The doctoral thesis entitled "Vocational orientation and choice in Saxony – an empirical analysis at the Technical University Dresden" investigated the various offers for vocational orientation in Germany and the Free State of Saxony in particular. An online survey of students at the Technical University of Dresden obtained data from 1 568 participants, comprising 4 percent of the student body accessible via email. Details concerning the main conditions and history of the job market, its development and the need for targeted research in this area as well as well-known career choice models and independent influencing factors were shown. The analysis of the survey answers revealed the internet as the most frequently used and best-rated source of information. A still rather moderate estimated level of knowledge concerning possibilities of orientation leaves room for future research investigating the content and form of the provided information to obtain better insights into these aspects. The results also showed that, to this day, parents exert great influence on their children. They could, therefore, be provided with more content and more structured information concerning options offered through the internet or schools. In addition, university offers were evaluated as a positive resource. These resources are e.g. advice from professors, program advising, study taster/open day and websites – even though the presentation of information showed deficits. Internships also received positive reviews. Practical experience in general could be a way to support personal growth, promote independence, as well as strengthen beliefs and abilities. Alternative choices after school, like a yea1r abroad, Federal Voluntary Service etc., were rated predominantly positively. They should thus not be dismissed from the outset and perhaps even be integrated into the information on vocational opportunities. The ratings for the school as contributor were not as good as those for alternative choices. It seems that it should function as an information hub, e.g. for students, parents or enterprises, rather than giving direct choice impulses. Therefore, presenting contexts and improving the skills concerning the use and analysis of multimedia information would be more beneficial. The data indicated that the benefits of many media and smaller scale projects should be examined more thoroughly, since ratings were mostly negative. Additionally, the results show no indication of a shift of female occupational orientation towards non-traditional degrees – at least not beyond individual cases. However, there was a high level of satisfaction with the study program in general and developable data concerning thoughts of change and termination of the current study program. The reason highlighted by respondents had to do with the organization of studies and with aspects of vocational orientation, which illustrated the importance of ongoing advising. Considering their interests and abilities is also important to the participants in this survey, as reflected in their ratings of personal values like reconciliation of work and family life, career opportunities, fulfilment of the duties or social commitment etc. Nevertheless, regarding personal characteristics, it was discussed to what extent types or profiles are sufficient or productive, in terms of prediction. Inaccuracy comparing results of interest measurement with the possible study programs could be contained by a more detailed inclusion of concrete study contents. For example, the acquisition of relevant abilities and skills could be optimized through targeted training or obtaining career as well as degree related certificates. More detailed scientific insights can be gathered with long-term studies that would also investigate individual occupational careers. To this day, a comprehensive, comparative analysis of the numerous studies investigating offers for vocational orientation is still lacking. Although it could help bundle the most important elements, reduce the number of existing activities and projects, and thus improve and simplify vocational orientation.

This dissertation contributes to studies in macroeconomics, microfinance, entrepreneurship, financial technology innovation (FinTech), and economic development. In particular, I study unbanked problems and evaluate microfinance programs. Chapter 1 studies quantitatively how a microfinance program in the U.S. affects occupational choice, firm size, credit access, wages, output, inequality and welfare. The general equilibrium model has heterogeneous agents, a bank with a minimum loan size requirement and a microfinance institution (MFI) with a loan interest rate that exceeds the bank's. Four microfinance program policies are evaluated: alternative minimum loan size requirements, changes in the loan cost wedge (due to innovation or regulation), changes to the level of the government subsidy, and alternative MFI sustainability requirements. We find that MFIs can have significant welfare effects for some individuals. In Chapter 2, I introduce a microsavings program for low-wealth individuals in a general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents. The model incorporates that (i) traditional banks require a minimum savings deposit size, causing some individuals to become “unbanked,'' and (ii) banks and non-profits partner to offer microsavings programs to the unbanked. The paper finds that microsavings programs increase the percentage of entrepreneurs by providing collateral that the previously unbanked can use to start firms, and wages increase, which benefits workers. Second, government subsidies for microsavings programs expand the size and number of firms, but output and workers may decline when funding the program requires higher income taxes. Third, bank sector deregulation (i.e., lower transaction costs in the financial sector) leads to higher output per capita, wages, and firm numbers, and possibly lower income inequality among entrepreneurs. Finally, technological innovations that decrease deposit transaction costs, such as mobile banking, reduce funding pressure on microsavings programs, but have little effect on the percentage of entrepreneurs, firm size, entrepreneur returns or wages.

