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Officer Candidates’ Reasons for Choosing Turkish Coast Guard: A Mixed Methods Study

. Choosing a career directs the individual's future life and thus constitutes one of the most important choices she/he will make throughout life. There are many factors ranging from person to person in career choice. As Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides the area is known as "Blue Homeland". Turkish Coast Guard, which protects this area, has recently become one of the preferred occupational choices. Turkish Coast Guard also offers job opportunities to oceangoing officers who have graduated from maritime faculties. The exploratory sequential mixed methods design synthesized by a qualitative study in phenomenological design first and survey design in the second phase were employed. It was aimed to determine the reasons for the choice of Turkish Coast Guard for the watchkeeping officers. In the scope of the study, 32 volunteer participants, who were employed as Officer Candidates in Turkish Coast Guard, were interviewed. Then, the qualitative results were utilized as the basis for designing a questionnaire for survey data collection. This questionnaire was applied to 102 Officer Candidates. The data collection technique of the research was individual interview, focus group interview, document analysis and delivery of questionnaire. The data was analyzed using content analysis method and Nvivo qualitative research package program in qualitative strand whereas in quantitative strand percentage of descriptive statistical analysis was computed. In this study, the factors and their levels affecting the decisions of Officer Candidates in their career selection were understood and measured. These included the role of their families and friends in their close circles regarding their decision, the impact of the career activities Turkish Coast Guard carry out and their personal motivations.


Introduction
There is a decision-making process in front of the people who have ended the compulsory education period, which includes options such as continuing higher education or getting into business life. The individuals who have successfully completed the education process usually make the choice of profession and job (Doepke & Zilibotti, 2008). The choice of profession guides the individual's future life and therefore constitutes one of the most important choices he will make during her/his lifetime ( Kaya, Asyalı & Özdağoğlu, 2018;Çakır, 2011). Although the profession is simply defined as the work that one does to meet his or her needs (Matthias & Fabrizio, 2008), seeing it as a means of earning money or providing livelihood will be underestimating its impact on the individual (Telman, 2002). The profession provides individuals with a new way of life, a socially accepted working environment, the ability to develop talents (Demagalhaes, Wilde & Fitzgerald, 2011). A profession is a field of activity that allows one to be respected, to establish relationships with others, to gain a place in society (Kuzgun, 2000). While choosing a profession, work environment and lifestyle are determined. ( Razon, 1983). In choosing a profession; individual characteristics such as talent and skill, as well as interests and aspirations play a role (Brown, 2002). The formula for being happy in a profession is the compatibility of knowledge, skills and abilities with the knowledge, skills and abilities required by the profession in addition to interest in the profession. (Aytaç & Bayram, 2003). Baltaş (1993) points out that today's people are unsuccessful, inefficient and even unhappy because they do not know or do not adequately study the life style of their chosen profession. For this reason, the people who choose the job by knowing the working conditions and fields of the profession are satisfied with that profession (Ultanır, 2002). Tokar et al. (1998) list the factors that affect individuals' decision-making processes in their choice of occupation as knowledge, interest in the profession, values gained and expected satisfaction. In this selection, personal characteristics should not be ignored.
Institutions providing security services are among the important employment areas of the countries. There are several reasons why people may choose occupations worn in military uniforms. These professions have many difficulties such as being away from home and family env ironment frequently, being focused on the task, obeying the determined rules and staying away from the social environment (Şen, 2016). Wertsch (1991), in the study of the reasons why people decided to work in the army against all these and similar difficulties, determined that young people applied to the army with the following four reasons.
1. Family tradition (one or more military personnel in the family), 2. Advantages of serving in the army, 3. The desire to have the uniform and identification with this identity, 4. Avoiding difficulties in life in the private sector (difficulty finding a job, job, worry about losing, lack of sheltered life, loneliness).
Turkish Coast Guard (TGC), serves as a general armed law enforcement in Turkey's coast (Sahil Güvenlik, 2007). Operating in such a wide area requires a variety of duties. The qualified human resources of TCG consist of the personnel who are always ready for the sudden developing situations at sea, who have the knowledge of system and device required by the mission and who have high situational awareness. The most prominent feature of these personnel is that they have the ability to make the right decisions and implement them in a short time. The current legislation gives TCG duties in different areas such as ensuring safety and security at sea, search and rescue activities at sea and prevention of irregular migration (Sahil Güvenlik, 2018). Public order duties, assistance to citizens in natural disasters, effective fight against all kinds of smuggling, protection of strategically important facilities may also be added to these duties. (Sahil Güvenlik, 2013). The obligation of the Organization to perform all these duties in accordance with the principle of 24/7 reveals that it should have qualified personnel. TCG employs the graduates of the Naval Academy and maritime faculties as Officer Candidates (OC) (Sahil Güvenlik, 2018). Graduates of the Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering departments of the Maritime Faculty are provided as deck, and graduates of the Marine Engineering Management Engineering departments are provided as an OC in the machinery branch. Of these, those who successfully complete the basic law enforcement training are employed in the officer cadres. OCs are selected through a series of examinations and practices. These stages are in the form of body mass index, physical competence, interview exam and health report. Although the principles required at these stages vary according to gender and age, each OC is obliged to successfully complete these stages in order to be admitted to TCG. Kaya et al. (2018) found that graduates of maritime faculties had different elements in their career choices. Accordingly, salary, security, health insurance, low work intensity have a direct effect on preferences. On the other hand, the time spent at the port, working close to the shore, and the contract duration did not have a significant impact on preferences. This shows that the graduates prefer the options that they will earn more in the selection of the work area.
Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES 59 Some of the graduates of the Maritime Faculty prefer to work in TCG, which has relatively low income. This study investigates the reasons why these people prefer TCG.

