Temperament and vocational preferences: Age, gender, and racial-ethnic comparisons using the student styles questionnaire

Relationships between temperament and vocational interests are examined for a large, nationally stratified sample of children ages 8 through 17 years. Reliable relationships between temperament and vocational interests are ob servable in children as young as 8 to 10 years. Those with extroverted styl es are interested in being a rock star. Those with introverted, intuitive, and feeling styles are interested in being a writer. Those with thinking st yles are interested in being a mechanic. Those with feeling styles are inte rested in being a counselor. Those with flexible styles are interested in b eing a jet pilot. Age, gender, and racial-ethnic differences also are exami ned.