“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It seems this question in some format gets asked a million times over the course of your childhood. Like at five years old you should know what your future holds or what you will be passionate about when college time rolls around. Lots of kids let their imaginations run wild when answering the question, but others seem to actually have a more realistic idea of what they want to be.
According to a new survey done by Moneypenny, most kids wanted to be teachers when they grew up. The team at Moneypenny surveyed thousands of people and asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up and then with all the data found out which occupation was the most commonly cited in each state. Interestingly, not as many kids wanted to be rockstars and ballerinas as you would think.
17 states chose teacher as what they wanted to be, but of those people only 18% actually became teachers. The next most cited professions were veterinarian and doctor, which both were chosen in eight states. Following vet and doctor were professions like lawyer, winning over three states, and artist and musician, each taking two states. Other occupations that made the list were astronaut, dancer, author, engineer, and many more.
When thinking back to what you wanted to be in elementary school and what you actually became, most people don’t become what they thought. Only about two percent of people surveyed became vets and about seven percent became doctors. This makes you wonder if it was the amount of schooling required that turned these folks away from becoming what they dreamt about when they were younger.
Whether you love your profession now or absolutely despise it, it is always nice to reminisce about the days when your childlike imagination still existed.