Impact of Street Hawking on Academic Performance of Junior Secondary School Students in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

Failure by students to make the right choices may lead to unhappiness and disapproval by society. It has been noted by the researcher that socio-economic factor is one of the cogent determining factor of career choice of most adolescents in the society. Socio-economic status (SES) is important construct which has both direct and indirect impact on career aspirations and career maturity of young adults. On this note, the researcher seeks to examine the influence of socioeconomic factor on career choice of students in Ado-Ekiti local government area of Ekiti State. The research design adopted for this study was a survey design of the descriptive of type of research. The population of the study consist of senior secondary school students in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. The sample size for the study was one hundred and fifty (150) students. The research instrument used for this study was a self-structured questionnaire developed by the researcher. To ensure validity of the instrument, the draft of the questionnaire was presented to two (2) experts and the supervisor for face, content and construct validity. The questionnaire was administered to the respondents and were collected back immediately. The completed questionnaire was coded and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study concluded that environment had influence on the career choice of secondary school students, peer influence have impact on career choice among secondary school students, school variables have impact on career choice among secondary school students and religion had influence on career choice among secondary school students in Ado-Ekiti local government area of Ekiti State. Hence, the researcher recommended the following base on the conclusion drawn from the findings that counselors should be trained to recognize how family background, income levels, and parental education influence career choices and provide tailored advice that broadens students' career perspectives. Schools should work to increase awareness among students about a wide range of career options, particularly those that may be overlooked due to socioeconomic limitations, such as vocational, technical, and entrepreneurial careers. Additionally, careers in emerging fields like technology, renewable energy, and digital media should be promoted. Government and private sector stakeholders should work together to create targeted scholarships, grants, and financial aid programs for students from low-income families to pursue higher education or vocational training in their desired fields.