Recently, AIM surveyed Nebraska high school teachers and students to document how students make college and career decisions. These surveys were supplemented by focus group discussions with high school students across the state. The findings are instructive to parents, educators and businesses alike. In 1993, there were over 900,000 high school teachers in U.S. public schools. To the extent that teachers are positive role models, these data suggest there are few potential role models for this key discipline.
Television seems to be an important influence on students as they consider occupations.
Not all occupations are equally represented in TV drama. They are frequently presented as important, with status, respect and success. One-half of the Nebraska students participating in the AIM study were planning careers in these overrepresented TV occupations. Focus group and survey data also suggested a substantial lack of knowledge by parents, teachers and counselors about career choices. The nature of work for most jobs is now hidden from casual observation.