Ambition Gone Awry: The Long-Term Socioeconomic Consequences of Misaligned and Uncertain Ambitions in Adolescence

• Published in: Social science quarterly 2011-12, Vol.92 (4), p.959-977
• Main Authors: Sabates, Ricardo, Harris, Angel L., Staff, Jeremy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - ethnology; Adolescent Behavior - history; Adolescent Behavior - physiology; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescent Development; Adolescents; Adulthood; Age; Ambition; Aspiration; Aspirations; Aspirations (Psychology); Attainment; Child development; Educational Attainment; Educational Status; Employment; Expectations; History of medicine; History, 20th Century; Humans; Income - history; Labor Force Participation; Level of education; Men; Negotiation; Occupational Aspiration; Occupations - economics; Occupations - history; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic Factors - history; Socioeconomics; Sociology; Sociology of the family. Age groups; Sociology of work; Sociology of work and sociology of organizations; Stability; Unemployment; United Kingdom; United Kingdom - ethnology; Vocational education; Vocational Education - economics; Vocational Education - history; Wages; Working population. Employment. Women's work; Youth and Society; Youth Employment; Youth problems
• ISSN: 0038-4941; 1540-6237
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2011.00799.x

Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate whether misaligned or uncertain ambitions in adolescence influence the process of socioeconomic attainment. Methods. Using 34 years of longitudinal data from the British Cohort Study (BCS70), we considered whether youth with (1) misaligned ambitions (i.e., those who either over- or underestimate the level of education required for their desired occupation), (2) both low occupational aspirations and educational expectations (low-aligned ambitions), and (3) uncertainty with regard to their future occupations (uncertain ambitions) at age 16 experienced more unemployment spells, lower educational attainment, and lower hourly wages in adulthood compared to youth with high occupational aspirations and educational expectations (high-aligned ambitions). Results. Youth who hold misaligned or uncertain aspirations show long-term deficits in employment stability and educational attainment, which in turn leads to lower wage attainments at age 34. Conclusion. Misaligned and uncertain ambitions in adolescence compromise the construction of life paths and the realization of long-term educational and occupational goals.