Parents say schools nurture dreams, but students can't name one

Far fewer students in South Korea can answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The share of elementary, middle and high school students who said they had a clear career goal fell by more than 10 percentage points across all school levels over the past decade.

The Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute released the finding Sunday in the 10th edition of "Reading Our Education Through Data," an annual survey on career education at primary and secondary schools. Conducted under the Career Education Act, the survey is a government-approved statistical study that polls about 37,400 students, parents and teachers at 1,200 schools nationwide each year.

The share of elementary school students who said they had a desired occupation fell from 91.3 percent in 2015 to 78.1 percent in 2025, a drop of 13.2 percentage points. The figure for middle school students declined from 73.0 percent to 59.9 percent over the same period, while the rate for high school students slipped from 81.7 percent to 71.3 percent. Notably, the decline was steepest among younger students — a trend interpreted as meaning that fewer children are forming clear aspirations in the first place, rather than gradually refining their goals as they advance through school.

Shifts in career preferences were also evident. Among elementary school students, the top dream job changed from teacher in 2015 to athlete in both 2020 and 2025, with doctor ranking second and content creator third — reflecting the influence of the digital environment. Among middle and high school students, teacher held the No. 1 spot for 12 consecutive years since the survey received government-approved statistical status in 2015. Middle school students ranked athlete and doctor second and third, while high school students placed nurse second and life scientist or researcher third. The life scientist and researcher category drew particular attention, jumping from seventh place in 2024 to third in a single year.

Students' post-graduation plans are also diversifying. The share of high school students hoping to attend university fell to 64.9 percent last year, marking two consecutive years of decline since 2023, when the figure stood at 77.3 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion planning to enter the workforce more than doubled, rising from 7.0 percent in 2023 to 15.6 percent last year, and the share aspiring to start a business expanded from 1.0 percent in 2015 to 3.3 percent in 2025.

KEDI attributed the shift to policies promoting student-led academic and career planning — such as the high school credit system — which have encouraged students to weigh and choose from a broader range of paths, including employment and entrepreneurship, rather than defaulting to university enrollment.