The share of high school students hoping to attend university has fallen sharply over the past two years, while the proportion choosing employment has more than doubled, according to reports. Athlete remained the top dream job among elementary school students.
High Schoolers Choose Employment or Startups Over University
According to a survey on career education in elementary and secondary schools released on the 26th by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), only 64.9% of high school students wanted to attend university last year. The figure started at 72.5% in 2015, remained in the 70% range, and rose to 77.3% in 2023. However, it fell to 66.5% in 2024 and continued to decline for two consecutive years through last year.
Over the same period, the proportion of students hoping to find employment rose sharply. Last year, the share of students wishing to work was 15.6%, more than double the 7.0% recorded in 2023. The proportion of students dreaming of starting a business also expanded from 1.0% in 2015 to 3.3% last year.
By contrast, the number of students who have yet to decide on a desired occupation actually increased. The share of students who answered that they "have a desired job" fell by more than 10 percentage points across all school levels—elementary, middle, and high school. The proportion of elementary students who said they had a desired job dropped 13.2 percentage points from 91.3% in 2015 to 78.1% last year. Middle school students fell from 73.0% to 59.9%, the lowest level among all school levels. High school students also declined from 81.7% to 71.3%.
In line with this trend, education authorities appear to be refining their career guidance methods. KEDI explained, "The 2022 revised curriculum calls for operating career-linked education during transition periods between school levels," adding, "Rather than assuming university admission as the only premise, students are comparing various possibilities such as further education, employment, and entrepreneurship, and proactively designing paths suited to their aptitudes and career goals."
Athlete for Elementary Students, Teacher for Middle and High Schoolers
A changed social atmosphere is also evident in job preferences. Last year, athlete was surveyed as the top dream job among elementary school students. Until 2015, teacher had ranked first among elementary students' desired jobs, but since 2020, athlete has taken that place.
Creator ranked third last year, after doctor, which was interpreted as reflecting the influence of the digital environment. One elementary school teacher said, "There's the influence of soccer national team player Son Heung-min, and these days many retired athletes appear on YouTube or broadcasts. As students encounter this, it seems the number hoping to become athletes has naturally increased."
Among middle and high school students, teacher held the top spot for the 12th consecutive year. This means it has not relinquished the lead since 2015, when the career education survey was designated as national approved statistics.
For middle school students, athlete ranked second and doctor third. Among high school students, nurse ranked second, and life scientist and researcher ranked third. Life scientist and researcher rose sharply from seventh place in 2024 to third last year.