This thesis analyses the effect of father’s job displacement on his children’s occupational and educational choices. I use Finnish administrative data covering years 1989-2020 and identify downsizing as well as closing workplaces to find exogenous job losses. Despite identifying negative and persistent effects on displaced fathers, the found impact on their children’s career choices are limited and sensitive. I estimate that a paternal displacement decreases the probability of following father’s educational path by 0.5 percentage points. No effects on occupational mobility or educational applications are found. I establish pro-cyclical displacement costs for fathers that, however, are not found to translate into differences in the effects on the next generation.

<p dir="ltr">For 20 years, engineering education scholars and policymakers have consistently witnessed a low number of women compared to men graduating in engineering in the US. However, in many other countries, like Tunisia, we see near gender parity in terms of the number of women and men graduating in engineering. These contrasting trends are observed beyond the sole case of Tunisia and the US. They are, in fact, part of a much larger phenomenon called the “Gender Equality Paradox” (GEP) in STEM. The GEP posits an inverse relationship between, on one hand, a country’s level of material affluence and gender egalitarianism and, on the other hand, the gender gap in STEM graduates. Despite the increased scholarly attention that the GEP has attracted since its inception, the GEP literature has consistently framed and examined this phenomenon from a Western perspective. That is, scholars ask, why do we see small numbers of women compared to men graduating in engineering despite the high level of material affluence and gender egalitarianism in Western countries?<br><br>Little, and largely marginal, space has been given to the voices of women engineers from non-Western countries. This dissertation addresses this gap by investigating Tunisian women’s motivations to become engineers. Specifically, this research examines the translocational experiences of Tunisian women immigrants in the US to understand the different gender orders at play in the US and Tunisia and how they produce different representations of women in engineering. Grounded in postcolonial feminism, this interpretivist qualitative study answered three research questions:</p><p dir="ltr">1. What individual-level factors do Tunisian women describe as motivating their participation and persistence in engineering education and practice?</p><p dir="ltr">2. What societal, cultural, and policy factors in Tunisia do participants describe as supportive of their participation and persistence in engineering education and practice? Which ones are not?</p><p dir="ltr">3. How does the translocational positionality of Tunisian women engineers in the US (re)shape their perception of engineering?</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">The findings indicate an interplay between individual agency, structural factors, and historical contingency in determining the participants’ pathway to engineering. The participants described having to respond to different codes of meaning associated to engineering that were signaled to them by their family, the Tunisian society, and the Tunisian state. The participants’ translocational experiences indicate that they had to navigate different types of masculinities in the US and Tunisia, thus producing different perceptions of what it means to be women engineers in both countries. The results of this study center non-Western voices of women engineers in the GEP scholarship, challenge colonial assumptions made by GEP scholars, and interrogate the colonial legacies of the Tunisia education system. They also showcase the limitations of categoricalism-based conceptions of the GEP based on summary indices of material affluence and gender egalitarianism.</p>

As discussões econômicas em geral não incluem os empresários, entretanto, este agente é de suma importância para o crescimento e desenvolvimento econômico. Com a aceleração do processo de globalização tende-se a aumentar a demanda por empresários em detrimento da demanda por funcionários. Este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar a existência de um conjunto de características que expliquem o gosto e/ou a intenção de ser empresário versus funcionário entre estudantes que iniciam e terminam seu curso em nível superior. Identifica-se através de um estudo de caso se a educação em nível superior estimula ou não na formação do desejo e da intenção de se tornar empresário. As escolas que compõem o estudo de caso são a Escola Superior de Agricultura \"Luiz de Queiroz\"- ESALQ e outra escola identificada neste trabalho como PRI. Os dados do trabalho são de fonte primária e foram coletados por meio de 493 questionários aplicados válidos aos estudantes ingressantes e formandos de ambas as escolas. Considerando-se que gosto e intenção são variáveis dependentes e que a primeira estimula a segunda, o questionário foi construído de forma que gosto e intenção sejam variáveis-chave para se entender a formação do estoque de empresários. Definiu-se que os alunos pertencem a três perfis ocupacionais excludentes: funcionário da iniciativa