Bhukya Thirupathi, Hulas Pathak
Agricultural education in India has diversified career pathways for graduates well beyond conventional government employment, yet empirical evidence on how undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students of State Agricultural Universities perceive and prioritise these pathways remains limited, particularly in Chhattisgarh. The present study examined the career preferences of UG and PG students of Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur, and identified the factors and persons influencing their career decisions. A descriptive research design was adopted, and 300 respondents (150 UG and 150 PG students) were selected from four constituent colleges of IGKV through a two-stage stratified random sampling procedure during the 2025-26 academic session. Primary data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and analysed using frequency, percentage and Chi-square tests. Results revealed that Government Job was the most preferred career option overall (35.67%), particularly among UG students (54.67%), whereas Higher Education (M.Sc./Ph.D.) was the leading preference among PG students (46.67%). The Chi-square test confirmed a statistically significant association between the level of study and career preference (χ² = 50.755, df = 6, p < 0.001). Personal Interest (69.33%), Faculty Guidance (67.00%) and Job Security (57.00%) emerged as the three most influential factors shaping career decisions, while Teachers (36.33%) were the most prominent source of influence, followed by Self (29.33%) and Parents (23.00%). The findings underscore the need for structured career counselling, faculty mentorship and curriculum-integrated entrepreneurship exposure to help agricultural students align their career decisions with emerging employment opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors.