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Abstract
A multitude of studies document the effects of adolescent pregnancy and parenting on young females and studies examining career aspirations are numerous. However, very few studies exist on the career aspirations of pregnant and/or parenting adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine career aspirations of pregnant and/or parenting adolescents. Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) provided the theoretical framework. Females enrolled in a teenage parenting center completed a questionnaire focused on demographic information, and an open-ended question was asked to determine career aspirations. Responses were coded using the Socioeconomic Index (Nakao & Treas, 1992). Age and source of career information had a significant effect on career aspirations of pregnant and/or parenting adolescents. Pregnant adolescents had higher mean scores for career aspirations than parenting adolescents. A large portion of participants aspired to the occupation of registered nurse. Findings from this study can assist educators, counselors, and families in developing long-term programs to provide pregnant and parenting adolescents the academic and career development skills needed for success in attaining future career aspirations.