Adolescent Reliance on Social Networks in Career Exploration

Abstract

This paper reviews research on the role of network ties in job-finding in order to suggest how social networks may operate as information-based systems exerting influences on adolescent career exploration. Strong network ties influence job-finding differently than weak ties. Reliance on network ties as information sources may explain the reluctance of some adolescents to seek advice from the school's formal career advisory system. Suggestions are given on how to provide a context for adolescent career exploration, using knowledge of network ties.