What Gen Z wants to be when they grow up
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Despite the rise of social media and the ubiquity of the creator economy, most Gen Z-ers are interested in the same traditional careers as generations before them.
Driving the news: Young people today are more likely to job-hop, but they are also looking for stability by pursuing careers as CEOs, doctors and engineers, according to a new Axios/Generation Lab study.
By the numbers: Gen Z-ers surveyed said their top career goals were businessperson, doctor and engineer.
- Artist took the fourth spot.
Gen Z-ers also tend to prefer larger companies — with 58% saying they’d prefer a big or mid-sized corporation over a startup or a government job.
- Just 14% aspire to work for the government.
Worth noting: Young people’s leading motivator as they advance in their careers is personal fulfillment (49%), followed by wealth (25%).
- Contrary to polling that indicates Gen Z cares more about their employers’ stances on social issues more than previous generations, just 9% of respondents said societal impact is their top driver when it comes to work.
- Gen Z is also driving the "quiet-quitting" trend, with 82% of them saying the idea of doing the minimum required to keep their jobs is pretty or extremely appealing.
The bottom line: "The most popular careers among young people are those with high-income potential. ... They see that as the best way to achieve personal fulfillment and happiness," says Matin Mirramezani, Generation Lab's chief operating officer.
- "They don't see their career path as an end in itself, but rather the means to an end."
Methodology: This poll was conducted Jan. 11-18 from a representative sample of 824 18 to 29-year-olds nationwide. The margin of error is +/- 3.4 percentage points.