Objectives of the study
The general purpose of the research was to investigate the reasons for Engineer and Deck Branch Officer Candidates to choose Turkish Coast Guard Command. In this study, mixed methods was used and formulated in two question forms according to mixed social paradigms, constructivist and positivist questions. Qualitatively, what are the reasons of Engineer and Deck Branch Officer Candidates for choosing Turkish Coast Guard? The five constructivist questions were formulated as follows:

Research model
The exploratory sequential mixed methods design synthesized by a qualitative study in phenomenological design first and survey design in the second phase were employed. In the first phase a qualitative study in a phenomenological design was preferred. According to Günbayi & Sorm (2018), the phenomenological research focuses on the subjective experiences of individuals about a lived phenomenon. In phenomenological research, the focus is on subjective experience rather than on phenomenon. The main point of the phenomenological study is to reveal the essence of one's perception of the experiences (Creswel, 2005;Patton, 1990). The phenomenological study focuses on the individual's experience of that phenomenon, not the case. Such studies explore and reveal conscious structures in human lives (Polkinghorne, 1989). According to Patton (1990), qualitative research provides detailed and rich data to the conductors of the study, although it works with small groups. The data obtained in these studies are used not to make generalizations but to reveal the ex isting phenomenon. As a second phase, OCs were delivered questionnaire and the data collected through the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics. Percentages were calculated with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 18.0. The results were interpreted and described in tables.

Research place and working group
The research was carried out in the in-service training unit of TCG in Antalya. Semi-structured interviews and focus group studies were conducted with the 32 OCs (4 female and 28 male). The questionnaire, which was prepared to triangulate the study and consisted of 19 questions, was applied to 98 OCs (12 female and 86 male).

Data collection
The data collection techniques of the research were individual interview, focus group work, document analysis and delivery of questionnaire. The data were collected by between February and December 2019.

Phase I: Developing and administration of semi-structure interview
For qualitative study, Consent Form prepared by the researcher was used prior to collect the data. The form was given to the participants before the interview and was signed back. During the interviews, a semi-structured interview form including six questions in Table 1 was administered to the participants in order to guide the interview and collect data according to the purpose of the research. During the development of the interview form, the related literature was examined and a conceptual framework related to the subject was established. Table 1.

Questions in the semi-structured interview form
1. What are your reasons for applying to TCG? 2. What was the most difficult part in the selection process, why, how did you deal with this difficulty? 3. Did you ask your family or acquaintances to apply for TCG? Did these opinions contribute to your decision? How? Why is that? 4. Is there any difference between your perception of TCG in the application process and the current situation? How? Why is that? 5. Have you participated in TCG promotion activities? How did your participation affect your decision -making process? Why is that?

