EXPLORING THE FACTORS AFFECTING CAREER SHIFTING OF

_________ASPIRING AVIATION STUDENTS UNDER GRADE 12 STEM

_____________STRAND OF TOMAS DEL ROSARIO COL LEGE

A Thesis Proposal Presented to the

Faculty of Senior High School
Tomas Del Rosario College
Balanga City Bataan

In Partial Fulfillment to the

Subject Requirement in
Practical Research I
11_STEM St. John
S.Y. 2023-2024

The Researchers

Celestial, Wesley Nicole C.

Hernandez, Ayesha Andrea S.
Gomez, Reign Kirsten Ann N.
Breganza, Jedrek Joseph J.
Bernardo, Marielle F.
Cruz, Loiz Izabelle A.
Recosana, Patrick B.
Caragay, Ainsley P.
Ortega Isha Mae A.
Rivera, Jackie V.

May 20, 2024

Related Literature

Challenges faced

According to the article entitled “Aviation Maintenance Students on Challenges

Facing the Next-Gen Workforce” by Bjerregaard (2021), it's mentioned that aircraft

maintenance students are dealing with many challenges. It could be related to their

behavior—feeling like they're not good enough for the career they're pursuing, not having

the right skills for the job, or struggling to find a job in the future. These difficulties

might be the reasons why future aviation students might decide not to pursue this course.

Not having enough skills and knowledge seems to be a major roadblock for students

aiming to become aircraft mechanics.

In addition, the article by Wingman Log (2023) entitled “Common Challenges

Faced by Student Pilots" states that the cost of flight training is one of the biggest

obstacles faced by aspiring pilots. The cost of having a pilot’s license can depend on

factors such as flight school, location, and aircraft type. Many student pilots need to work

part-time jobs or secure loans in order to pay for their expenses.

Furthermore, the article entitled 5“Challenges of Being an Airline Pilot” by AAG

Corporate Affairs (2023) states that being an airline pilot requires tough responsibilities
and duties. One of the challenges that student pilots have to face is the cost of pilot

school. It can cost around hundreds of thousands of pesos to become a fully licensed

pilot. The costs of pilot school are considerable, as student pilots are being trained by

highly skilled professionals from the aviation industry and use modern equipment.

There are numerous articles that describe the common difficulties faced by people

who want to work in aviation. For instance, according to Wingman Log (2023),

financially strained prospective pilots have no choice but to take on part-time jobs or seek

financial help owing to expensive flight training. Moreover, AAG Corporate Affairs

(2023) highlights the significant financial commitment of pilot schools and the

substantial responsibilities of airline pilots. Additionally, Bjerregaard (2021) cites

behavioral, suitability, skill adequacy, and job prospects as some of the of the main

problems that may discourage future students from studying aviation maintenance.

Alternative choices

According to the article by Kim Hill (2020), “Research Creativity and

Productivity in Political Science: A Research Agenda for Understanding Alternative

Career Paths and Attitudes Toward Professional Work in the Profession," understanding

the influence of faculty creativity and productivity informs why certain demographic

groups, such as ethnic and racial minorities and women, might pursue alternative career
paths. This is due to systemic issues within academia or the broader professional

environment. Professional and personal circumstances create opportunities and barriers

that can also cause the pursuit of an alternative career path.

Additionally, according to the article by Amaramalar Selvi Naicker (2021)

entitled “Alternate Careers for Medical Graduates and House Officers in Malaysia,"

almost half of their respondents were willing to pursue an alternative career. Most of

those who were interested in changing careers belonged to the group that claimed to not

be passionate about medicine and were inclined to go through training or reskilling for an

alternative career. This implies changing mindsets and accommodating the requirement

to adapt to current challenges and employment expectation gaps.

Thus, in the article by Hamid Hassan (2022) entitled “Career Path Decisions and

Sustainable Options," choosing an alternative involves taking into account of intangible

and economic gains. Human beings handle “objectives” and “means” differently when

choosing between alternatives. The variability in human behavior suggests that different

approaches may be taken in order to reach the same goal. The assumption that one should

always choose an alternative over the other can be refuted, especially if they fall under

“means” and not “objectives.”

 Moreover, alternative choices, as discussed by Kim Hill (2020), state that

pursuing alternative career paths was impacted by faculty creativity and productivity,

specifically for certain demographic groups like ethnic minorities and women. Selvi

Naicker (2021) found that almost half of the respondents were willing to pursue an

alternative career because their passion had changed. Hamid Hassan (2022) highlights the

importance of considering intangible and economic gains when choosing an alternative

career path. The variability in human behavior suggests that different approaches may be

taken to achieve the same goal. The articles share a common component of human

behavior and mindset.

Career change factors

According to the article “The Effect of Parents on an Adolescent's Choice of

Career" by Chron Contributor (2020), intentional and unintentional parental influence can

have both positive and negative effects on a child's professional choices. The approach of

parents towards their children can either encourage their teenagers to pursue a wide range

of careers or stay on a path that they believe that their parents find acceptable. The

parents' attitude towards the attitude of their child has a significant impact on their

ambition to obtain a degree, even before they start considering college.

