You may think that Gen Z is a lazy generation, however, based on their drives and popular career choices, they might make you think twice. A lot of millennials seem to think that the younger generation has no motivation or ambitions toward their futures, but statistics may prove them wrong. People think that all Gen Z want to be influencers, social media stars, or Instagram models, however, when asked what they wanted to do as a career, those answers weren’t the first to come up. There was a survey where they asked 13 to 20-year-olds what they wanted as a career choice. Here are the top ten Careers Chosen by Gen Z.
1) Doctor/Surgeon/Specialist
The top career choice for Gen Z was Doctor/Surgeon/Specialist. A lot of young people want to become doctors because they want to “help people” and to “save people’s lives”. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, applications for admissions to U.S. medical schools increased 17% over the last year.
This increase could be because the application to become a medical expert has become slightly easier due to the covid-19 pandemic which led to a dramatic drop in employment. Because of this pandemic, however, it made people want to help others in their time of need and crisis.
2) Psychologists/counselors/therapists
The second-highest career choice was psychologists/counselors/therapists. Similarly to people wanting to become doctors, due to covid-19. A lot of individuals during this pandemic say that due to the virus and lockdowns, their mental health has been severely impacted negatively. Mental health became very noticed these few years and people now have an increasing need to help others who are struggling during these hard times.
Also due to the pandemic, a large number of people felt the need to seek out help from others and it was made possible to have therapy online which helped many in the duration of many lockdowns.
3) Artists/musicians/singers/performers
The top third Careers Chosen by Gen Z was to become artists/musicians/singers/performers. Again because of lockdowns, people’s creativity started to shine and they were able to express themselves through music and other areas of that art form. They could upload their art on social media, and because we weren’t able to do much, we absorbed this type of content for our entertainment.
Many found that they can express themselves through their art and that they wanted to make a career out of it because of the growing attention they got. This helped them with their creativity and their mental health alike. You can simply follow wedding musicians and other musicians to learn more from them.
4) Influencers/content creators
The fourth and possibly most significant difference between Gen Z and millennials’ career choices was to become influencers/content creators. Seeing as we live in a world where social media has a huge impact on everyone, we are heavily influenced by influencers which makes people aspire to have that sort of life and career.
A lot of companies are advertising their products online with the help of influencers and they are always looking for more. Many people want to help these companies move their products and in the meantime, getting free stuff from these companies is definitely a huge plus, making these the dream companies work for.
5) Sports player
My fifth career choice was to become a professional sports player. With the influence of sports, many young men and women have the desire to become great sportsmen. Sports help people with not only physical but also mental health, and as stated above, mental health has become a huge focus for Gen Z.
For many, sports are an escape from reality and it helps them cope with their problems and it also helps them process their problems through a healthy outlet. Because of this, many people want to do sports as a living because it has helped them out so much in their youth.
6) Engineers
At number six we have the career choice of wanting to become engineers. Another form of expressing art and creativity is through engineering, which makes people dream and design amazing structures. Engineering tests the limits of someone’s imagination and all the things that a person can create.
Engineering lets the mind wander and the creativity flow, which helps a lot of people not only in a practical sense but also in a way that helps people mentally. Many people become engineers because they have a dream to build and create something unimaginable, and seeing their work come to fruition would be their pride and joy.
7) Nurse/caretaker
The seventh most common career choice was to become a nurse/caretaker. This resonates with people wanting to become doctors and surgeons and wanting to help people. A lot of individuals find it rewarding to help others who are in need and they have a strong desire to make them feel better.
A lot of the older generation cannot take care of themselves and have no one else to do so, so these people want to do their best to make themselves feel like they are taken care of.After achieving RN status, many nurses opt to register for the course leading to an MSN degree, as it can be a pivotal step in advancing their careers within the healthcare field.
8) Teacher/professor/educator
Shockingly a lot of people wanted to choose a career in becoming a teacher/professor/educator. Education during covid-19 has been tough since schools had to be done online. Many teachers were unable to educate Gen Z the same way as if they were in a classroom. They were either not tech-savvy enough or they just grew bored of talking to a screen.
This generation wants to help educate people in a way that makes it interesting for future students and in a way that is not outdated, making teacher-related jobs popular among Gen Z. Besides, they can pursue teacher aide courses that allows them to work alongside teachers to deliver learning programs to several types of students. It is important that they are passionate about learning and enjoy working with children. There are so many new things to learn, whether it be about genders and sexuality, or simply making a subject more fun and engaging.
9) Business owners/entrepreneurs
Many people these days want to become business owners/entrepreneurs. When people have an idea that seems like it could benefit another, they want to make that available by making it into something that can be more accessible to others.
People making their own businesses takes a lot of courage, time, and effort, but Gen Z is a very motivated generation and because of them so many new businesses have flourished. This is because the need to help others is a very big thing these days and it gives young entrepreneurs the motivation to keep doing what they are doing.
10) Veterinarian
Lastly, the tenth Careers Chosen by Gen Z was to become a veterinarian. People love animals and when an animal is in need, a lot of us want to help them but sometimes we do not know how. This love for animals, and as mentioned earlier, the need to help, drives people to want to learn about them and in doing so, help them later on. Individuals wanting to become veterinarians put in a lot of time and energy to one day help animals that cannot help themselves.
At last, as opposed to popular beliefs, Gen Z is actually a very driven and compassionate generation that cares a lot about people. This generation has especially put others’ mental and physical health above their own and they work hard to do so, which might not be what you initially thought.