Hi there!
Well, A is definitely "right." I'm not so sure that B is not "right." However, B is strange.
Q: Where do you see yourself going in the next five years?
The preposition "in" is maybe short for "with in" The meaning of this sentence is that between now and the end of a five year period, you are going somewhere. It is a journey. At the end of the five year period, you will be at a destination. Although you might talk about a few different roads that you might have to take to get there, the destination is the most important part. You might be trying to "go" to Madrid. There are five roads that you are going to take. You might mention each of them, or you might mention the biggest ones, or you might not mention any; however, the end city, Madrid, is what the question is looking for in an answer, and you must say "Madrid." The prepositional phrase sets up the amount of time that it will take for you to get there.
Q: Where do you see yourself going for the next five years?
This preposition "for" also talks about the starting point, which is "now," and the ending point, which is five years from now. However, "for" likes to talk about duration; the time in between. In other words, this preposition is asking more about the roads you are going to take. This is probably because the person asking the question knows or guesses the final destination. They are more interested in which roads you are going to take to get there. Are you going to take major five-lane highways, or are you going to take country roads. Are you going to stop along the way, or are you going to cruise right on through. Thus, this sentence is a bit strange. I don't think people will use it often because the verb "go" talks about direction (the end point). It really calls for the verb "do" because this verb allows you to talk about the middle points as an activity (activity one = take country road, activity two = walk on sidewalk).
Q: What do you see yourself doing for the next five years?
A: I'm going to go to college for two years. Then, I'll work in an office for one year. Finally, I'll go back to school and get a Master's.
Q: Where do you see yourself going in the next five years?
A: I'm going to back to school and get a Master's. I'll have to go to college first, and I might work for a year. I don't know.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth. What do others say?
Brad D
