An Integrated Model for Career Preferences of the Graduates in Bangladesh

Career selection is one of the most crucial decision made by potential incumbents and graduates in the business world. This decision is generally influenced by the factors like internal (cognitive ability, emotional ability, psychomotor skills) and external environmental (socio-economic condition, academic orientation, motivational factors, urban-rural background, etc.). Little studies have been done on the employment market, job situations, the process and the factors affecting career preferences of business graduates in Bangladesh. The proposed study aims at gaining a better understanding about the career preferences of business graduates in our country. It also intends to identify and analyze the determinants of career choices and find out the relevant major determinants with particular focus on the private and public sectors of Bangladesh. More specifically the study will focus on whether career preferences by the business graduates of Bangladesh are dependent on their family income level, gender, age, educational background, geographical location, individual cognitive ability, emotional intelligence, ethics, values, types of organization and employer's characteristics. It is further intended to focus on the pattern of variation in career preferences by the business graduates vary due to educational institutional orientation. The study is exploratory in nature. The extensive literature review suggests that, the career preferences of graduates are influenced by their family orientation, educational level, emotional attachment, cognitive ability, organization's reputation, age, gender.