The kind of family you come from has a great influence on your occupational aspiration and career choices you make. It contributes to your thought as to what to achieve in life. However, whatever decision you make as regards your occupational aspiration, never allow your family background to limit you and your goals in life. Believe that irrespective of where you are coming from you can make a positive change and influence your environment positively. Therefore, you must understand that your occupational aspirations and expectations are great determinants of your short term and long term career choice and a reflection of your future social mobility, achievements and career self concept. It is encouraged to have high aspirations in life as well develop talents and skills that enable you become an active citizen as well as impact and contribute positively to the society. Most people make occupational aspirations that reflect on their potentials yet untapped and sometimes influenced by family background. However, as people go through life there is a tendency for them to change their occupational aspirations which could have been influenced by family, peers, environment as well as wider forces such as the labour market etc. you must learn to be your own motivation, let your dreams motivate you. As a matter of fact the more you ponder on your aspirations the more excited you should be and seek ways to improve and be the best in it. some people along the line in their occupational aspirations get discouraged may be because they are not getting the necessary support they need which could be financial support, emotional support, psychological support etc. but regardless of whether you are getting support or not do not allow it deter you in improving on your occupational aspiration. Over time, as young people become more aware of the obstacles they face or may face because of their occupational aspirations, they may lower their aspirations to meet their expectations, particularly when facing multiple barriers to success. There is evidence to suggest that, in general, parental aspirations predict children’s achievement, even after taking into account family background.

Occupational Aspiration

Occupational aspirations are the thoughts, feelings, fantasies and goals that people have about their work, that affect their motivation and decision making in respect of their occupational choice and subsequent participation in their occupation. Occupational aspirations can also be seen as an individual’s expressed career and related goals or choices.

Family Background

Your background is the kind of family you come from and the kind of education you have had. It can also refer to such things as your social and racial origins, your financial status, or the type of work experience that you have.

Effect Of Family Background On Occupational Aspirations

The effect of family background on occupational aspirations of their children cannot be overemphasized this is because the family influences everyone including their values, attitudes and even their occupational choices in life. This explains the level of effect family has on the general development of a child including the child’s judgment of which career to pursue. However the type of occupational choices the child makes can be deduced from the family’s values and educational statuses in the family.
As the family is the social group with which the child has direct contact, it determines not only the individual’s personality but also his vocational interests, at least to some appreciable extent. A child is raised in accordance with the values of the family and as he grows he learns, internalizes and concretizes the behaviour patterns to which he is exposed. All these behaviour patterns and training which the child learns from the family often determines his job perception and subsequent occupational decisions and aspirations.
In addition, parental attitude towards work, occupation and education also impact strongly on the occupational choice and aspiration of their children. Children raised in a home dominated by a certain occupation are likely to be influenced by that occupation. Some families are noted for maintaining certain occupations across several generations.
There are lots of prestigious and lucrative occupations in the society today as a result, you see parents compelling and encouraging their children to toll towards the line of those lucrative occupations. This is eminent among both rich and poor parents. For the rich they would want their children to maintain the status quo of the family and for the poor parents all they seek is to be liberated from then shackles of poverty and lack. From them above it can be seen that parents usually have purpose and intentions for wanting a particular occupation for their children and as such seek to effect on their choice of occupation.
However, there is a popular view that a child learns about occupations and desires a particular occupation through examples of the parents as they visit their parents’ work places. If the impression they get about their parents occupation is good then the child seeks to identify with the occupation but if they are bad and not lucrative, the child rejects such occupation and never desires it. The type of occupational aspirations of a child is inherited obviously and directly from parents and influenced by family background.

How To Improve Your Occupational Aspiration

A) Believe In Yourself

No one ever goes far in life or achieve their dreams and aspirations without first believing in themselves. Therefore, one of the ways to improve your occupational aspiration is to believe in yourself believe that you can achieve whatever your set your mind to achieve regardless of the obstacles and challenges you may encounter. The bigger your dreams and aspirations the bigger your challenges you may face. You must set your heart to your dreams and be prepared for failures as well. The most important thing is that you never allow your failures discourage you or make your feel less of yourself.
Therefore, for the world to believe in you, you must first believe in yourself and show yourself approved by your determination, focus and consistency in whatever you do. Self believe will take you to places and height you’ve never imagined you could get to in life. Just stay focused and believing.

B) Evaluate Your Passions

Another way to improve on your occupational aspiration is to evaluate your passions. Believing in yourself is one thing, and then evaluating your passion is another. Your occupational aspiration must be linked to your passion to an extent. You must understand and find out what you have interest and passion for. If your occupational aspiration has nothing to do with your passion, then it is time for evaluation and reevaluation. Aside the financial gains and growth that is accompanied with occupational aspiration, it is important to evaluate your passion and be very sure of what you want. Your occupation should also make you happy and fulfilled aside putting food on your table.

C) Commit To Great Selling

You must understand that whatever you are good at sells even without many adverts and marketing. Your skills and abilities will market you and sell you to your targeted population. The understanding of this will change a whole lot of things and your perceptions on any occupation you choose. It will also help you improve greatly in whatever field you are in. you will seek ways to improve everyday because you want to sell yourself to the world and showcase your potentials. Knowing this and putting it into practice will take you to your goals faster as well as take you to greater heights in life.

D) Learn From People That Have Succeeded With What You Have Passion For

There is a saying that no man is an island and no man knows it all. You need people as much as people need you in life. Therefore, to know more is to understand that you don’t know and seek to know. If you must succeed and improve in your occupational aspiration, you must be humble to learn from people that have succeeded in that occupation and in what you have passion for. When you learn from them, you get to know what they are doing or have done that you are not doing and make necessary adjustment and application where needed.

Conclusion

Before the advent of formal education in Nigeria, the family used to have veto powers on the occupational decisions and aspirations of its members. Vocational guidance which used to be the prerogative of the parents no longer commands such influence, that is, the influence of parents, because of the changed and dynamic of socio-economic conditions in the country. But then, it would be wrong for one to assert that the family has completely lost its influence on the vocational life of its members because directly or indirectly, it still has. However, irrespective of family background and influence on the occupational aspiration of their members, it is important to make occupational aspirations that interest you and in line with your passion and seek ways to improve in it.