Adolescents must consider their own evolving interests, needs and abilities in vocational choice. Obviously, making an early, realistic and lasting decision is not easy. It is no wonder that many adolescents change their vocational choices several times before setting on one. Vocational decision making begins in childhood and continues throughout life.
Ginzerberg (1972) proposed that people pass through three sequential periods of vocational decisions making; * The Fantasy Period * The Tentative Period * The Realistic Period
Fantasy Period:
The vocational choices of children reflect their ignorance of adult work roles and their reliance on fantasy sources. Children may say that they want to be a police-woman, reflect the exciting and glamorous stereotypes which they pick up from friends, schools books and television programs. Their decisions are highly unstable. Children give relatively little consideration to their personal abilities or personal matters like training requirements, job opportunities and safety hazards.
Tentative Period:
Tentative period lasting from age eleven to seventeen. The vocational thinking of youth becomes increasingly complex and realistic as cognitive skills improve and their knowledge of the work world becomes more complete. At first, their decisions are based mostly around their abilities and attempt to relate them to personal interests in forming career preferences. At around ages fifteen and sixteen, adolescents begins to incorporate their own personal values, satisfaction or money the career may bring.
Realistic Period:
Realistic period starts at the end of high school, youths engage in more active and extensive exploration. They search for more accurate knowledge of personal motives, abilities and qualification. They test themselves in academic courses, training programs and on the job. Gradually they accommodate to their view of reality and narrow their range of career