Children Choose Different Careers Compared to Their Studies

On 22 January, the World Economic Forum opens a discussion of the children from the Davos primary school with an amazing group of people so that they can put up their job and career related questions. The leaders have gathered to decide on ways to build a collaborative future in this era of technological disruption.

The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported there are few technical and higher-earning professions that mostly need university degrees like medicine law, veterinary science and engineering etc. These jobs are more common and popular among students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Mostly we see that parents, friends, teachers, employers, career guidance counsellors along with media exposure has a high influence on these career aspirations on youngsters. Parents and friends influence student choices in complex ways, but the impact of socio-economic status on career aspirations can be seen very clearly in PISA. It has been observed that most of the young students take their career and job related critical decisions relevant to their working lives in the initial years of their lives like choosing their subjects accordingly in schools. They take important decisions of their educational course, college, universities etc. at an early age of 16 or 18. In addition to this, they also make decide on how and where they will have work experience relevant to their occupational interests. But it is also true that mostly young people at this early stage find it difficult to understand the scope and depth of ultimate job opportunities across the economy which leads them to potentially identify unrealistic career aspirations. However it is a bit easier for students from well-connected backgrounds to get work experience, which further helps them to have a much better understanding of the various scope and options of available careers and make better informed choices.  Almost one-third of PISA respondents expressed interest in just 10 different occupations and same results have been reported by other studies as well .As a result of the previous research also, it is evident that teenagers who underestimate the qualifications needed for their desired profession are more likely to not get employed in their early 20s whereby the less affluent young people are tending have career aspirations that are misaligned with their educational choices. Our socio-economic background has a great influence on this uncertainty. The study proves that student aspirations are more likely shaped by gender-specific ideas about certain jobs. Where boys go for traditionally male-dominated sectors and professions girls choose other type of fields. Boys tend to have interest to become engineers (civil, mechanical, and electrical) four times more than girls. Also almost double the number of boys is seen to be keen to become scientists compared to girls, as per the study. As per the results of the research, mostly two and half times the number of girls is interested to become doctors compared to boys, and nearly four times the number of girls wants to become vets compared to boys.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/childrens-career-aspirations-jobs-of-future/