Exploring - Career Interest Survey (2017)

[RememberSchiff]

IRVING, Texas, Aug. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the school year gets underway, Exploring, the youth career-development program created by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is closely examining how best to bridge students' interests with future in-demand jobs. Today, the program released the findings of its Career Interest Survey, offering insight into the aspirations of the future workforce. This year revealed several year-over-year changes – STEM professions moved up, claiming the top three careers youth are most interested in, and entertainment careers dropped from the top 10 list completely. 

The survey, which helps Exploring develop real-life job experiences that combine student interests with in-demand career opportunities, was fielded in 2017 to more than 32,000 students from 8^th through 12^th grades. More than 200 career options were offered to enable a broad view of student interests – and an indicator as to where talent gaps may appear in the years ahead.

The top 10 most popular careers from the 2017 survey were:

1. Registered Nurse (ranked #1 in 2016)
2. Physician/Surgeon (ranked #6 in 2016)
3. Computer Programmer (new to the top 10 list)
4. Veterinarian (ranked #8 in 2016)
5. Professional Athlete (ranked #2 in 2016)
6. Mechanical Engineer (new to the top 10 list)
7. Teacher (new to the top 10 list)
8. Artist (ranked #3 in 2016)
9. Attorney (new to the top 10 list)   
10. Computer Engineer (new to the top 10 list)

No policeman, fireman, paramedic, military, mechanic, blogger/Youtube ,  professional gamer, entrepreneur ? Not what I am hearing and seeing at local tech high schools . 

Maybe Exploring should "explore" apprentice programs for the trades (calling Mike Rowe) - plumbing, electrical, etc.  I've heard electrical and plumbing students express frustration they were unable  to apprentice. Maybe an opportunity?

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/exploring-releases-career-interests-trends-from-nationwide-survey-of-us-students-300699570.html

[qwazse]

Not blaming Exploring. I think the popularity among youth should be mapped against number of people in each sector against return on education/training investment.

No idea how my 3 got chemical engineering in their heads. So far they have found jobs in specialty steel, oil/gas extraction, and petroleum refinement.  The hours can be long because nobody else is stepping in line to compete for them. (Well, some Saudis and South Americans are, but with the hope of eventually returning home to work those jobs at a less breakneck pace.)

Going into those with a high school education demands even more hours and time away from family. But, if you show dedication, most union halls will train you. The downside: exposure to layoffs due to strikes over healthcare and other political hot-potatoes.