Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the multifactorial system that determines the choice of career trajectories among senior high school students in the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the context of global economic instability, labor market transformation, and reforms in the national education system, the process of career guidance among young people acquires particular significance for the development of high-quality human capital. The study is based on the integration of career development theories, including Frank Parsons’ concept of “rational choice” and Itamar Gati’s contemporary decision-making models, adapted to the socio-cultural context of Kazakhstan. The empirical basis of the research consists of survey data. The study provides a detailed examination of the complex dynamics between internal motivational factors, interests, and self-efficacy, and external determinants such as parental influence, the system of state educational grants, and socio-economic status. Special attention is given to trends in grant limitations, inequalities between urban and rural schools, as well as the growing migration intentions among academically successful students, reflecting the outflow of intellectual potential. The findings reveal profound contradictions between students’ publicly declared autonomy and the actual dependence of their career choices on institutional and family factors, highlighting the need to reconsider approaches to career guidance at the state level.