Students’ Awareness of Career Counseling

This study aims to explore upper secondary private school students’ perceptions of
career counseling and to examine the extent to which these services support their career
decision-making processes in the context of Azerbaijan. Drawing on a growing body of
international research that emphasizes the value of early and comprehensive career guidance
(Cohen-Scali et al., 2018; Weber et al., 2017), this study responds to a notable gap in the local
literature, where student perspectives on career counseling remain largely underexplored
(European Training Foundation, 2022; Namazova, 2023).
Adopting an exploratory qualitative approach, data were collected through semistructured interviews with current students, a graduate, and a career counselor at a private
school in Baku. The findings suggest that while students are generally aware of career
counseling services, their understanding is often limited and primarily focused on university
admission. The timing of counseling interventions, parental influence, and resource constraints
within schools emerged as significant factors affecting student engagement and perceived
relevance (Sharapova et al., 2023; Zahra & Malik, 2024)
This research culminates in a set of practical, evidence-based guidelines intended to
inform private schools and educational policymakers on enhancing the delivery of career
counseling services. These recommendations promote earlier, more personalized, and
diversified career guidance models to better align with students’ evolving needs. A key
limitation of this study is the restricted sample size, which, while allowing for in-depth inquiry,
limits the generalizability of the findings (Creswell & Poth, 2018)