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Fewer high school students want to go to college, while more are setting their sights on employment or starting a business. Even as the craze for medical school admissions continues, the most popular dream job among elementary school students remains athlete.

According to "Our Education in Data," a report released Sunday by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), 64.9 percent of high school students said last year that they hoped to attend college.

The share of high schoolers hoping to attend college had hovered around 70 percent since hitting 72.5 percent in 2015, climbing to 77.3 percent in 2023. It then dropped sharply to 66.5 percent in 2024 and fell further to 64.9 percent last year, marking two consecutive years of decline.

Meanwhile, the share of students hoping to find employment surged. Last year, 15.6 percent of high schoolers said they wanted to get a job after graduation — more than double the 7.0 percent recorded in 2023. The proportion hoping to start a business also grew steadily, rising from 1.0 percent in 2015 to 3.3 percent last year.

Students appear to be grappling more with career uncertainty than before, however.

The share of students who said they had a desired occupation fell by more than 10 percentage points across all school levels. Among elementary school students, the figure dropped 13.2 percentage points, from 91.3 percent in 2015 to 78.1 percent last year. Middle schoolers saw the steepest decline, falling from 73.0 percent to 59.9 percent over the same period — the lowest level on record. High schoolers also slipped, from 81.7 percent to 71.3 percent.

Education authorities said they are strengthening tailored career education to meet shifting student needs.

"The 2022 revised curriculum requires schools to offer career-linked education during transitions between school levels," KEDI said. "Rather than assuming college is the only path, students are actively comparing options — including employment, entrepreneurship and other possibilities — and designing their own paths based on their aptitudes and career goals."

Shifting social trends were also reflected in students' preferred occupations.

Athlete ranked as the top dream job among elementary school students last year. Teacher had held the top spot in 2015, but athlete claimed first place from 2020 onward and retained it last year. Doctor came in second, while content creator placed third — a result analysts attributed in part to the growth of the digital content industry.

"There's the influence of Son Heung-min, the national team footballer, and retired athletes have been appearing a lot on YouTube and TV these days," an elementary school teacher said. "It seems like that exposure has naturally led more students to dream of becoming athletes."

Teacher was the top career aspiration for both middle and high school students. The profession has held the No. 1 spot for 12 consecutive years since the career education survey was first compiled as an officially approved national statistic in 2015.

Among middle schoolers, athlete and doctor ranked second and third, respectively. For high schoolers, nurse came in second, while life scientist and researcher placed third — up from seventh in 2024, reflecting growing interest in the biotech and advanced technology sectors.

The findings suggest that students' career choices are no longer concentrated on college admission as they once were, but are diversifying toward employment, entrepreneurship and emerging industries. Education circles say schools need to expand career guidance and hands-on opportunities so students can explore paths suited to their aptitudes and abilities in a rapidly changing job market.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com