Paper Title
Investigating the Effect of Choice of Career on Learners in High Schools

Abstract
As a result of prioritising education African children have to decide at a very young age which career paths they will have to follow when they get older. The sample population of the study consisted of grade 9 and 12 learners. A purposive sampling was be used as a subtype of non-probability sampling. An open ended questionnaire was used as instrument of collecting data from participants (5 teachers) and (20 learners), with 5 learners selected from each grade. Data were analysed through the use of thematic content analysis, which identifies and summarizes message contents from respondents. The study found out that 76 percent of learners were aware of what a career concept is. The study revealed that many external forces such as parents’ opinions, friends’ influence, grade rates, access to information and financial status have a major influence on learners’ mind-sets when they make career choices. The study recommends that parents and guardians including peer educators and government have important role to play in giving good guardians. They should be open to learners on the routes to follow and not to compel them through a preconceived self-centred path but rather to be objective and respect the opinion of the learners themselves. Keywords - Learners, Career Choices, Contributory Factors, Parental Influence, Young People