When I Grow Up, I Want to be a ???

Which jobs are on the minds of young children, as they dream about their future? And do Connecticut youngsters’ aspirations differ from their peers across the country?

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the past few years - their formative years - the profession most often mentioned across the country among children age 5-8 is healthcare. In Connecticut, however, the number one answer is Musician/Singer, followed by Actor/Actress. Nationwide, the data told a different story of what youngsters are thinking about when considering their future occupations.

The Ellie Sparkles Show – an online children’s entertainment and education program – recently surveyed 1,000 children ages 5 - 8 across the United States to reveal the most popular jobs kids dream of being when they grow up.  The survey also asked what’s most important to them when picking a job and what their dream work schedule would look like, to reveal how children today are picturing their future careers.

The study reveals that nationwide:

•     26% of kids surveyed said their dream job was within the health profession.

•     Teacher is the second most popular childhood dream job in the US (16.5%).  Next was Scientist, at 12% of those surveyed.

•     13% of children dream of being a TikToker, YouTuber or vlogger when they grow up

•     Over a third (35%) of kids say the most important thing in their future job is that they are helping other, followed by 28% who responded “having fun.”

•     Almost three quarters (73%) of kids say their dream job setup includes flexible or hybrid working - a concept that likely would not have been considered just a few years ago.

Since 81% of parents in the US said they regularly talk to their children about their aspirations in our recent survey, researchers also spoke to parents to find out what expectations they had for their child's future job, and whether they had any influence on these dream careers.

The survey asked parents what they felt is important for their children to achieve in their future careers. The top answer was that parents wanted their kids to prioritize being happy rather than concentrating on how much they earn (88%), followed by wanting their child to help others (71%).

While only one in seven (13%) young children surveyed said making lots of money was their top priority when they grow up, almost two thirds of parents (65%) felt that this is important. This was followed by 53% wanting their child's future job to contribute toward protecting the environment and 43% saying they think it is important for their child to be able to travel in their future job.

Among Connecticut children, after their top two answers, others mentioned include Doctor/Nurse/Healthcare Professional, Teacher, Police Officer, Veterinarian, Artist and Chef. Connecticut was the only state in which the most popular answer was Musician/Singer.

The Ellie Sparkles Show is a children’s entertainment show created by WildBrain Spark and Egg Head Studios, distributed on YouTube and YouTube Kids.