“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Generation Z are answering that question in a surprisingly traditional way, according to research from Year13.
The youth platform surveyed over 3000 Aussies between the ages of 15 and 24 and asked them what job they most wanted.
You might have thought the youngest generation would pick trendy options with job titles that no one’s grandparents had ever heard of, but instead, the top picks were surprisingly “traditional”.
The most popular career choice was a mental health therapist, with 17 per cent leaning towards that job.
It was followed by teaching (15 per cent), medical doctor (14 per cent), digital marketing (13 per cent) and engineering (13 per cent) — four very classic and practical professions.
Interestingly, non-traditional roles like YouTuber (9 per cent) and artificial intelligence (6 per cent) specialist weren’t nearly as popular.
Generation Z are surprisingly conservative in their approach to work. It is far less about chasing your dreams and far more about getting ahead. Money was the big winner when asked what considerations were important to them when choosing a career.
For the 61 per cent of people, high income was the biggest consideration, followed by work/life balance at 59 per cent and career growth at 55 per cent.
Only 31 per cent picked diversity and culture, and only 7 per cent said they wanted fame or public profile.
Still, what young people think they want and the reality of that decision is often wildly different.
Sure, on paper, everyone wants to make bucket loads of cash and stick to the most lucrative path, but it isn’t all it is cracked up to be.
*Amy, 19, explained that she’d always planned to study optometry at university but quickly realised it wasn’t really what she wanted to do.
“Once I started studying it in university I realised it wasn’t for me. I took a gap term and realised I needed to work towards something I am actually passionate about. Despite concerns about job security, low income, and my parents not approving, I decided to switch my degree to animation studies,” she shared.
*Jake, 19, said that he’d always seen a career as a lawyer making the “big bucks” as the right path for him, but once he started his degree and saw how competitive it was, he lost his passion for it.
“Despite being aware of my academic abilities, I always feel so stupid compared to other students I attend classes with. This has slowly resulted in me gradually losing my passion and interest in law, while at the same time, my interest in bartending has increased so much I currently work as a bartender,” he said.
In a similar fashion *Morgan, 20, explained that he was now onto his second degree after originally choosing financial security over passion.
“I originally had a plan laid out from high school to my first job, but after a year and a half in my first degree, I realised that I neglected to look at what made me happy,” he explained.
Ultimately Morgan opted for a change because chasing the money wasn’t making him remotely happy.
“I was miserable doing IT but figured I was capable of doing it and that there were plenty of jobs in the field. I’d ignored my passion for art and writing, something my peers, teacher, and family had pointed out my skill in and went for something that I thought would afford me more financial security instead,” he said.
Year 13 co-founder, Saxon Phipps, said that he thinks young people are still interested in traditional jobs because it is what they grew up seeing.
“Young people as they grow up are constantly exposed to traditional jobs in areas like healthcare, education, engineering and law, so it’s very easy for them to take inspiration from what they see on TV or through their parents and to want to forge a career in one of these areas themselves too,” he told news.com.au.
“Compare that to new-age jobs like AI specialists, cybersecurity specialists and sustainability consultants, in which many young people would struggle to understand what exactly it is they do, the skills they need to be successful or what a day in the life of the job looks like.”
Mr Phipps said that “understanding” a job is crucial for it to be popular among the youngest generation.
“Just knowing about and understanding a job goes a long way to young people actually considering them as a career themselves because you can’t be what you can’t see and at the moment many modern jobs are just not known about,” he said.
The co-founder said that he wasn’t too surprised by Gen Z’s more conservative approach to work, considering their financial times.
“When it comes down to all the various considerations young people have when it comes to choosing a job, a high income is number one. Given the cost-of-living issues at present and record house prices this for many young people would simply be a reflection of what they need today for a comfortable life,” he said.
Mr Phipps was ultimately heartened to see that Generation Z were looking for fulfilment over glamour when it came to their careers.
“If you asked someone on the street do they think young people are more likely to want to be a YouTuber or a schoolteacher there’s a good chance YouTuber would be the answer most people give,” he said.
“So it was a big but pleasant surprise to see a career path like teaching be so popular against what is on the surface of it one of the coolest jobs around – a YouTuber,” he explained.
*Names have been changed for privacy reasons.