Doctor, teacher, influencer: What are Gen Alpha's dream jobs?

Many Gen Alpha kids are considering a profession related to the Internet and social networks. Photo: AFP

Born in the 2010s, children of the Alpha generation already have an idea of what they want to do in life. They dream of being doctors, actors or influencers, according to a recent American survey.

The Ellie Sparkles Show, a YouTube show for children, surveyed 1,000 American kids between the ages of five and eight about the jobs they dream of doing when they grow up.

The health sector comes out on top, with 26% of the children polled wanting to become a doctor or nurse when they grow up. Through these professions, they dream of helping others and thus becoming a heroic figure.

This often reflects a child's need for reassurance that they can do something about the bad things that can happen in life.

Becoming a teacher is a classic childhood dream. In that respect, Generation Alpha is no different from its predecessors, in that 16.5% of its members want to work in teaching when they reach adulthood.

They also envision themselves as scientists (12%) or actors (10.9%). Many Alpha kids are also considering a profession related to the Internet and social networks.

This is hardly surprising, since they were born into a digital world, as the Australian sociologist Mark McCrindle, who first theorised about this generation, has said.

More than one in 10 American children dream of becoming a YouTuber or TikToker, like their elders of Gen Z, who also grew up with all things digital. However, only 3% of them imagine themselves as professional gamers.

While members of Generation Alpha are still undecided about their dream job, they have a very clear idea of what they want from the working world.

More than a third of American kids say they want to work in a job that allows them to help others. They also want to have fun in their work life (28%) and make a lot of money (10%).

Contrary to what you might think, their ecological awareness is not (yet) very well developed. Only 5% of Alpha kids want to contribute to the fight against global warming through their future career.

At a time when their parents aspire to more freedom and flexibility at work, Gen Alpha has the same demands – even if these children are not yet in the workforce.

In fact, 73% of them would like to have the possibility to work in a "hybrid" or flexible way, while 46% dream of being "digital nomads".

Proof, perhaps, that Gen Alpha has more in common with their elders than we might think. – AFP Relaxnews