The ‘dream job’ looks different for Gen Z

Firefighter, marine biologist, astronaut, tech mogul, stay-at-home adult — we’ve all had a dream job, or 10. 

And for a while there, many of us wanted to be the same thing when we grew up: a highly paid tech worker. 

But today, it seems Gen Zers are hanging up their propeller hats and dreaming of different industries, per Business Insider. 

A National Society of High School Scholars survey of 10k high-achieving students illustrates Gen Z’s shifting preferences:

• Google was ranked as the No. 1 dream employer in 2017; in 2024, it dropped to No. 7. Amazon and Apple have also sunk by four and three spots, respectively, since 2018.
• Health care emerged as the most desirable industry, with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital claiming the top spot followed by the Mayo Clinic, Health Care Service Corp., and local hospitals. 
• Government jobs also inched up the list, with the FBI at No. 5, NASA at No. 6, and the CIA at No. 11.

The number of applications for government jobs doubled YoY in 2023, according to a survey by Handshake, a job site for college students. Those for tech companies, meanwhile, dropped by 19%.

Weird, no?

Not really. While the federal government and your local hospital might not be as glamorous as a Big Tech firm, they provide things Gen Zers care about. 

One priority tops them all: stability. Ranking No. 1 on the Handshake survey, it makes sense given recent events.

• There were 263.1k+ tech employees laid off in 2023. And they’re continuing, with another 106.6k+ laid off in 2024 so far. 
• There’s growing uncertainty around AI — 62% of Gen Zers say they’re worried about its impact on job displacement. 

This has led to talent flowing out of tech and into other industries, a troubling trend for large tech companies vying for skilled workers. 

Though, if you ask us, we’d rather have the best and brightest of the next generation heading the CDC than becoming keg-tapping product managers, anyway.