Phase II: Developing and administration of questionnaire
The questionnaire was designed in six sections. First one was about demographic information which comprised of contacted information, gender and branch. Second section was suggested OCs to tick in the table of the degree of the reasons for applying to TCG which consists of 7 items. In the third section, it was tried to determine the areas that OCs had difficulty in the selection stages with 5 items. The fourth one, consisted of 5 items, asked about the effect of close and distant family members and the people around OCs in the application process. In the next section, OCs' opinion s between the period they applied and their present views on TCG were questioned with 2 items. Consisted of 2 items, the sixth section tried to determine the effect of advertising activities of TCG affecting OCs' decision. Except section one, all sections were in the form of Likert scale which consisted of five scales (1=Strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3= I don't know, 4=agree, 5= strongly agree). For actual data collection, the questionnaires were delivered to all participants by researchers' representative along with informed Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES 61 consent letters. The expected time of 1 questionnaire completion was about 10 minutes and conducted December 02-20, 2019. Survey questions are presented in Table 2. I'm going to work at the TCG at a certain workload. 5 I applied to the TCG to become a soldier. 6 I applied to TCG because I thought it would give me social security. 7 TCG will provide me with a regular family life. 8 I had the biggest difficulty in interviewing during the election stages. 9 The most difficult part of the selection was the health report. 10 In the selection stages, I had the biggest difficulty in physical competence.
11 Body Mass Index phase was the most difficult part of the selection process. 12 I wasn't forced during the election stages.
Section Four: Influence of Relatives 1 2 3 4 5 13 My family had an impact on my decision to apply for TCG. 14 My friends had an impact on my decision to apply for TCG. 15 Neither my family nor my relatives did affect my decision to apply to TCG. Section Five: Difference Between Opinions 1 2 3 4 5 16 There is a positive difference between the perception of TCG during the application process and the current one. 17 There is no difference between the perception of TCG during the application process and the current one. Section Six: Effect of Advertising Activities on Application 1 2 3 4 5 18 I used to participate in the TCG promotion activities at our university. 19 TCG promotional activities had a positive impact on my decision.

Ethical procedure
Before the data collection process, all research ethics were carefully followed at every stage. During the collection and saving of all information regarding the participants, the principle of confidentiality was observed. The participants were informed that the data obtained would be kept for seven years. All participants stated that they volunteered in the study. The study did not carry any risk involving physical and psychological harm. Prior to the interviews, the participants were provided with insightful information about the aims of the research. During the interviews, audio recordings were used with the permission of the participants. During the interview, codes were used instead of real names. The results were shared with the participants.

Analysis of data
The sound recordings taken in both face to face interviews and focus group interviews with OCs were analyzed by transcription. The data were analyzed descriptively by using Nvivo 10.0 qualitative research package program and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 18.0. The validity of the study was achieved by using multiple data collection methods, individual and focus group interviews, document analysis and strategies such as participant approval. In order to ensure consistency of the study; In addition to the researcher, the themes were identified by a specialist staff in the field of measurement and evaluation, and the suitability of the themes was confirmed by the faculty member in the Faculty of Education. Themes were also subjected to Kappa Conformity Measurement to determine whether the agreement rate between the two evaluators was by chance. There was .81 agreement between the evaluators. Landis and Koch (1977) interpret this as a perfect fit. Therefore, it was decided that the coding key was reliable. The reliability of the study was ensured by interviewing all of the OCs, coding the names of the participants during the analysis phase and confirming the suitability of the interview questions by the field expert. It is also possible to make some numerical analyzes on the data collected by qualitative methods. The data obtained from the interview and document review were first thematically analyzed and then the relationships between these themes were revealed. The findings were interpreted in accordance with the data. Besides, Cronbach alpha was calculated to ensure internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire based on qualitative data. This measure generally is used to indicate a multiple item in Likert scale based on the mean or average correlation of each items in the scale with every other item (Morgan, Leech, Gloeckner & Barrett 2011). As a result, the computation of Cronbach's alpha for the questionnaire in the quantitative strand of this study revealed that the overall score of Likert scale questionnaire in the four capitals was .81. Thus, the Likert scaled questionnaire in this study was reliable and acceptable.

Phase I: Results of qualitative data
The data on the male and female officers who participated in the research are presented in Table 3. Table 3.

