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Surveys of Young People

2. Future Occupations

What occupation do you want to have in the future?

Chart 1-A
What occupation do you want to have in the future?(Female)

(%)

	9-11 years old	12-14 years old	15-17 years old
Not yet decided	37.2	37.5	29.5
Nurse	9.7	13.8	10.8
Artist, Designer, Musician, Novelist, Comic book writer	9.2	9.3	4.2
Teacher at schools or kindergarten	12.3	8.2	7.6
Office worker	3.0	3.4	11.1

Chart 1-B
What occupation do you want to have in the future?(Male)

(%)

	9-11 years old	12-14 years old	15-17 years old
Not yet decided	38.2	44.5	40.1
Computer programmer,Architect,Technician,Interpreter	3.1	8.1	13.6
Professional athlete	25.3	8.6	1.0
Civil Servant	1.4	7.6	11.1
Office worker	5.6	8.8	9.1

It must be difficult for high school students to have a definite idea about the type of occupation they want to have. Considering this, it is probably natural that most students answered that they had not decided yet. However, it can also be said that parents and teachers seldom give them advice based on their own experience or views. As boys get older, the percentage who want to be office workers or civil servants increases. It is not clear whether they know the difference between the job of an office worker and that of a civil servant. While girls chose definite occupations such as teacher, nurse, artist, or designer, boys tend to think of an occupation as an way to earn a living rather than something they want to do.

What do you want to do when you are around thirty?

Chart 2
What do you want to do when you are around thirty?

1990 1996

Professional such as doctor, lawyer, researcher 17.3 18.4

Professional such as nurse, teacher, editor, designer 22.9 30.3

Clerical worker at private company 10.9 6.2

Technical worker at private company 10.8 6.8

Clerical or technical worker in the public sector 9.0 7.7

Housewife 7.2 6.2

Others 16.2 21.4

This is the result of a questionnaire which asked high school students what they would like to do when they are around thirty years old. Comparing data in 1990 and 1996, more students want to be professionals such as nurses, teachers, editors, or designers. An increasing number of students marked "other." It is conjectured that this includes "self-employed," "artisan," "licensed cook," "TV personality" and so on, namely, occupations that are not directly affected by the end of life-long employment or an economic recession. This suggests to us that children have developed some interest in becoming professionals and have become aware of various options in choosing occupations.

Chart 1 A & B: Nihon no seishonen no seikatsu to ishiki (Lifestyle and consciousness of Japanese youth) published by Ministry of General Affairs. The survey was conducted in November to December 1995.

Chart 2: Gakushu kihonchosa hokokusho, koukouseiban (Second report on the basic survey of learning for high school students) published by Benesse Educational Research Center. They survey was conducted in May to June in 1996.

[Source: "Educational Forum" March,1998 by Benesse Corporation]