Athletics, teaching, medicine top list of dream jobs for South Korean students: Survey
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Teaching and becoming a doctor were picked by elementary school children as the most desirable job following becoming an athlete.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – Being an athlete topped the list of most desired jobs for elementary school students in South Korea, while teaching was picked as the most coveted job among middle and high-school students, a survey showed on Nov 26.
Teaching and becoming a doctor were picked by elementary school pupils as the most desirable jobs, following becoming an athlete.
The survey results showing a preference for becoming an athlete may stem from the high number of sporting events held in 2023, including the Asian Games and the World Cup soccer qualifiers, according to the Education Ministry.
The athletic profession has been favoured by elementary school pupils since 2018, when the Winter Olympics were held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon province. Becoming a doctor replaced becoming a YouTube creator in 2023, taking the third spot.
Middle school students’ survey results saw teaching top the list, followed by becoming doctors and athletes, in line with the results in 2022.
High-school students picked teaching as their top job choice, followed by nursing and science.
The survey also showed an increasing number of high-school students opting for jobs in computer science and information technology, such as programming.
Computer engineering or software development, which ranked in fifth place for high-school students in 2022, moved up one notch in 2023.
The career choice of becoming a doctor, which ranked seventh in 2022, moved up two notches to fifth place in 2023 among high-school students.
The survey also showed a substantial decline in students’ interest in a career in government or the military.
The choice of working as a government office worker, which ranked 10th in the list for middle school students in 2022, placed 17th in 2023. Choosing a military career also fell from third place in 2022 to 11th place in 2023, among high-school students.
The Ministry of Education and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training conducted the survey on the dream jobs of 38,302 students in elementary, middle and high school from June to July. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
