Low-Income and Working-Class College Student Career Development Experiences: A Descriptive Analysis

• In Event: Pathways to Success: Programs and Career Development for Low-Income and Underrepresented Students

Abstract

The career development needs of low-income and working-class college students are sorely understudied and thus often go unmet as they navigate their college career paths in what are often culturally- and socially- alienating postsecondary educational environments that privilege upper/middle class norms, expectations, and knowledge. This paper provides fresh insights and novel information about the career development and preparation of third and fourth year low-income and working-class college students. Through a descriptive analysis, we identify students’ relationships, resources, and contexts they most commonly draw on as part of their career planning process to provide critical information for educators, practitioners, and policymakers as they seek to better understand and promote low-income and working-class students’ career success in inclusive ways.

Authors

• Joseph Kitchen, University of Southern California

• Shinji Katsumoto, University of Southern Mississippi