Career Decision-Making in Qatar

Introduction

Qatar’s education system is free for all, meaning that any student who goes to government schools receives transportation to and from school and books for free (Ellili-Cherif & Romanowski, 2013). The public school system lasts for 12 years and is made up of a six-year primary school period, three-year secondary school and three years tertiary school period, all which take the students through a westernised education system. In the recent past, many challenges have hit Qatar’s education system. The rapid development brought about the country’s rich oil reserves also means that the citizens have to depend on the welfare and social services provided by the state. However, when students school for free in an educational system where the government provides everything from building to books, and when there are jobs just waiting for students to complete school, the society expects the students to take the challenge and maintain the kind of lifestyle lived by their parents. But, with the ever-increasing population and dwindling Qatari oil reserves, such expectations are becoming increasingly unrealistic. Current Qatari students have to make tougher career choices than their predecessors. This essay seeks to evaluate Qatar’s education system and how it influences students’ career choice, providing education dissertation help in understanding these dynamics.

Students’ career choice is an important decision to make in life and is influenced by many factors including the prevailing education system. Berewer & Goldman (2009) observes that an individual’s successful existence in the modern world is based on their ability to make various choices and solve problems. With the currently on-going fast changes globally, individuals are confronted with numerous choices to make daily and some of those choices are about the schools to attend, the friends to have, and the careers to pursue. More importantly, making a career choice is quite a significant experience in one’s life because careers are a life-long experience that individuals live by for the rest of their lives. Thus, it is important to understand the educational factors that influence a university student’s career choice.

What educational factors in Qatari’s education system influence students’ career choice? Researchers have formulated a similar question in different contexts and found interesting answers, some of which are outlined herein. The first factor that influences a student’s career choice in the program they read in high school. The Qatari secondary school education system offers a series of subjects that can prepare and influence students into making career choices at the university. For instance, a student’s interest in choosing an engineering course can be influenced by their love for physics subjects in secondary school. A similar observation was made in a study by Hackett & Betz (1995) which found that students may love specific subjects in high school and end up choosing courses related to such subjects in tertiary schools.

Another factor in Qatari’s education system that influences a student’s career choice at the university is the ability of the students to advance or upgrade themselves. According to Rostron (2009), Qatari universities provide an opportunity for students to study from undergraduate to Masters and PhD levels on the same career path. This, according to Brown (2002), is a significant factor influencing the student’s career choice at the university because most of them would want a career choice that gives them a chance to upgrade. This is also enabled by the flexible Qatari university education system where students can work while schooling, thereby being able to advance their careers on a part-time basis (Dyrbye et al, 2018).

There are several benefits that working while studying brings to Qatari’s students. Nasser et al (2011) assert that the opportunity to work and study enjoyed by Qatari students not only enhances their financial capabilities but also allows them to build their careers and make their lives better.

Qatari’s students who work while schooling also have an opportunity to get valuable job experience. This implies that when Qatari students are choosing their careers. They are more likely to choose those that will allow them to learn as many things about the job as possible (Fisher & Griggs, 1995).

Another factor in the Qataris education system that influences their choice of career at the university is the availability of the courses they intend to pursue. According to Berewer & Goldman (2009), Qatari’s education system currently more westernised and allows students to choose literary any career path they want to pursue, from technical courses to courses in social sciences. A similar observation was made by Ellili-Cherif et al (2012) who found that student’s career choices at the university are not only influenced by what they desire to pursue but also whether the courses they desire to pursue are offered by their university of choice.

Qatari students are also more likely to choose a course if the university offers scholarship to performing students in that course. University students in Qatar are familiar with various scholarship programs offered with various eligibility criteria. For instance, Qatar University boasts a variety of scholarship programs that are implemented to attract highly qualified students. The students are more inclined to choose programs for which the university offers scholarship because it increases the chance of completing the course with little financial constraints.

Khodr (2011) also cites a study that intended to examine the extent to which school personnel influence a student’s choice of career. While a majority of the respondents indicate that their career choice was influenced by their teachers, others mentioned that their university influenced their choices. More importantly, other participants in the study mentioned that their career choices were influenced by the personnel in other institutions such as their elementary school teacher, high school counsellor and principal (Ellili-Cherif et al, 2012). Therefore, Qatari’s school personnel and the various schools they attend before joining university significantly influence the student’s career choice.

In Qatar, universities select and enrol students based on their performance in the preceding education levels. Like universities in other countries, Qatari universities have developed a rigorous process of selecting students for admission, with student capabilities among the most considered aspect before admitting them in university curses (Ellili-Cherif et al, 2012). As a result, a student’s choice of courses is partly determined and influenced by their capabilities and grades from secondary school. Typically, students who performed exceptionally well are considered for highly demanding courses like law and medicine. Therefore, students are more likely to choose courses that their secondary school grades qualify them to pursue.

In conclusion, this essay has established that there are a variety of factors in Qatari’s educational system that influence students’ choice of courses in the university. The first factor found to have a significant influence on the choices is the subjects they develop an interest in while in secondary school where students are more inclined to choose a course related to a subject they liked in secondary school. The second factor found to have a significant influence on student’s choice, of course, is the availability of opportunities to advance their career paths. This implies that students are more likely to choose a course that has an undergraduate, master and PhD levels that those that do not have. The essay has also established that Qatari students are more likely to choose a curse with the flexibility of working while studying compared to those that do not. When a student works part-time, they can improve their financial capabilities as well as gain professional experience on the job. Another significant factor found to have a major influence on a student’s career choice is teachers and other school personnel. This essay has found that students are more likely to choose a career path advised by their teachers, principal or career counsellor. Lastly, this essay has established that students’ career choice is influenced by their grades in secondary school.

These pieces of evidence have a significant implication for Qatari’s education policy and regulations. First, student career choice should be included in the school curriculum so that students know what it takes to pursue the particular curses that they desire to. Furthermore, Ellili-Cherif et al (2012) recommend that there needs to be further research on factors influencing student’s choices of university courses so that practitioners and policymakers are aware of specific interventions meant to enhance student’s better choice of career paths at university levels.

References

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