Midwest Teens See Their Future ‘Dream Jobs’ in Health Care and IT, New Survey Shows

Midwest teens today are wise beyond their years when considering their future careers, a new survey reveals.

In a recent survey, Everest Institute asked high school students in six states, including Michigan, the field of work that would provide them their “dream job.”

The No. 1 answer: a job in health care, cited by nearly one in five (19 percent) of those polled. A career in computer and information technology (IT) ranked second at 16 percent, followed by a job in education, named by 10 percent. No other “dream job” ranked higher than 6 percent.

“The survey indicates, perhaps a surprise to some, that young people are quite savvy and realistic about the paths to successful employment, recognizing that health care and IT are among the hottest careers today,” says Ken Sigmon, regional vice president of operations at Everest Institute, which has five campuses in Michigan.

“They are realistic as well,” he adds. “The teens are not aspiring to be celebrities in high-profile, high-risk careers such as entertainment and athletics.”

Interestingly, it seems gender stereotypes in the top three dream job categories persist. Female respondents were more than twice as likely than their male peers to select health care, and three times more likely to select teaching. Conversely, young men were twice as likely as young women to select computer and information technology as their dream jobs.

“Some stereotypes apparently die hard,” says Sigmon.

Education Essential to Qualify for Job

The teens surveyed also acknowledged the role education plays in gaining employment. More than eight in 10 (84 percent) agree it is both important to have good grades and important to have a college degree.

Also, fairly high percentages – about three quarters or more – indicated professional certificates or licenses (79 percent of respondents), job experience (75 percent) and prior training in a field (74 percent) are important factors in landing a job.

The Everest poll results are based on the responses of 300 high school students, ages 14 to 18, living in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. The online survey was conducted in late November.

About Everest Institute

Everest Institute has five Michigan campuses located in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

Everest Institute provides career-oriented diploma programs in the health care, skilled trades and business fields. Programs vary by campus. Everest has nearly 100 schools in the U.S. and Canada, and is owned by Corinthian Colleges, Inc., one of the largest post-secondary education companies in North America. For more information, visit www.everest.edu.  For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program and other important information, please visit our website at www.everest.edu/disclosures.