American Student Assistance® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way middle and high schoolers learn about careers and navigate education-to-career opportunities, announced the results of its 2021 FuturescapeTM survey of more than 2,000 students. Futurescape is a free, immersive digital platform that helps students explore real-world careers beyond the classroom.
“We need to set students up for success by exposing them to career choices that they can explore where they live, which is on their mobile devices. We also have to reach them as early as middle school, before a world of career and postsecondary options begins to narrow,” said ASA President and CEO Jean Eddy. “So far, our Futurescape platform has enabled seven million young people to explore careers that match their interests and passions and gain insights into what they might want to pursue.”
Key findings revealed:
· The most popular careers overwhelmingly had a STEM and digital focus:
o Biomedical Engineers (17%)
o Medical Scientists (16%)
o Multimedia Artists and Animators (10%)
o Graphic Design (8%)
o Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (8%)
· Digital career exploration interest skewed decidedly female, with more than three quarters (78%) of respondents identifying as female, 13% male, and others making up the balance.
· The biggest changes among top careers from 2020 to 2021 were in Graphic Design and Psychology:
o Graphic Design interest increased 32%, followed by Fashion Design, which saw a 15% increase
o The sharpest decrease amongst top careers was Psychology, which dipped 6% from 2020
· The Futurescape digital platform was effective in exposing students to possible careers, job specifics, and insights about how their own personal strengths could relate to a job:
o 78% of users said it gave them exposure and insights into a job they didn’t know had existed or previously considered
o 74% learned more about their personal strengths and/or what jobs and careers might be the best match for them
o 72% learned what a specific career or job path pays, how much schooling or training it requires, and other details that could inform future decisions
o 70% gained a better understanding of what a specific job entails
Futurescape is a personalized digital platform powered by real-time insights, and the only future career exploration tool that exposes young people’s evolving strengths, passions, interests, and goals. To learn more about Futurescape, visit: Futurescape - ASA.org.
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