For Business Policy students in 2023, the top five influences on students and their career preferences were in descending order: Life Experiences; The Economy; University and Business School Experiences; Location; Current Financial Situation. Students enrolled in the first-year level Introduction to Business course in 2023 reported the top five influences on their career preferences in descending order as: Life Experiences; Current Financial Situation; Overall Business Curriculum; University and Business School Experiences; Location.

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