Data on OCs participating in the study
Total 28 4 32 In this phase of the study, it was tried to put forward the opinions of the OCs who were graduates of maritime faculties about the reasons of choosing TCG. The opinions of OCs were classified as the reasons for applying to TCG, their opinions about the stages they had difficulty in the selection process, the effect of the close and distant family members in the application process and the people around them, and whether there was a difference between the current views and TCG in the application process.

The opinions of OCs regarding the reasons for applying to TCG
The frequency and percentage distribution of the opinions of OCs regarding the reasons for applying to TCG were identified according to gender and branch. The data obtained are presented in Table 4. Table 4. Willingness to Socialize ME1, ME2, GK3, GE2, GE20, GE19, GE17, GE16, GE11 9 28 7

Reason for Application
Social security ME6, ME3, GK3, GE7, GE20, GE15 6 19 As seen in Table 4, when we interpreted the reasons for the OCs' application to TCG, it was seen that the highest value was 59% with the desire to become a soldier. The views of some of the participants are presented as follows: I am a family-bound person. When you go to the sea, you stay away from your loved ones and you can learn even the worst or happiest events months later. (GE14,1,3) Those who could not be on a funeral, who missed the birth of his child, who could not be with his wife during pregnancy, who came and left a newborn child. These were the reasons for me. (GE9,1,3 Anxiety About the Future was the fourth most common reason for application (31%). Some of the OCs' opinions on this subject are presented as follows: I had seen that it would be very difficult to leave it later in the profession. Age is progressing, I have to start from scratch because I cannot develop ourselves in a certain area on board when I return to land after a certain age. (GE11,1,4) Nothing is going as planned. You cannot plan ahead. It's not clear when you get off the ship, when you get in it again. (ME2,1,4) The next two issues, which were given opinion by the OCs as the reason for application, were Workload and Willingness to Socialize with 28%. The views of some of the participants are presented as follows: I was working for four months, resting for a month, then going back to the ship. Of course I knew it before, but the conditions of the chemical tankers were severe. So we worked on busy lines. We were making daily or hourly sails. I worked very hard. There were inspections. We were very tired, both for my mind and my body. (GK3,1,5) To explain the 6-month period; we all on the board were just 20 people. For a while, time passed by introducing myself and by recognizing the other people. Then chats progressed, then the conversation ended. People started telling things, sometimes lies again and again. This time it was a mix of lies and I caught these lies. This situation affected me psychologically. (ME2,1,6) The reason for the application is Social Security with 19%. Some of the OCs' opinions on this issue are presented below.
You work in the private sector without insurance, you do not have any security. Nobody stands behind you when something happens to you. (ME3,1,7) Since they did not value people in the private sector, people cannot come out in cases of illness or death. There were moments when I can't find a solution to my own illness. (GE7,1,7) When we interpreted the reasons for application of OCs in general, it was seen that the desire to become a soldier was the most frequently mentioned reason. Apart from this reason, OCs, in turn, met the expectations of TCG from a profession in general, working conditions supported regular family life compared to commercial ships, they felt less worried about the future, TCG had a more specific work routine compared to the work environment, other people had more opportunities to socialize and social security coverage of the reasons that they chose to provide their opinion.
It was also examined whether there was any difference in the opinions of OCs regarding the reasons for applying to TCG based on gender. The data obtained are presented in Table 5.

Issue 1, 2020
Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES When we examined the opinions of OCs about the reasons for applying to TCG, it was seen that the desire to become a soldier had the highest value (100% and 54%) in both male and female. In addition to this, while female OCs presented the Workload (50%) as the cause, the desire for regular family life and the desire to socialize (46%) came to the fore in males.
In the scope of the sub-problem sentence, it was also examined whether there was any difference in the opinions of OCs by their branch regarding the reasons for applying to TCG. The data obtained are presented in Table 6. When we examined the opinions of OCs about the reasons for applying to TCG on branch basis, there were differences in the reason of application between deck and machine branch. While the desire to become a soldier was prominent in both branches (71% and 56%), machine branch OCs gave approximately equal views on other reasons. In the deck branch, the second reason (52%) was given the highest opinion among the reasons for Fulfillment of Expectations.
When we interpreted the opinions of OCs about the reasons for applying to TCG based on branch and gender, it was seen that the request to become a soldier took the first place in both branch and gender based views.

