Introduction Career tendency is the process of determining the most suitable occupations for the individual based on his/her interests, abilities, values and expectations. This concept refers to the tendency of the individual on the way to choosing a profession, the decision-making process and the efforts to form future career goals. Secondary education period is important in terms of being a stage where students' career choices start to become clearer. It is important for the students of Imam Hatip high schools, which educate students in various fields and professions, to prefer professions that are suitable for them and to determine what factors influence these preferences. For this reason, the object of this study is to investigate the career preferences and tendencies of the current students of Imam Hatip high schools, which were established to train civil servants in the field of religion but have a format that trains students in many different fields throughout history, and the factors that influence these preferences. The study aims to reveal the factors affecting the career preferences of Imam Hatip High School students through the eyes of administrators working at Imam Hatip High School. In this context, the study was conducted under the research question "What are the opinions of administrators working at Imam Hatip High School in Sakarya province about the factors affecting students' choice of profession?". In this context, it was planned to interview the administrative staff of Imam Hatip High School in Sakarya. However, the scope of the study was expanded to include a career counselor, as one of the administrators at Imam Hatip High School referred us to the career counselor, who has a great deal of knowledge about the career aspirations of students. The study is limited to the opinions of administrators working at Imam Hatip High Schools in Sakarya in the academic year 2023-2024. Methodology A qualitative research method was used in this study. In the first phase of the study, the theoretical basis of the study was established through a literature review. In the second phase, the interview method, one of the tools for qualitative data collection, was used. The interviews were conducted in the form of individual discussions. The interview technique used was the semi- structured interview technique. The population of the study consists of administrators and counselors working in Imam Hatip High Schools in Sakarya province in the academic year 2023-2024. The sample consists of 10 administrators and counselors working in 10 different Imam Hatip high schools in Sakarya. The sample was selected from the population using the 'purposive sampling method. As a result of the literature review, the semi-structured interview form we used in this study was prepared. The interviews were conducted face-to-face between January 3, 2024 and February 15, 2024. In order to avoid data loss during the interviews, audio recordings were made with the consent of the participants, which were then transcribed. A declaration of consent was obtained from each participant during the interview. The descriptive analysis technique was used to analyze the data obtained in the study. Results and Conclusions In this study, which was conducted to investigate the factors that influence the choices of professions of Imam Hatip High School students according to the teachers, the factors that influence the career choices of Imam Hatip High School students were categorized into five main topics. These main topics are family and environmental influences, the influence of educational and counseling services, the role of personal interests and abilities, the importance of financial income and job opportunities, and the influence of social and cultural factors. Based on the data obtained in the study, various sub-categories were formed under each main heading, and the following conclusions were drawn: In the family and environmental influences section, it was found that the social environment plays an important role in students' choice of profession. It was also found that there is an influence of friends on career choice and that this influence is in the direction of encouragement from friends, competition among friends, and social relationships with friends. In the category of educational and guidance services, career development activities were found to have a positive impact on students making more informed decisions, increasing their motivation, and supporting their career planning. Under the heading role of personal interests and abilities, it was found that gender is a decisive factor in students' choice of profession In addition to personal interests, the environment, periodic trends, social expectations, financial factors, and special skills are also important. In addition, financial income and employment opportunities of occupations were found to be a determining factor in students' choice of profession. Another finding of the study is that students orient themselves towards popular professions and that social media plays an important role in this. In summary, the results of this study support the information in the literature.
