Kids now have more diverse dream jobs, poll finds

The aspirations of the city's young people are shifting from traditionally sought-after occupations like doctors and lawyers to more diverse careers such as artists, journalists and entrepreneurs, a study has shown.

The survey of more than 1,120 pupils from Primary Three to Form Three conducted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong from April to June revealed a stark contrast in values from a similar poll in 2004.

Church corporate communications official Wan Sheung-mak said the study showed pupils' ambitions these days had diverged from the traditional fields.

In the 2004 poll, half the pupils aspired to become teachers, doctors and lawyers or to work in professions that earned "high and stable income".

But those surveyed this year named a total of 40 "dream jobs", including entrepreneurs, musicians and journalists. Only about 5 per cent wanted to become lawyers - about the same proportion as those who wanted to be fashion designers. About 6 per cent wanted to be doctors.

And those who wanted to be artists regarded South Korean artists as their role models - in contrast to the 2004 poll in which pupils looked towards local artists for inspiration. "No one career is dominant [in this year's survey]," church social worker Queenie Wong said, adding that some pupils also aspired to be bus drivers.