The opinions of OCs about the difficulties in the selection process
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of the male and female OCs' opinions about the stages they had difficulty in the selection process is presented in Table 7.
Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES As seen from Table 7, OCs stated that they had the most difficulty in the selection stage (44%) during the interview. The views of some of the participants are presented as follows. It was seen that the rate of those who were not forced in any of the selection stages and most were forced in the Health Report was the same (22%). The opinions of some of the OCs on the subject are presented below.
There could be something in the hospital. I might have had a disease, something, something I had never realized before, I didn't know. (GE11,2,2) When we examined the opinions of OCs about the Difficulties in the Selection Process based on gender, the results stated in Table 8 were reached. When Table 8 examined, it was seen that both female and male OCs had the most difficulty in Interview during the selection stages (50% and 43%). While the second place was the Health Report for men (22%), none of the women reported that they were not forced.
When the opinions of OCs regarding the difficulties they have in the selection process were interpreted, it was clearly seen that Interview was compelling for both male and female OCs. In addition, while it Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES was stated that males were not forced during the election stages, it was observed that some of them stated that they were forced during the Health Report.

The opinions of the OCs about the effect of the close and distant family members and the people around them to the application process
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of female and male OCs' opinions about the effect of the close and distant family members and the people around them to the application process is presented in Table 9. Table 9. 3 My family and relatives had no effect GE16, GE4, GE9, GK3, ME4, ME5, 6 19

Influence of Relatives
When Table 9 examined, it was seen that family members had the most influence on the application process of the OCs (81%). This was followed by the opinion that the friends of the OCs had an impact (53%). The percentage of those who stated that neither family nor their relatives had an impact was 19%. The views of some of the participants are presented as follows. When we examined the opinions of the OCs on the Application Process of Family Members and the People in Their Surroundings, the results stated in Table 10 were reached.

I had been talking to my dad for a long time. I couldn't communicate much because of an expedition in my internship
Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES Table 10.

Influence of Relatives
Female Male f % f % 1 My family had an impact 3 75 25 89 2 My friends had an impact 1 25 116 57 3 My family and relatives had no effect 1 25 5 17 When Table 10 examined, it was observed that both the male and female OCs were mostly affected by their families (75% and 89%). Approximately (25% and 17%) reported that they were not affected by either sex.
When we interpreted the opinions of OCs on the application process of close and distant family members and the people around them, it was clearly seen that OCs were affected by their close environment, especially their families, and attach importance to their opinions.

The difference between the views of the OCs regarding TCG during the application process and the current one
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of OCs' opinions about TCG during the application process and whether there was any difference between them and current data is presented in Table 11. Table 11.

First of all, I realized that I didn't have much information during my application. I noticed TCG wasn't advertising well. I didn't think the scope of the mission was so wide. After I started to get into it, I saw it was more extensive. It looks like a small institution, but it was a plus; everyone knows each other. There is a family atmosphere between the institution, albeit small. In this sense, I would say good for me. (GE24,1)
I was internship on the search and rescue ship, in Istanbul. I had an internship there for a week. I witnessed a lot of events during that time. We have witnessed some inspections. The people I see there, their approach to e vents. I once again saw that it did not work this way on commercial ships. (GK3,4,1) Before applying, I thought TCG was softer in terms of hierarchy and discipline. When I came here, I saw it wasn't. (GE1,4,1) TCG was always the same in my mind. It is a growing institution, a rapidly growing institution . Both on the perspective of technological and the number of staff. So I think there's no difference. (GE3,4,2) When we examined the gender based opinions of the OCs about TCG in the application process the current one, the results stated in Table 12 were reached. Table 12.

Difference Between Opinions
Female There is a positive difference 3 75 23 82 2 No difference 1 25 5 18 When Table 12 examined, it was seen that there was a positive difference between the opinions of both male and female Ocs regarding TCG during the application process and at the present time (75% and 82%). The number of respondents who stated that there was no difference in both sexes was quite low (25% and 18%).
When we interpreted the difference between OCs' opinions about TCG in the application process and the current situation, it was observed that the participants had gained positive opinions about the organization even though they had been in TCG for a short time. The absence of a change in the views of some of the participants might be due to their inability to fully adopt the corporate culture.