privada, funcionário público e empresário. A identificação do efeito educação é defendida com base no confronto das freqüências das respostas dos estudantes ingressantes e formandos quanto ao seu gosto e sua intenção em desempenhar os perfis ocupacionais considerados. A aplicação do teste de quiquadrado garantiu que as diferenças encontradas nas respostas dos alunos ingressantes e formandos sejam estatisticamente significantes, podendo-se assim inferir o efeito das instituições na formação do desejo e da intenção de atuar como empresário e demais perfis considerados. Outros testes estatísticos não-paramétricos foram realizados com a finalidade de se conhecer os determinantes dos perfis ocupacionais. Ainda, a aplicação da análise fatorial permitiu determinar quais fatores têm maior importância para a formação do desejo dos estudantes ingressantes e formandos por uma ocupação profissional. Como principal resultado encontrado tem-se que as instituições estimulam a formação de desejo e de intenção de ser empresários. Na ESALQ, comparando-se alunos ingressantes e formandos, observa-se que há um aumento do grupo de alunos com gosto e intenção de atuar como empresários. No entanto, dentre eles, verifica-se que há uma parcela dos estudantes formandos que gostariam de ser empresários, mas não têm intenção de atuar como empresários. Possivelmente este resultado deve-se ao fato de a ESALQ treinar seus alunos para serem funcionários da iniciativa privada. Está hipótese é confirmada pela diferença do percentual de formandos com gosto e com intenção de ser funcionários da iniciativa privada. Os formandos da escola PRI não apresentam este comportamento, sendo que o grupo com intenção de atuar como empresário é maior que o grupo com gosto por atividades empresariais. / In general, economic discussions do not consider the existence of entrepreneurs; however, this agent is important for the growth and economical development. Due to the globalization process acceleration there is tendency to increase the demand for entrepreneurs in detriment to demand for employees. The main objective of this study is to identify the existence of characteristics that explain the desire and/or the intention to become either entrepreneur or employee among freshman and near-completion student groups so that a case study could evaluate if undergraduate education stimulates or not the desire and intention formation of becoming an entrepreneur. Two Universities were selected for collecting samples: the first one, \"Luiz de Queiroz\" College of Agriculture (ESALQ), and the second herein called PRI (ficticious name). After that, the survey has contemplated a number of 493 valid questionnaires applied to both groups of both schools. The survey was elaborated by assuming that desire and intention are dependent variables and that the former stimulates the latter, besides considering that they are key variables to understand the formation of entrepreneurs\' figures. It was defined that the students belong to three excluding occupational groups: private initiative employee, civil servant and entrepreneur. Differences between two groups\' answer frequency were supposed to be caused by the educational process. Qui-square test has confirmed that the differences found between freshmans\' and seniors\' answers are statistical significant, which allows to imply that there is an effect of the institutions on the desire and intention formation of becoming an entrepreneur and other considered professions. Non-parametric tests were used aiming to know the determination of occupational choice. Yet, factorial analysis has outlined which factors largely affect the formation of freshmans\' and seniors\' desire in terms of professional occupation. The results show that higher education institutions stimulate the desire and intention formation of becoming entrepreneurs. The comparison of two groups in ESALQ indicates that there is an increase of the students\' group with desire and intention of becoming entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, the outcomes highlight that a fraction of senior students would like to be entrepreneurs, although they are not sure about their chances of effectively becoming ones. This might be verified because ESALQ training possibly drives the students towards to private sector. This hypothesis is confirmed by the difference of the percentage of ESALQ senior student that desires and intends to become employees of whatever private company, whereas PRI senior students behaves differently, given that the intentions of becoming an entrepreneur outnumbers the desiring of owning entrepreneurial activities.

