The rankings of desired professions among elementary, middle, and high school students have just been unveiled.

On the 26th, the Ministry of Education and the Korean Research Institute for Vocational Education released the results of the '2023 Elementary, Middle, and High School Career Education Status Survey.' The survey was conducted from June 5 to July 18, targeting a total of 38,302 elementary, middle, and high school students, parents, and teachers.

Among elementary school students, the most coveted profession was that of an athlete, with doctors coming in second place and teachers in third. Interestingly, doctors, who ranked second in 2020 and 2021 and fourth last year, have returned to second place, suggesting a renewed interest in medical careers. Occupations as digital content creators, such as YouTubers, which were once highly popular, have slipped to fourth place.

For middle school students, the top-ranking profession was teaching, followed by doctors in second place and athletes in third. High school students also showed a preference for teaching as their number one choice, with nursing ranking second. Notably, the popularity of life scientists and researchers has seen a significant surge, jumping from ninth place last year to third place.

Furthermore, there has been a notable increase in the percentage of students aspiring to careers 3D printing specialists, drone experts, robotics engineers, and big data and statistical analysis experts. On the other hand, the appeal of becoming a civil servant has dwindled.

Across all elementary, middle, and high school levels, the most common reason students choose their desired profession is simply because it's something they "like to do." Particularly among elementary school students, this sentiment increased from 50.3% last year to 60.3% this year. 

Meanwhile, middle and high school students have consistently shown an increased consideration of "income level" when selecting a profession for the past three years.