The opinions of TCG about the impact of the advertising activities on OCs' decision to apply
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of femal e and male OCs' opinions about the effect of the advertising activities carried out by TCG on the decision making o f the OCs is presented in Table 13. Table 13. It had no effect on me. GE15, GE16 2 6

Effect of Advertising Activities on Application
Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES 70 When Table 13 examined, it was seen that female OCs did not participate in promotional activities due to different reasons (69%). The majority (25%) of those involved in the activities carried out by TCG stated that the activity was effective in their decision-making. Some of the OCs' opinions on this issue are presented as follows.
I had heard most of the advertising activities from the senior students. Also heard from TCG staff made me believe it was more realistic. (GE14) When I heard about the projects of TCG, I participated. That day, a lieutenant in Izmir came in. When he begun to talking,. I was more impressed by his ideas. He talked about the intensity of work, but they didn't affect me negatively. We were impressed by his profile, which was important. I was also impressed that he graduated from our school. (ME2)

I could not participate in promotional activities because I was on the ship. (GK3)
When we examined the views of the OCs on the Effect of the Advertising Activities carried out by TCG on the Decision of the Application based on gender, the results stated in Table 14 were reached. It had no effect on me. 0 0 2 7 When Table 14 examined, it was seen that the majority of both female and male OCs did not participate in the advertising activities carried out by TCG (75% and 68%). The majority of the participants stated that this activity had a positive effect on their applications (25%).
When we interpreted the opinions of the OCs about the impact of the advertising activities carried out by TCG on the decision of the application, it was seen that the majority of the participants did not participate in the promotional activities due to various reasons and the participants were affected by the promotional activities. Another point in the table is that TCG has a positive effect on the participants in these activities.

Phase II. The results of quantitative data
In the second phase of the study, a questionnaire consisting of 19 questions was delivered to OCs. The distribution of the number of OCs participating in the study according to gender and branches is given in Table 15.

The reasons why Officer Candidates applied to Turkish Coast Guard
The frequency and percentage distribution of the opinions of OCs regarding the reasons for applying to TCG were determined. The data obtained are presented in Table 16. As seen in Table 16, when we interpreted the reasons for the OCs' application to TCG, the majority of (41.8% agree, 48% strongly agree) OCs believed that TCG would meet the expectations of the profession for the future. The second highest value was 86.7% (39.8% agree, 46.9% strongly agree) with the anxiety about the future. The next two issues, which were given opinion by the OCs as the reason for application, were Willingness to Socialize 85.7% (57.1.8% agree, 28.6% strongly agree) and Workload with 77.5% (40.8% agree, 36.7% strongly agree). It was seen that the fifth highest value was 72.4% Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES 72 (41.8% agree, 30.6% strongly agree) with the desire to become a soldier. The other reason for the application were Social Security (45.9% agree, 17.3% strongly agree) and Regular Family Life (46.9% agree, 10.2% strongly agree) It was also examined whether there was any difference in the opinions of OCs regarding the reasons for applying to TCG based on gender. While 89.5% (43% agree, 46.5% strongly agree) of males believed that TCG would meet their expectations about the maritime profession, this rate was 91.6% (33.3% agree, 58.3% strongly agree) for females as a reason for applying to TCG. While 54,6% (48.8% agree, 5.8% strongly agree) of men thought that there would be a regular family life in TCG, 75% (33.3% agree, 41.7% strongly agree) of women had this idea. In terms of desire to socialize, 84.7% (61.6% agree, 23.3% strongly agree) of men indicated this opportunity as the reason, while this rate was 91.7% (25% agree, 66.7% strongly agree) among women. There were three significant distinctions in these three reasons. In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of OCs' opinions about the stages they had difficulty in the selection process is presented in Table 17.

The difficulties Officer Candidates experienced during the election process
As seen in Table 17, it was determined with 62.2% (35.7% agree, 26.5% strongly agree) OCs had no difficulty in the election stages. It was also seen that the most difficult part was the interview with 25.5% (22.4% agree, 3.1% strongly agree) and the least difficult was the Body Mass Index (3% (2% agree, 1% strongly agree). When we examined the opinions of OCs about the Difficulties in the Selection Process based on gender, 19, 47% (16.3% strongly disagree, 40.7% disagree) of men stated that they did not have any difficulties during the interview, while this rate was 66.7% (25% strongly disagree, 41.7% disagree) for women. There was only one significant distinction in views about the difficulties during the selection process.

