Change in job values during education

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that preferences for work or job values are important in explaining occupational positions. However, these findings show rather conflicting results, indicating that job values emerge in different stage of life. Based on data obtained from a Norwegian Database for Studies of Recruitment and Qualification in the Professions, this study examines the influence of education and gender on change in job values. The results show that job values do change during education, but these changes are rather small and seem to be unrelated to gender and type of education. Differences in job values between men and women, and mainly between students on different programs, are maintained during education, indicating that choice of education is the first step in realising one’s preferences for work. However, during education students on some programs seem to have changed their emphasis on “leisure” values and “having a work where you can work independently”. Still, the main impression is that education has a small impact on students’ change in job values.