Moreover, in the article “Aisha Douglas Students' Career Interests Are Changing”

by Douglas (2022), Here Is Why Our Teaching Must Change, Too, shows that traditional
work nowadays is losing its appeal to people. The idea of success assured by studying

hard and entering college is quickly fading away. Influencers are making around $5,000

to $700,000 from posts, affiliate links, and brand deals. Our students, interested in these

career pathways, could, ironically, make more in a month than a career educator does

yearly. Ironically, students interested in this type of career can earn more money in a

month than a career educator earns in a year.

In addition, the article titled "The Truth About Choosing a Career Change" by

Jess Wass (2022) highlights the fact that making a career change is a difficult process, but

it eventually proves to be beneficial. Changing careers is an investment in future

happiness. Wass emphasizes the important factor of first identifying the skill gaps,

gaining experience, solving the problems, and finally expanding self-confidence and

independence to be at the lead all the way the way through. In the article, it was stated

that people must deal with issues and problems to be successful in their new career path.

These articles talk about career change factors. The first article examines the

parental influence on what a child chooses to do as a career, indicating that parents also

influence their child's dreams related to school. The next article is on the effect of social

media on students' perceptions of their career choices. Lastly, the last article highlights

that individuals must overcome complexities for a successful new career path. The

articles in general demonstrate the fact that career change is a complex process that
depends on several factors, such as parents’ influence, social trends, and how career

change is done.

Influence of Job Security, Work-Life Balance, and Industry Trends

According to the article “The Relationship Between Motivation and Job

Preferences in Commercial Aviation Graduates” by Shayne A. Daku (2017), the scarcity

of qualified pilots and the competitive field of the aviation industry caused a shortage of

pilots in the regional airline industry. It indicates that aspiring aviation students are more

likely to complete an aviation degree to achieve their goals. With this, the article studies

how newly qualified pilots make their decisions and their motivation styles, as well as

proposes solutions by addressing common problems in airline job hiring.

Additionally, according to Wittmer & Linden (2021) in an article “The Future of

Mobility: Trends Shaping the Mobility and Aviation Industry'' states that by demands for

sustainability, customer preferences, and technology improvements, the mobility and

aviation sectors are poised for a revolutionary upheaval. This article examines the major

developments that will influence mobility and aviation in the future and emphasizes how

they will significantly affect transportation. This analysis focuses on sectors including

electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and micromobility, exploring the disruptive trends

and technologies that are poised to revolutionize the mobility ecosystem.

 Furthermore, according to Cahyo et al. (2022), in the article entitled “Analysis of

Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction Flight Instructor: A Case Study of the

Indonesian Aviation Academy Banyuwangi," the data gathered from the questionnaires

distributed to 28 permanent employees and contract workers at the academy reveals that

work-life balance is crucial in improving job satisfaction. This puts an emphasis on the

need to prioritize balance between work and personal life for employees, mentioning

their well-being, which significantly affects their performance at work. Improved

working conditions, such as salary, working environment, and schedule, could result in

better work-life balance among employees, leading to better systematic performance.

These articles represent the struggles affecting aviation-related careers. First,

Daku (2017) states that the competitiveness of the aviation field caused a shortage of

pilots in regional airlines. The second article by Cahyo et al. (2022) states that the

implementation of work-life balance is important in improving work performance and

employees’ well-being. Lastly, the final article by Wittmet & Linden (2021) analyzes the

future of the aviation industry in the hands of the technological revolution. Thus, these

articles share the influence of crucial decision-making in the aviation industry, as it

affects significant branches of society.

Perspective Changes
 According to Schacter (2019), revisiting past experiences and connecting them to

a career perspective influences a person's approach to choosing a specific career path. In

relation to the study, a student's previous experiences, such as interests and relationships,

may play a part in helping them form a decision on what career to pursue. They may have

had instances in their childhood where they sparked an interest in a particular field of

knowledge, which can ultimately end up weaving into their future paths.

Furthermore, the article “Making Sense of Different Perspectives on Career

Transitions: A Review and Agenda for Future Research” by Sherry E. Sullivan and

Akram Al Ariss (2021), presented five perspectives on why people tend to transition from

one career to another. Those 5 perspectives are career stage perspective, adjustment

perspective, decision-making perspective, relational perspective, and identity

perspective. Those perspectives state that career transition may be caused by job

insecurity, emotions, rational decisions, adjustments, adaptation, influence, identity

changes, and an increase in interest in transition in the later career stages.

Moreover, research has shown that the way people form decisions is by getting to

know themselves and eliminating their uncertainties in order to shape their career

outcomes (Xu, 2021). A student must get to know themselves first in order to make a

proper choice that will help build their future. Identifying their weaknesses is also

encouraged so that they can find ways to improve in those areas. Through these
processes, students can develop a wide variety of perspectives that truly transform how

they view their careers.

Combining information from those articles provides a view of career shifting and

decision-making. The main causes of career shifts were emphasized by Sullivan and Al

Ariss, including influence, rational decision-making, and emotions. Xu emphasizes the

importance of self-awareness in making decisions, suggesting that understanding oneself

can lead to better career decisions. Shacter adds that past experiences can affect their

career decisions. In summary, career shifts are influenced by self-awareness, past

experiences, emotions, and identity shifts.

Edited by: Ainsley P. Caragay