Every teen aspires to something, whether they admit to it or not. Here are some facts and statistics related to the aspirations of American teens:

  1. Live hard, die young — According to a 2009 survey of 20,000 teens, 15% of U.S. teenagers expect to die young. (Time, 7-13-2009, p. 12)
  2. 75% of high-schoolers expect to receive a college degree, yet only 30% are on a preparatory track to accomplish it. They also expect to make lots, yet don’t have a plan for how. They merely expect it to happen. (Walsh, 2007, p. 25-16)
  3. 20% of teens think they’ll be famous someday, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a survey group. (Murphy, 8-31-07)
  4. Three times as many middle school girls say they would want to grow up to be the personal assistant to a famous person as want to be a senator, according to a 2007 survey. Four-times as many would rather be the famous person’s assistant as be the CEO of a major corporation. (Stein, 2013)

What teens want when they grow up

Careers that kids say their parents encourage them to consider:

Boys:

  • Engineer: 31%
  • Doctor: 24%
  • Businessman: 23%
  • Lawyer: 20%
  • Teacher: 11%

Girls:

  • Doctor: 33%
  • Teacher: 31%
  • Lawyer: 25%
  • Veterinarian: 23%
  • Acting: 21%

(USA Today, 3-12-09)

Top career choices for high school students:

  1. Information technology: 25%
  2. Business Management: 16%
  3. Health care: 15%
  4. Education: 10%
  5. Skilled trades: 6%

(USA Today, 4-16-09, p. IB)

What middle-schoolers (ages 10 to 15) consider their dream jobs:

Girls:

  • singer or musician: 23%
  • Actress : 22 %
  • Doctor: 13%
  • Teacher: 10%

Boys:

  • Vidoe game creater: 33%
  • Profesional athlete: 26%
  • Computer or internet programer: 13%
  • Singer or musician: 11%

(Source: Raytheon, August 2009)