The Ellie Sparkle’s Show has surveyed 1,000 American kids about what they want to be when they grow up to uncover the most popular childhood dream jobs across the country.
- Becoming a healthcare professional takes the top childhood dream job, with 26% of children in the US wanting to pursue this career in the future
- Over a third (35%) of kids in the US say the most important thing to them in their future careers is helping others
- 88% of parents say that their child’s happiness in their future job is more important than what they earn
- Almost three quarters (73%) of kids say their dream job setup includes flexible or hybrid working
The landscape of jobs is constantly changing. Many of the careers that kids dream of today didn’t exist when their parents were young – but which jobs are really at the top of kids’ lists for when they grow up?
To find out, The Ellie Sparkle’s Show surveyed 1,000 kids aged 5-8 across the US to find out what they dream of becoming when they grow up, how they want to work, and why they want to do it.
Since 81% of parents in the US said they regularly talk to their children about their career aspirations, the survey commissioned by the children’s entertainment show also asked 1,000 US parents what they dream of for their children’s future job roles.
Becoming A Doctor, Nurse, or Healthcare Professional Tops The List of Childhood Dream Jobs In The US
When 1,000 kids across America were surveyed about their dream job growing up, over a quarter said they wanted to work in the health sector in the future. This was followed by becoming a teacher (16.5%) and a scientist (12%).
| Rank | Job | % of children wishing to pursue this career |
| 1 | Doctor/Nurse/Healthcare Professional | 26.2% |
| 2 | Teacher | 16.5% |
| 3 | Scientist | 12.0% |
| 4 | TikToker/YouTuber/Vlogger | 11.9% |
| 5 | Actor | 10.9% |
| 6 | Police officer | 9.7% |
| 7 | Dancer | 9.7% |
| 8 | Veterinarian | 9.1% |
| 9 | Dentist/Dental Nurse | 6.7% |
| 10 | Zookeeper | 5.6% |
TikTok, Youtuber, or Vlogger comes in 4th, above actors and police officers, which came 5th and 6th, respectively. This is one example of a ‘dream job’ that would not have existed in previous generations.
The same kids were asked what the most important thing is to them in their future career – 35% said helping other people, followed by 28% who answered having fun.
88% Of Parents Want Their Kids To Prioritize Happiness Over Earning Money In Their Future Careers
The survey also asked parents what they felt is important for their children to achieve in their future careers. The top answer was that parents wanted their kids to prioritize being happy rather than concentrating on how much they earn (88%), followed by wanting their child to help others (71%).
Whilst only one in seven (13%) children surveyed said making lots of money was their top priority when they grow up, almost two-thirds of parents (65%) felt that this is important.
This was followed by 53% wanting their child’s future job to contribute toward protecting the environment and 43% saying they think it is important for their child to be able to travel in their future job.
Parents have a big impact on their child’s future as the survey also revealed that 60% of kids said that their parents inspired them to pick their dream job. 24% also cited their favorite TV shows and films as their biggest career inspiration, 23% gave credit to their grandparents, and 22% said their favorite YouTubers inspired them.
Nearly Three Quarters Of Children Surveyed Said They Want Flexible Working In Their Future Job
The survey revealed that kids across the US wish to work around 5 hours a day, four days a week.
It is clear from the survey results that children are looking to the future with a different perspective than that of previous generations. 73% said they want a flexible working structure (allowing them to choose whether they work from home or an office), whilst over half said they’d like to work from home all the time – a concept that would not have been considered a few years ago.
These are the top five things that kids want in their future jobs:
| Rank | In my future job, I want to.. | % of children |
| 1 | choose to work from home and work in an official place of work (flexible working) | 73% |
| 2 | To work in a city | 67% |
| 3 | To travel the world | 66% |
| 4 | To work with technology | 63% |
| 5 | To work outdoors | 63% |
To see the full study and the top childhood dream jobs in each US state, please visit: https://www.elliesparkles.com/blogs/news/the-most-popular-childhood-dream-jobs-in-each-us-state
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Methodology:
The Ellie Sparkle’s Show surveyed 1,000 children ages 5 to 8 years old across the United States to reveal the most popular jobs kids dream of being when they grow up.
No data was available for South Dakota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Montana.
The children’s parents were also surveyed to reveal the expectations of their child’s future career and their influence on these aspirations.
The Future of Work is changing, and so are Career Expectations!(Opens in a new browser tab)
About The Ellie Sparkles Show:
The Ellie Sparkles Show is a children’s entertainment show created by WildBrain Spark and Egg Head Studios, distributed on YouTube and YouTube Kids. The Ellie Sparkles Show engages kids and family audiences through unique short stories and adventures, providing fun, safe and relatable content that attracts millions of viewers from around the world.