Abstract:
Tanzania faces a growing problem associated with academic career choices among higher
education students. Therefore, the present study aims to empirically establish the main
intrinsic (personality) and extrinsic (socio-economic) factors considered by students in
deciding their academic careers. Besides, it is essential to employ a public policy
perspective to reconstruct a broader picture of the findings for deliberate actions to be
taken. The study employed a cross-sectional study design and simple random sampling
technique to select 392 students from a population of students of the Mwalimu Nyerere
Memorial Academy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data were collected using a
questionnaire and a desk review of documents. Study findings show that three main
socio-economic and personality factors influenced student’s academic career choice:
family influence, employment opportunities, and interest in studying a particular
academic program. In the context of public policy, the study revealed that existing public
policies do not create a supportive environment for students to make informed career
choices. Therefore, there is a need to formulate career guidance policies, or review the
existing education policy to address career guidance and counselling issues at all levels
of education by considering the context of the dynamic and changing world of work.
