On work values and career choice in freshmen students: The case of helping vs. other professions

This paper investigates the relations between work values and vocational decisions in Israeli freshmen students aspiring to careers in helping and other professions. The specific objectives of the study are to study and compare the work values of aspirants to careers in helping and other professions using Super's (1970) Work Value Inventory (WVI) and to identify the subset of WVI scales that contributes to the differences between the two subgroups. The results support the hypotheses of relations between work values and career choices in freshmen students. The strength in the differences in the profiles of the WVI scales outnumber the similarities in the two subgroups. The profiles of the two subgroups differ much less on extrinsic rewards and concomitants than was initially expected. Data show that all aspirants attach a high level of importance to Economic Returns and to most of the other extrinsic rewards and concomitants. The profiles differ mainly on intrinsic satisfaction such as Management or Creativity that are mainly derived from specific job-related activities and the accomplishment of specific ends such as altruism.