Career development among ethnic and age groups of community college students

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in career development among four ethnic groups and two age groups of community college students i n regard to their career goals, career preparation actions, and the number of job seeking strategies utilized. Data were obtained from the Beginning P ostsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 90/94) of the National Cente r for Educational Statistics (NOES), U.S. Department of Education. Results suggest that there are statistically significant differences among the ethn ic groups in six of the seven career goals; however, there are no significa nt differences between the traditional and non-traditional age groups in ca reer goals. For career preparation action there are significant differences between the two age groups and also between Black/African American and Whi te/European American students. There is no significant difference among the age or ethnic groups in the number of job seeking strategies utilized. The se findings imply that student services providers, such as counselors, shou ld be sensitive to community college students' backgrounds and experiences related to ethnicity and age. Individualized career-related workshops tailo red to the career needs of specific student populations should be offered. The function of community colleges as providers of employment preparation c an be enhanced by familiarizing students with accurate career information, considering students' ethnic backgrounds and their age.