The effect of close and distant family members and the people around Officer Candidates in the application process
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of OCs' opinions about the effect of the close and distant family members and the people around them to the ap plication process is presented in Table 18. When Table 18 examined, it was seen that family members had the most influence on the application process of the OCs (52.1% (38.4% agree, 4.1% strongly agree). This was followed by the opinion that the friends of the OCs had an impact (36.7% (30.6% agree, 6.1% strongly agree). The rate of those who said that neither my family nor relatives affected my decision to apply to TCG is 50% (23.5% strongly disagree, 26.5% disagree). When we examined the opinions of the OCs on the Application Process of Family Members and the People in Their Surroundings, 4.3% (43% agree, 2.3% strongly agree) of men stated that their family had an impact on the decision to apply for TCG, while this rate was 25% (8.3% agree, 17.7% strongly agree) for women. There was only one significant distinction in views about the influence of relatives.

The difference of Officer Candidates' opinions between the period they applied and their present views on Turkish Coast Guard
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of OCs' opinions about the effect of the advertising activities carried out by TCG on the decision making of the OCs is presented in Table  19.
Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES  Table 19 showed us that the opinions of OCs on TCG changed positively after starting training in this institution (77.6% (43.9% agree, 33.7% strongly agree). Although there were those who stated that there was difference (16.3% (11.2% agree, 5.1% strongly agree)). When we examined the gender based opinions of the OCs about TCG in the application process and current one, we realized that there was a positive difference between the opinions of both male (76.8% (% 44.2 agree, % 32.6 strongly agree) and female (83.4 % (% 41.7 agree, % 41.7 strongly agree) OCs regarding TCG during the application process and at the present time (male). While 83.9% (% 11.6 agree, % 72.3 strongly agree) of men gave opinion that there was no difference between the perception of TCG during the application process and the current one, this rate was 33.3% (% 8.3 agree, % 25 strongly agree) for women. There was only one significant distinction in the difference between opinions.

The effect of advertising activities of Turkish Coast Guard affect Officer Candidates' decision
In order to find an answer to this problem, the percentage distribution of OCs' opinions about the effect of the advertising activities carried out by TCG on the decision making of the OCs is presented in Table 20.
When Table 20 examined, it was seen that female OCs did not participate in promotional activities due to different reasons (56.1% (33.7% strongly disagree, 22.4% disagree). The majority (25%) of those involved in the activities carried out by TCG stated that the activity was no effective in their decisionmaking (45.9% (28.6% strongly disagree, 17.3% disagree). When we examined the views of the OCs on the Effect of the Advertising Activities carried out by TCG on the Decision of the Application based on gender, there was no significant distinction in opinions.

