We recently ran a survey asking you all about careers advice from your parents. The results are in, the winner of the iPod has been announced (congrats Ryan!) & some interesting stats came out of it. So, who has got the right idea when it comes to careers advice? There's only one way to find out...FIGH...err, no....
It's a time-honoured tradition that parents give their children careers advice, and for their children ignore it.The latest research from the AAT, one of the UK's leading accounting bodies, shows this tradition is alive and well and highlights the diverging views on potential future-proof careers.
Parents favour plumbing, social work and the medical profession more than their children who are opting for media, marketing and IT. Just about the only thing the two camps can agree on is the appeal of accounting and business skills - it appears 'The Apprentice Effect' has added extra lustre to business careers making them the number one choice for both parents and students (with approximately 35% of both parents and young people, expressing a preference for this route.)
The research, conducted withnotgoingtouni.co.uk, also suggests that parents, drawing on their longer career experience and memories of recession, are better at spotting future proof-careers such as accountancy and teaching. While 65% of children trust their parents to point them in the right direction only 29% believe they know enough about future career options, and the perceived glamour of media (25%) marketing, advertising and publishing (33%) is still a draw despite the severe cutbacks in these industries. Parents are more practical and have a higher opinion of plumbing (6% versus 1%) and social work (10% versus 4%) than their children.
While 8% of student respondents want to be actors only 1% of their parents share this ambition for them. It does seem that both sides have been watching the news however, and the shine is definitely off careers in the city. Students are even less keen (13%) than their parents (17%) to follow a career in the financial sector. In another sign of the times, students are more keen on 'green' than their parents and are listening to Government predictions about job growth opportunities.
Nearly a fifth of students surveyed are interested in a career in engineering, 10% want to pursue careers in science and 15% are interested in construction careers.
"Whilst City careers have become a turn-off, young people and parents alike are still recognising the flexibility and options offered by a career in accountancy," says , Jane Scott Paul Chief Executive of the AAT. "And they can't all be wrong!" "Accountancy is one of the professions where you can build a very successful career without having to go to university. Nearly 20% of our new students each year are aged 20 or under and, as a fully-qualified Accounting Technician, could earn 2.4%* more a year than the average working graduate." "They could also progress to chartered accountancy a year earlier than those with a degree, and without the burden of a hefty university debt."
