2022
CAREER
INTERESTSURVEY
CareerMotivationsof Generation Z
Discover the most current research on thepreferences, attitudes, and goals of high-achieving
high school and college-aged individuals toward
college, employment, and career aspirations.
This focused look at Generation Z offers a
useful resource for employers working
to engage and retain the diverse
talent of the future.

About NSHSSThe National Society of High School
Scholars (NSHSS) is a distinguishedacademic honor society, recognizing
and serving the highest-achieving
student scholars in more than
26,000 high schools across 170
countries. With more than 2 million
members spanning high school tocollege to career, NSHSS members
are academically outstanding
emerging leaders in their schools,
workplaces, and communities.

NSHSS
scholarsrepresent themost promising
diverse talent
for the emerging
workforce.

2022 Career
Interest Survey
The 2022 Career Interest Survey offers a glimpse into what Generation Z, the most diverse
American generation, values and expects from their employers. Born after 1997, Gen Z issignificantly larger than the generations that precede it, with more than 90 million members,
according to Pew Research. With its oldest members just 25 years old, many in this generation
are making life-changing transitions: graduating high school, attending college, and starting
their careers.
The Career Interest Survey highlights five themes that characterize Gen Z in the United States:

STEM and
Healthcare

Equity for All

Seeing theWorld, After
COVID

Love of
Learning

Setbacks ofCollege Debt

Table of Contents
Survey Methodology.................................................................................Page 5
Participant Profile .....................................................................................Page 6
Themes Shaping Gen Z ..........................................................................Page 7
Education Without Limits ......................................................................Page 10
International Experiences.......................................................................Page 11
The Economics of Education ...............................................................Page 12
Purpose .........................................................................................................Page 14
Career Expectations ................................................................................Page 15
Top Employers of Choice .......................................................................Page 18
Employment Preferences ......................................................................Page 21
Internships ...................................................................................................Page 24
First Jobs after College ..........................................................................Page 25
Top Preferred Colleges & Universities ...............................................Page 26

Survey Methodology
2022 marks the 13th edition of the NSHSS Career Interest Survey. NSHSS
partnered with Researchscape International to produce this study. The report
reveals the preferences and attitudes of the highest achieving high-school
students, college students, and recent college graduates. Together, thesescholars have an average GPA of 3.72. The findings contained in this report
reveal their opinions on education, career and employment aspirations, andcivic involvement.
The 2022 study was conducted from February 13 to March 7, 2022, andcaptures the voices of 11,495 high school or college-aged individuals,
representing the diverse ethnicities of Gen Z. As in years past, the study
yielded great geographic representation, with participants representing all 50
states, the District of Columbia, U.S. military bases overseas, and U.S. territoriesof American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.
Similar to previous years, a majority of respondents were female. The results
were weighted to be representative by proportions of male and female, leaving
those who identified as nonbinary (4%) or who didn’t answer unweighted.
Results were not weighted by age, as career interest correlates to age. Overall,as in past years, high-school students represent the vast majority of thesample: 73% this year.

/5Participant Profile
HIGH SCHOOLGRADUATION YEAR
What is or was your highschool graduation year?

LANGUAGES
Which of the following
languages, if any, do you
speak fluently or as a native
language in addition to
English?

ETHNICITY
What is your ethnicity?

/6Themes
Shaping Gen Z
The five driving themes that impact
Gen Z are a desire for equity for all,interest in STEM and healthcare fields,
their love of learning, a desire to see
the world after COVID-19, and facing
the setbacks of college debt

Equity for All
As the most diverse American generation
yet, Gen Z is looking for potential employersthat reflect and respect that diversity. In fact,a third of our participants fluently speak alanguage besides English. Over a fifth (22%)
report that their own experiences with racialinequality have influenced their career choices.
Not surprisingly, most important to Gen Z in a
potential employer is the fair treatment of all
employees (across genders and races), followedby quality of life, employer flexibility, andcorporate social responsibility. As to their own
social responsibility, they are most interested in
impacting the world in the areas of human rights(35%) and social justice (34%), but also science/technology innovation (34%), and healthcare andhealth-related issues (34%).

/7

STEM and Healthcare
Gen Z wants to make an impact in STEM and healthcare, and 24% reporttheir own experiences with health-related issues and healthcare haveinfluenced their career choices. As in past studies, interest is greatest in
the health industry, dominating the fields that Gen Z expects to work in:
Medicine/Health-related (27%) and Healthcare (20%), edging the third
most popular option, Business/Corporate (19%). In addition to health andmedicine majors, STEM majors predominate: Engineering (18%), Sciences(18%), Business (16%), Health (16%), Medicine/Health Services (16%),
Technology (12%), and Math (7%). For those who had considered otherfields of study, the fields they’ve shifted away from are Education (17%),
Arts (14%), and Legal (14%). 30% of scholars are interested in medical
facilities, ranking third in the types of organizations they want to workfor, behind large corporations (40%) and small businesses (31%). Whenit comes to working for the government, Gen Z is most interested in the
CIA (31%), FBI (29%), and – in another sign of the passion for healthcare –the CDC (27%).