As discussões econômicas em geral não incluem os empresários, entretanto, este agente é de suma importância para o crescimento e desenvolvimento econômico. Com a aceleração do processo de globalização tende-se a aumentar a demanda por empresários em detrimento da demanda por funcionários. Este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar a existência de um conjunto de características que expliquem o gosto e/ou a intenção de ser empresário versus funcionário entre estudantes que iniciam e terminam seu curso em nível superior. Identifica-se através de um estudo de caso se a educação em nível superior estimula ou não na formação do desejo e da intenção de se tornar empresário. As escolas que compõem o estudo de caso são a Escola Superior de Agricultura \"Luiz de Queiroz\"- ESALQ e outra escola identificada neste trabalho como PRI. Os dados do trabalho são de fonte primária e foram coletados por meio de 493 questionários aplicados válidos aos estudantes ingressantes e formandos de ambas as escolas. Considerando-se que gosto e intenção são variáveis dependentes e que a primeira estimula a segunda, o questionário foi construído de forma que gosto e intenção sejam variáveis-chave para se entender a formação do estoque de empresários. Definiu-se que os alunos pertencem a três perfis ocupacionais excludentes: funcionário da iniciativa privada, funcionário público e empresário. A identificação do efeito educação é defendida com base no confronto das freqüências das respostas dos estudantes ingressantes e formandos quanto ao seu gosto e sua intenção em desempenhar os perfis ocupacionais considerados. A aplicação do teste de quiquadrado garantiu que as diferenças encontradas nas respostas dos alunos ingressantes e formandos sejam estatisticamente significantes, podendo-se assim inferir o efeito das instituições na formação do desejo e da intenção de atuar como empresário e demais perfis considerados. Outros testes estatísticos não-paramétricos foram realizados com a finalidade de se conhecer os determinantes dos perfis ocupacionais. Ainda, a aplicação da análise fatorial permitiu determinar quais fatores têm maior importância para a formação do desejo dos estudantes ingressantes e formandos por uma ocupação profissional. Como principal resultado encontrado tem-se que as instituições estimulam a formação de desejo e de intenção de ser empresários. Na ESALQ, comparando-se alunos ingressantes e formandos, observa-se que há um aumento do grupo de alunos com gosto e intenção de atuar como empresários. No entanto, dentre eles, verifica-se que há uma parcela dos estudantes formandos que gostariam de ser empresários, mas não têm intenção de atuar como empresários. Possivelmente este resultado deve-se ao fato de a ESALQ treinar seus alunos para serem funcionários da iniciativa privada. Está hipótese é confirmada pela diferença do percentual de formandos com gosto e com intenção de ser funcionários da iniciativa privada. Os formandos da escola PRI não apresentam este comportamento, sendo que o grupo com intenção de atuar como empresário é maior que o grupo com gosto por atividades empresariais. / In general, economic discussions do not consider the existence of entrepreneurs; however, this agent is important for the growth and economical development. Due to the globalization process acceleration there is tendency to increase the demand for entrepreneurs in detriment to demand for employees. The main objective of this study is to identify the existence of characteristics that explain the desire and/or the intention to become either entrepreneur or employee among freshman and near-completion student groups so that a case study could evaluate if undergraduate education stimulates or not the desire and intention formation of becoming an entrepreneur. Two Universities were selected for collecting samples: the first one, \"Luiz de Queiroz\" College of Agriculture (ESALQ), and the second herein called PRI (ficticious name). After that, the survey has contemplated a number of 493 valid questionnaires applied to both groups of both schools. The survey was elaborated by assuming that desire and intention are dependent variables and that the former stimulates the latter, besides considering that they are key variables to understand the formation of entrepreneurs\' figures. It was defined that the students belong to three excluding occupational groups: private initiative employee, civil servant and entrepreneur. Differences between two groups\' answer frequency were supposed to be caused by the educational process. Qui-square test has confirmed that the differences found between freshmans\' and seniors\' answers are statistical significant, which allows to imply that there is an effect of the institutions on the desire and intention formation of becoming an entrepreneur and other considered professions. Non-parametric tests were used aiming to know the determination of occupational choice. Yet, factorial analysis has outlined which factors largely affect the formation of freshmans\' and seniors\' desire in terms of professional occupation. The results show that higher education institutions stimulate the desire and intention formation of becoming entrepreneurs. The comparison of two groups in ESALQ indicates that there is an increase of the students\' group with desire and intention of becoming entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, the outcomes highlight that a fraction of senior students would like to be entrepreneurs, although they are not sure about their chances of effectively becoming ones. This might be verified because ESALQ training possibly drives the students towards to private sector. This hypothesis is confirmed by the difference of the percentage of ESALQ senior student that desires and intends to become employees of whatever private company, whereas PRI senior students behaves differently, given that the intentions of becoming an entrepreneur outnumbers the desiring of owning entrepreneurial activities.

