DYNAMICS OF CAREER ASPIRATION OF TRIBAL UNDERGRADUATES

“To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do that, is the key to
happiness” - John Dewey
‗Man‘s most ancient preoccupation – work, has today yielded the inspiration of career and it
is the most important aspect of the overall development of the human individual. From flint to
microchip the idea of career gets various different transformations over the ages‘ (Arulmani
2009). Further, the impact of globalization has quickened the pace for expansion and
transformation all over the world and this has thrown up multiple career options for living.
Career is ‗a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public,
professional, or business life‘ as defined in Merriam Webster Dictionary (2015). Career
aspiration is epistemologically dealt with individual‘s actual objective to be what he or she
wants in life, pertaining to what type of vocation or profession they want to pursue. Aspiration
is defined as ―A students‘ ability to identify and set goals for the future, while being inspired
in the present to work toward those goals‖ (Quaglia & Cobb, 1996). In social-personal
dimension it is a mechanism whereby society utilizes the services of its members to contribute
to its wellbeing, progress and development. It is not only means of individual‘s livelihood but
also the identity of self. Since, Indian society is highly complex and hierarchical, it results
various connotations of career and career related trajectories for the individuals. ‗In India as
caste system is the resultant of Varna systems which has began to fade, class and prestigebased
approach to career gets subtle but strong influence on work behaviour‘ (Arulmani
2009); then career finds its being at the confluence of the two great streams of influences on
individual development—his biology and his socialization. Career is an individual‘s life goal;
although a work done under any career is neutral in nature whereas aspiration can be of
manifested and expressed.