The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the motivation behind students enrolled in similar Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of study at three area Midwestern community colleges through the lens of Wigfield and Eccles (2000) theory of expectancy-value. Following a demographic survey, eight students representing three public service CTE programs (nursing, EMT/fire science, and law enforcement) agreed to participate in the study. Eight interviews were conducted and transcripts were then analyzed, coded, and clustered for theme generation. Six distinct themes emerged including: the role the participants system of support played or failed to deliver; the unique aspect of adult learning focused on the instruction and their cohort groups; the area of the instruction from the perspective of adult learners by comparing and contrasting the impact of traditional classroom instruction with that of the required experiential education through hands-on authentic learning experiences; the importance of the participant's own self-awareness as a learner and how it assisted in the challenges that adult learning presented; the dissatisfied employment lives the participants led before enrollment in the program; and the role the theory of expectancy-value played in their motivation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]