Future of Jobs Report 2023 projected the possible job creation and displacements for the next 4 years, revealing a great increase in all the domains in which AI knowledge and skills will be most wanted and used (ex AI and Machine Learning Specialists, Sustainability Specialists, Business Intelligence Analysts, Information Security Analysts) whereas other domains will decrease in their demand for employees (Administrative and Executive Secretaries, Data Entry Clerks, Bank Tellers and Related Clerks) (World Economic Forum, 2023).
In these times of uncertainty and challenge, the selection of an academic path with the potential to lead to a successful career brings a complex decision-making process for adolescents. The achievement in career choices and job performance is significantly shaped by vocational interests (Rounds & Su, 2014). In this context, obtaining a clear understanding of the vocational interests of high school students belonging to Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2008) would prove particularly valuable. A substantial number of these students make decisions about their college majors during the 10th and 11th grade. If their chosen path aligns with their vocational interests, it is likely to enhance their motivation to complete college (Nye, Prasad, & Rounds, 2021), in a period when Higher education is confronted with serious drop-out rates (Eurostat Statistics, 2022). This latter source reveals that in 2022, the proportion of early leavers from education and training (ages between 18 and 24) in the EU ranged from 2.3% in Croatia to 15.6% in Romania.
According to a recent national survey in Romania focusing on Generation Z, it was found that 76% of respondents identified a passion for their work as the primary motivating factor in their job search (Romanian Business Leaders, 2022). This indicates that, for this demographic, vocational interests take precedence over financial compensation when considering employment opportunities.
As all the previous generations, Gen Z has its distinct futures, being described as more pragmatical and future-oriented compared with the more idealistic Millennials (Twenge, 2020, p. 231). Being born in a digitalized and tech world, vocational interests have also changed, as the current generation is interested in more fields of activity than the previous with an increased interest in information technologies (Roganova & Lanovenko, 2020).
Interests are defined as a cognitive and motivational factor encompassing both engagement and participation in specific content areas. The effectiveness of interest lies in its capacity to generate a rewarding experience through the information search process (Renninger & Hidi,, 2020). Interests have a significant influence on career choices and academic achievement (Hoff, Song, Wee, Phan, & Rounds, 2020), (Stoll, et al., 2020). This is why the present research endeavors to explore the patterns or clusters of interests within the Generation Z adolescent demographic.
A key objective of the study is to ascertain whether distinct patterns of interests emerge among the cohort based on factors such as the year of the examination, age, or gender. This multifaceted approach seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between vocational interests and demographic variables, contributing valuable insights to the broader discourse on college domain decisions among adolescents.
Therefore, this research aims to address the following questions:
- Are there variations in vocational interest preferences among high school students who took the test during the periods 2012-2014, 2015-2019, and 2020-2023?
- Are there distinctions in vocational interest preferences between females and males across and between the established subcohorts?
- What are the most prominently scored preferences in the Work Roles scales among the participants across and between subcohorts?
- What types of Work Styles do Generation Z individuals predominantly favor across and between subcohorts?