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Influencer and drone pilot among dream jobs for school leavers – report

Most 16-18-year-olds are no longer interested in traditional careers in teaching or law, according to a new survey.
Most 16-18-year-olds are no longer interested in traditional careers in teaching or law, according to a new survey. Most 16-18-year-olds are no longer interested in traditional careers in teaching or law, according to a new survey.

Becoming a social media influencer, an app developer or a video games developer are now the most popular dream jobs among school leavers, new research suggests.

A report from Samsung’s Alternative Careers Guide found that 16-to-18-year-olds were no longer interested in traditional jobs such as becoming an accountant, teacher or lawyer.

In a survey of 3,000 school leavers, digital roles such as smart home designer, drone operator and social media manager were named among the ten most popular dream careers.

3D prop designer, software developer, vaccine developer and forensic computer analyst also featured in the top ten.

According to the research, over half of those asked (55%) said they believed traditional careers such as law and teaching are outdated, and they instead would like to pursue a more tech-focused career path.

Drone
Drone Flying drones is in the top ten (Skyports/PA)

The report also highlighted concerns among young people over the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on their future, with 72% saying they were worried they could become a lost generation because of the virus outbreak, and 81% saying they were concerned about mass unemployment and a lack of job opportunities.

The majority of those asked (65%) also said that as a result of the pandemic and lockdown, the traditional nine-to-five working pattern would become a thing of the past in the next five years.

Just over half (55%) said they would not consider working for a company which had strict nine-to-five working hours, while 78% said they would choose a job with a good work-life balance over one with a high salary.

The research has been published as students across the UK receive exam results.

The Alternative Careers Guide has been created by Samsung to help those young people preparing to leave school to learn more about potential job paths into the tech sector.

It includes a digital prospectus, with interviews fronted by radio and TV presenter Roman Kemp where he speaks to some people who have pursued tech careers such as drone operators and app developers.

“Like many people I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I left school, I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted when I was 18 – my first job was actually cleaning the toilets at my local gym! I ended up falling into radio presenting by accident,” Mr Kemp said.

“I was working in a studio when one day the presenter was off sick and they asked me to fill in for them, and it snowballed from there.

“Any young people who are feeling unsure about their next step should check out Samsung’s Alternative Careers Guide, it’s a great resource for learning more about tech-leading careers you may not have thought about.”

Tess Smillie, vice president of the people team at Samsung Europe HQ, UK and Ireland said: “Today’s job market has changed beyond all recognition from the one which existed 25 years ago and there is a wealth of new technology-based roles that many people don’t even know exist.

“Samsung is at the forefront of technological change and we believe it is our responsibility to guide young people through the new opportunities that are out there.”