Career Decision-Making Difficulties Among Senior Secondary School Students in Enugu State: A Descriptive Survey

Career decision-making remains a persistent challenge for adolescents navigating the transition from secondary to tertiary education in Nigeria. This study examined the nature and extent of career decision-making difficulties among senior secondary school students in Enugu State, South East Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, drawing on a sample of 420 students selected through stratified random sampling across twelve public secondary schools in three local government areas. The Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ), adapted for the Nigerian context, was used as the primary data collection instrument. Data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and mean scores. Findings revealed that the majority of students experienced significant difficulties related to lack of information about occupations, unrealistic expectations, and indecisiveness arising from parental pressure. Students in urban schools demonstrated marginally higher self-awareness regarding career options compared to their rural counterparts, though both groups reported insufficient access to professional guidance services. The study concluded that career guidance interventions in Enugu State secondary schools remain inadequate and largely informal. It was recommended that school counsellors adopt structured career education programmes anchored in current occupational trend data, and that the Enugu State Ministry of Education strengthen supervision of guidance units in public schools. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on adolescent career development in South East Nigerian contexts. Keywords: career decision-making, secondary school students, guidance, Enugu State, adolescents.