The unfavorable socioeconomic conditions have been reported in the literature as a factor in career choice of young people from disadvantaged groups. This research has been dedicated to this theme, with a sample of students from a popular pre-university course, enrolled in a vocational guidance project. Through a questionnaire with open and closed questions we aimed to investigate the criteria used, difficulties encountered, the perceived amount of information and contributions from school in the process of career choice. Although the economic aspect was not pointed as the main criterion or difficulty in choosing, the overall results corroborated other aspects found in the literature. Confirmed the relevance of career guidance in this context, demonstrating the need for its articulation with the teaching activities, in order to bring education to the workplace, and encourage the planning of life projects that may achieve the development of a more inclusive society.
professional choice; vocational guidance; education; preparatory course