This purpose of this study was to validate the concept of homosexual identity formation using psychosocial personality measures and occupational congruence. Of additional interest was personality or occupational congruence differences which may exist between men who choose to enter job fields stereotyped as gay and those who do not choose those fields.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo verificar as motivações inconscientes presentes na escolha da profissão de psicólogo dos alunos do primeiro e segundo anos de Psicologia, procurando compreender a relação entre conteúdos latente, inconsciente, e manifesto, consciente, desta escolha, com base nos pressupostos da teoria de Melanie Klein. Realizamos esta pesquisa utilizando dois instrumentos de investigação: a Prancha 1 do TAT, tendo por objetivo entender os conteúdos das respostas a nível inconsciente, através do mecanismo de projeção, e a utilização da Entrevista Semidirigida, objetivando que o aluno pudesse agir de modo mais natural, nos propiciando a observação de sua postura, reações e compreender os conteúdos das respostas a nível consciente. Constatamos que os alunos tiveram percepções variadas com relação ao estímulo da Prancha 1 do TAT e várias foram as combinações das reparações apresentadas a níveis inconsciente e consciente. Baseado nas reparações sugeridas por Bohoslavsky, inserimos dois outros tipos de reparação: autêntica/maníaca e maníaca/autêntica, mediante constatação clínica, devido a dinâmica do funcionamento mental apresentada, onde nos detivemos para isso aos |a elementos citados nas estórias, bem como no contexto em que as mesmas se deram, como o relato foi feito e no tipo de solução apresentada. Verificamos através das análises das respostas, que nem sempre o que foi mostrado a nível consciente pela escolha da profissão de psicólogo, coincidiu com o nível inconsciente, revelando a importância de se levar em consideração a questão do conteúdo inconsciente presente nesta escolha. / This dissertation aims at studying the existing unconscious motivations in the professional choice of a psychology career of first and second year undergraduate students, trying to understand the relation between latent, unconsciousness and manifest, consciousness content of this choice from the theoretical framework of Melanie Klein.The research was carried out through two investigation tools: Picture 1 of TAT (Thematic Apperception Test), with the objective of comprehending the content of the answers at an unconscious level, through the projection mechanism, and the use of the Semi-directed Interview, which would have the student act more naturally. This would allow us to observe the students posture, reactions and the content of his/her answers at a conscious level. We have found that the student had varied perceptions in relation to Picture 1 stimulus and they presented several reparation combinations at an unconscious and conscious level. Based on the reparation suggested by Bohoslavsky, two other types of reparation were included for us: authentic/manic and manic/authentic, by means of clinical study, due to the functioning of mental dynamics, in which we have examined the elements mentioned in the stories, the content where these stories took place, how the account was given and the sort of suggestion offered. Through the analysis of the answers, we have verified that what was displayed at a conscious level regarding the psychologist career choice not always coincide with the unconscious level. This reveals the importance of taking the question of the unconscious content existing in that choice into consideration.

Transições e mudanças, pequenas ou grandes, fazem cada vez mais parte do horizonte das pessoas inseridas no mercado de trabalho, resultando em vínculos mais flexíveis e em novas formas de relação com o trabalho e a carreira. Neste cenário, o presente estudo exploratório visou investigar o processo de transição e a construção de uma nova identidade profissional de 15 sujeitos, por meio de entrevistas autobiográficas focadas na trajetória profissional de pessoas com curso superior que mudaram de carreira. Como resultado, obtivemos a descrição de 6 formas de transição de carreira e seus respectivos impactos (encerramento de uma carreira e início de outra, transposição, inversão entre atividade principal e paralela, transitoriedade, casual e planejada) e 4 tipos de construção identitária distintas (sustentado por um diploma, baseada na identidade almejada, em movimento e funcional). A partir destas descrições, o estudo aponta a necessidade de processos de Orientação Profissional longitudinais e dotado de características específicas que lhe possiblitem auxiliar os profissionais que querem ou precisam mudar de carreira. / BIg and small transitions and changes of career are increasingly part of the professional perspective of nowadays laborers. The result is a more flexible bond with the career and the working life as well as a new form of relating to it. In this context, the objective of the present research was to investigate the transition to a new professional identity and construction this identity in the life of 15 subjects with university degree whose career suffered a change. The information was colect through autobiographical interviews focused in the career trajectory of the subjects. According to the data thus obtained, it was possible to identify 6 types of career transition (1. bringing a career to an end a beggining another, 2. transposing, 3. making an inversion between the main activity and a secondary one, 4. transcience, 5. casual transition, and 6. planned transition) and its impacts. It was also possible to describe 4 differente types of identity construction (1. supported bay a master degree, 2. supported by a desired identity, 3. in progress, 4. functional). Based on the description of those types, the present work discusses the importance of longitudinal Vocational Counselling processes endowed with specific features that permit it to help the laborers that want to promote a change in their career.

The effects of occupational sex segregation on wage differentials and poverty, and the factors behind the differentiation on occupational choices are analyzed in various studies. There are also recent studies analyzing Turkish case. However, there are limited attempts combining both segregation and occupational decision in Turkish labor market. This thesis wants to fill this gap and as well as contribute the literature of Turkish labor market and OSS, with analyzing the most current data of Household Labor Force Survey (HLFS) 2004-2010. It is expected to find stability in segregation in the period under consideration as verified by the thesis. It is found that the contribution of different occupations to the extent of segregation also differs. In addition, differentiation with regard to factors on occupational choices of men and women are also found. Further analysis should be carried to make relevant and effective policies to reduce occupational sex segregation.