YOUNG PEOPLE’S CAREER ASPIRATIONS VERSUS REALITY
The Office for National Statistics has published a new article – What did your children want to be when they grew up?
Researchers examined the career, salary and educational aspirations of 16 to 21-year-olds in the UK compared with the reality for 22 to 29-year-olds.
The analysis has revealed a sizeable difference between those earlier dreams and reality, by comparing the ambitions of those aged 16 to 21 with the realities facing 22 to 29-year-olds today.
Top five dream jobs
While the variety of available jobs has grown with the advent of digital technology, it seems the jobs that young people aspire to has not changed.
In 2015 to 2016 the top five jobs that 16 to 21-year-olds wanted to do when they were older was unchanged from the top five jobs being sought by the same age group in 2010 to 2011.
However, the actual proportions of 22 to 29-year-olds working in those roles in 2017 is much lower since 2011.
Top five jobs chosen by 16 to 21-year-olds, 2011 to 2012, and proportion of 22 to 29-year-olds doing those jobs in 2017
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NOTE:
- Of the people who were asked what job they wanted to do when they were older, the percentages shown in the chart chose a certain job.
So, did they end up in their dream jobs? No, not quite…
Teaching was the only dream job ranked in the top five by 16 to 21-year-olds between 2011 and 2012 in which 22 to 29-year-olds found employment during 2017.
The job category that most ended up working in was as sales assistants and retail cashiers, which has been the case since 2011. We can see certain jobs falling in and out favour, with IT professionals jumping up the ranks by 2017, and construction taking the biggest fall in rank.
Top 10 jobs in which 22 to 29-year-olds work, 2011 compared with 2017
Expected earnings versus reality
ONS research has found that in 2015 to 2016, 24% of young people (aged 16 to 21) felt a high income was very important to them in their occupation, whereas 86% felt it was important. If the expectations of 16 to 17-year-olds is anything to go by, they are vastly different to reality.
For example, half of 16 to 17-year-olds expected to earn £35,000 by the age of 30 if they’d achieved a degree and £25,000 if they did not have a degree.
The report concludes with more interesting findings with regard to earnings expectations, job security and aspect of future employment.