Top 10 jobs teenagers want when they're older are revealed

Based on the Bitesize Careers survey 2023. Results from the 2025 survey are now available.

Engineer, teacher and doctor are the jobs teenagers most want to do when they are older, according to a new survey for BBC Bitesize.

The poll of more than 4,000 13-16 year-olds has been released during National Careers Week as part of the BBC Bitesize drive to give young people more support and information when it comes to choosing the right job for them.

It suggested that more than three quarters (77%) of young people don’t consider money to be the biggest motivator for choosing a career and more than half (57%) say they wouldn’t do a job they didn’t enjoy, even if it was well paid.

When asked what the most important thing was in a job the most popular answers were ‘Feeling good about what you do’ (27%) and ‘Happiness’ (26%), with ‘Money’ (23%) ranking third.

Which jobs ranked the highest?

The survey asked young people what they wanted to do when they were older and as well as the three most popular choices the top 10 jobs list also includes vet, lawyer, footballer, police officer, computer scientist, nurse and architect.

Sixty per cent of young people say they hope go on to higher education after leaving school, while 16 per cent said they’d like to do an apprenticeship, 11 per cent said they’d prefer to go straight into work, with six per cent wanting to start their own business.

Gender splits

The survey, carried out by Survation on behalf of BBC Bitesize Careers, revealed several differences between the future aspirations of boys and girls.

When broken down by gender the data showed that teacher, vet and doctor ranked as the most popular single choice for girls while engineer, footballer and computer scientist were most popular for boys. Six per cent of young people said they weren’t sure or didn’t know what they wanted to do.

The survey also suggested a difference in attitudes towards work depending on where in the UK you live. The results suggest young people from London are the most willing to do a job they would not enjoy, even if it was well paid (40%), whereas those from the North East were the least willing (23%) to do so.

Only two out of 10 teenagers said they wanted to work from home when they’re older with the majority saying working outdoors or in an office would be their ideal work environment.

Help for students

The survey results are part of a BBC Bitesize Careers campaign to give students the tools and information to make more informed choices about their next steps.

An interactive careers lesson called ‘Career We Go’ is available now for teachers and students on the Bitesize Careers website.

It’s hosted by popular Tik Tok teacher Mr P and designed to help young people identify their passions and soft skills before thinking about how to apply them to different jobs.

A special careers livestream, hosted by comedian Russell Kane, will also be available for anyone to dial into on the BBC Bitesize Careers website at 2pm on Friday 10th March. Russell will share his own inspirational story as well as interviewing famous author Malorie Blackman, Special effects and games designer David Sheldon-Hicks and former financier turned fashion designer Fisayo Longe about their own career paths.

Students can also take the Bitesize Careers quiz to find their perfect career or decide whether they’re best suited to university, work or apprenticeships.

Career inspiration

For information on 100s of different job profiles check out our A to Z: Find your perfect job or try taking our fun quiz: What’s the perfect career for you? for some career inspiration.

Survey conducted by Survation between 9 - 22 December 2022

Population sampled: Children aged 13 - 16, across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Sample size: 4,016