The process of career development has been shown to be different for young people living in rural areas, as compared to those living in urban areas [1] [2]. This paper fills an important gap in the research literature by demonstrating the current need for tailored career education programs for students in rural and urban areas of Nova Scotia, Canada, especially as pertaining to ocean sciences and the marine industry. Here, we investigate data from a large study performed in Nova Scotia wherein students in grades 6-9 were asked about their career intentions and perceptions. Significant differences were noted between students living in urban and rural areas, especially regarding their readiness to begin thinking about a range of career paths. These differences can be leveraged with career education
initiatives to improve career opportunities for rural students, and by extension, the local economy.

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2017

• Date of Conference: 26-29 June, 2017
• DOI: 10.2053/CICE.2017.0261
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-908320-83-4
• Conference Location: University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada