Abstract
Career opportunities in agriculture are abundant and diverse. Individuals graduating with a degree in agriculture can expect productive employment in a career of their choice. This descriptive relational study described the relationship between involvement in the National FFA Organization and career decision self-efficacy of College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) upperclassmen (N=513) at the University of Idaho. This study was grounded in Bandura's (1986) Social Cognitive Theory and the related theory of Career Decision Self-Efficacy. A survey instrument including the Career Decision Self-Efficacy short form (CDSE-SF), questions about students involvement in FFA, as well as the Eccles and Barber (1999) activity questionnaire was administered. Overall, respondents indicated moderate to high career decision self-efficacy. There was no difference in CDSE between FFA members and non-FFA members. There were negligible relationships between FFA participation and CDSE as well as between CDSE and college level activities. These findings beg the question; what factors or activities do influence the CDSE of students in CALS? How are students exposed to, and decide upon careers in the agricultural sector? The students in this study reported confidence in their choice of an agricultural career; from where does that belief derive?