Career Intention of Undergraduate Students : An Application of Theory of Planned Behavior

Career choices of people have vital implications for the economy. While the growing number of entrepreneurs and a booming private sector are considered essential for the growth of an economy, a large public sector is considered a burden. Degree programs attempt to include more entrepreneurship education in the curriculums. Therefore, understanding what influences career choices is important. This study investigates students' career intention to work in the public sector, private sector and own business startups separately by applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by Ajzen (1991) which describes that intention of a behavior depends on a person's attitudes, subjective norms and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC). This study also investigates if the degree program changes the students' career intention. Further, the influence of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of students on their career intention has been explored. Data was collected from undergraduate students of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Multiple linear regression and ANOVA techniques were used in data analysis. The results reveal that attitudes, subjective norms and PBC have a significant positive relationship with career intention in public and private sectors and own business startups. However, only career intention in private sector is significantly different between the final year and first year students. Career intention, attitudes, subjective norms and PBC towards private sector show a significant difference between males and females but not for business startups. Attitude related to career intention in the public sector shows a significant difference between urban and rural students. Career intention in private sector and attitudes and PBC towards private sector have a significant difference between urban and rural students. Only subjective norms are significantly different between urban and rural students with respect to business startups