Discussion
OCs expressed their opinions in interview as the reasons for applying to TCG as the desire to become a soldier, the desire to socialize, the desire for regular family life, the failure to meet expectations, the intensity of work, anxiety about future and social security. These reasons, which were included in the opinion of the OCs, coincided with the reasons listed by Wertsch (1991). In questionnaire delivered to OCs, on the other hand, it was seen that the desire to meet expectations was the most frequently preferred reason. This situation diffeed from what was said in the interviews. Although the salary amounts paid by TCG to newly recruited personnel were relatively low compared to the salaries offered by the commercial ships to the graduates of the maritime faculty, the fact that the OCs did not include this opinion in their opinions was incompatible with the reasons of preference determined by Kaya et al. (2018) and supported the ideas of Telman (2002). OCs emphasized that they were aware of the difficulties expressed by Şen (2016) in the occupations in uniforms. As much as the participants' interest in the military profession; The fact that the expectations of the maritime faculty regarding commercial ships were not met for various reasons and in differe nt dimensions, the requests of young participants for regular family life and the fact that a career in commercial ships were ambiguous also emerged as an important factor in their preferences.
OCs gave the opinion that they had difficulty in the interview section most of the selection stages to which they were subjected. Unlike this situation; the majority of the questionnaire respondents said that they did not have any difficulty. But the rest stated that the most difficult part was the interview. Women's opinion that they had more difficulty in interviewing than men was another remarkable issue in the survey results. The fact that other selection stages (body mass index, physical competence and health report) contained significant characteristics, low probability of differences according to the evaluators, and previous experience of similar applications may be considered as the reason for difficulty in the interview phase. TCG looked for the cultural structure of the institution, information about the task, understanding of duty and other conditions specific to the institution in the interviewees. The fact that TCG was different from other professions requires that the questions asked at this stage and the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to be measured were different. The reasons for the difficulty of OCs might be interpreted as not being accustomed to interviews arising from these differences.
The participants expressed their views both in interview and questionnaire that they exchanged ideas with their relatives and friends during the application to TCG. One striking point in the survey was that the majority of women were not affected by their relatives. Most of the OCs stated that their families' opinions had an effect on the reasons for applying to TCG. This was in line with Wertsch's (1991) assertion that family tradition had an impact on being a soldier.
Within the scope of the study, when OCs were asked whether there was a difference between their views on TCG and the current ones during the application process; the majority stated that there was a positive difference. The results obtained from the questionnaires confirmed this situation. Looking at the lines between the views of TCG, although they did not fully recognize that they preferred the TCG because it was a public institution that provided security services. It might be concluded that the current opinions of the OCs change positively compared to the past, they liked the institution, as they adopted it, they thought that it overlapped with their own wishes and values and therefore it was in accordance with the formula determined by Aytaç and Bayram (2003).
It was seen that the advertising activities implemented by TCG for maritime faculties in order to reach qualified human resources had a partial effect on the OCs. Most of the OCs did not participate in these activities for various reasons. OCs stated this opinion in the surveys even though there was slightly difference. The positive impact of those who did this was an example of how these and similar activities were effective at the right time and when they were made to the right target group. When the reasons Issue 1, 2020 Journal of Mixed Methods Studies / JOMES for not participating in the activities were examined, it was seen that there were those who were not aware of the activity and those who could not participate because they were on the ship as an internship at the date of the activity.

Conclusion
In this study, the reasons for choosing TCG for civilian machinery and deck branch officers were first understood and then measured through a mixed methods research. Frequency analysis and descriptive analysis method were included in content analysis techniques. The sub-problems identified within the scope of the study were examined based on the gender and branches of the OCs.

Recommendations
We identified the following suggestions in line with the issues obtained in this mixed methods study conducted on the OCs who would be employed in order to meet the need of qualified officers of TCG.
Although the participants stated their primary preference as the desire to become a soldier, the other reasons they expressed their opinions about future concerns and social security issues. It is seen that these are the current problems of maritime profession in terms of social and personal rights (Muslu, 2008). It will be beneficial for the effectiveness of the advertising activities by TCG to highlight these issues in all the advertising activities to be made for the said resource and to emphasize that it provides them an honorable and saved future among other rights.
The interview and survey were defined as the area where OCs had difficulty during the selection stages. TCG performs clear, transparent and equal practices at all stages of the election. The aim is to determine whether the ability, skills, interests and aspirations of the OCs, which Brown (2002) states, are the basis of the selection stages of each institution. Informing the applicants in advance about the interview phase and mentioning the practices in detail during the advertising activities will i ncrease the effectiveness of the monument activity while decreasing the possible concerns of the OCs and will enable them to perform better in the interviews.
It was seen that the OCs consulted the people around them during the application to TCG, they cared about their opinions and they were affected. TCG is gaining public interest and appreciation due to its search and rescue activities at sea for irregular migrants in recent years (Gürdeniz, 2018). Developing the perception of Trusted Institution among the public, spreading it to all segments of the society, and informing about the activities it performs in different areas will increase this interest.
The participants stated that their views on TCG during the application process changed positively after starting the training within the institution. Equipping these people with realistic information about TCG will be beneficial for ensuring their loyalty to the institution, establishing the culture of the institution and having the ability to work selflessly as the organization expects from them (Demagalhaes, Wilde & Fitzgerald, 2011). For this purpose, the content of the information provided about the vision, values and strategic plans of the organization should be improved in addition to the existing structure and functioning in the orientation trainings conducted within the organization.
In the study, it was also determined that OCs did not participate in advertising activities carried out by universities for various reasons. Publicity activities should not be limited to conferences in order to reach more maritime faculty students or graduates, they should regularly share the activities performed on social media which are used extensively by young people. There should be a system by which TCG can be reached easily and their questions will be answered quickly.