Love of Learning
Gen Z has a love of learning, especially the experiential learning thatcomes from hands-on training. Before even getting their first job aftercollege, the vast majority (82%) expect to participate in an internship,
looking to develop their skills and explore their interest in the career.
As a result, 64% are very or extremely interested in taking a certification
course to prepare for an internship.
As Gen Z students look to their first full-time job, they most want jobs
that will enable them to learn skills that will advance their career (67%),
and – while pathways to promotion are second in importance – third in
importance to them are professional development opportunities (29%).
In fact, 63% expect their employer to provide in-person training to them.
They want a boss who is someone they can learn from (26%, secondmost important after a manager with good communication skills), and
65% acknowledge they will have a lot to learn, and they’re eager to do so.

/8Seeing the World, After COVID
After being trapped at home during COVID-19 lockdowns, Gen Z wants tosee the world – even from space! In fact, 29% are interested in living andworking in outer space, on the Moon or Mars, should they be presented
the opportunity. Before that, though, they want to see the world close up:
70% want to gain international experiences while attending college, andthe majority of those students are interested in Europe as a destination.
Remote schooling during the pandemic seems to have soured moston remote working. Only 23% say remote working is very or extremely
important to them. And they’re tired of online training, too: in-person
training is almost five times more interesting to them than online training(63% vs. 13%).

Setbacks of College Debt
Nearly four out of five (78%) NSHSS scholars expect to take on somestudent debt, with the median amount of debt expected to be $28,000.
This is despite the hope that scholarships, grants, and a job while incollege will be the primary way to pay for their education.
This debt will burden many. 34% expect that student loan debt will
prevent them from pursuing their passions. And 60% expect to live
at home after getting their first job for at least a year or two.
To lighten this burden, Gen Z is looking for help from their potential
employers: 44% expect an employer to help them pay off student loans,a significant disconnect from the benefits packages that employers offer.
In terms of compensation, scholars expect to make a median of $50,000
and $69,999 in their first job, and 47% say health benefits are mostimportant to them, beating out a flexible work schedule (40%) and timeoff benefits (32%).

/9

Education without Limits
After declining to 21% in 2020, the proportion of participants who are the first in their family toattend college has rebounded to 2018 levels, with 24% saying they are or will be the first in theirfamily to attend college. The percentage of first-time college attendees remains steady because of
the increasing proportion of ethnicities for whom college is more often a first-time experience.

NSHSS SCHOLARS WHO ARE FIRST-GENERATION ATTENDING COLLEGE
Are you (or will you be) the first in your family to attend college? – by Race/Ethnicity

Plans to attend graduate school, on the other hand, have continued to decline, dropping from 81%
in 2016 to 62% in 2020, down to 59% in 2022. For those who are planning or considering attending
graduate school, no one reason for doing so predominated. Common reasons cited included
gaining new knowledge, advancing their career, having more career options, increasing theirincome potential, and gaining a specialized skill set.

NSHSS SCHOLARS PLANNING TO ATTEND GRADUATE SCHOOL
Do you plan to attend graduate school or obtain a professional degree (e.g., M.D., J.D.)?

/10

International Experiences
The lure of international education is strong: 70% are interested in gaining international
experiences (e.g., studying abroad, being an exchange student).
Europe was the most popular destination. The latest Russian invasion of Ukraine, on February 24,
2022, commenced while the survey was fielding; in fact, 87% of responses came in after the start ofthe invasion. However, the full impact of the invasion on Gen Z attitudes is yet to be determined.
While 70% of scholars are interested in studying abroad, only 3% have or want to have International
Studies/Relations as a major. When it comes to international experiences after school, just 20%
considered international opportunities one of their top two criteria for comparing potential employers.

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS
Where would you like to study abroad? - Top 10/11

The Economicsof Education
Participants were asked to rank how they plan to pay
for higher education, and 50% expect scholarships
to be the #1 contributor, with 10% expecting grants
to be their #1 contributor. Overall, when analyzing
their rankings for each option, the second-leading
contributor was a job while in college, third was
grants, fourth was family assistance, fifth was personalsavings, and sixth was student loans.
Despite the low contribution expected from student
loans, the average amount of student debt held or
expected by students is $28,000, and 34% believethat student loan debt has or will prevent them frompursuing their passions.

EXPECTED STUDENT LOAN DEBT
How much college debt did you or do you expect
to have?

/12

When asked how theyplanned to pay off their student
debt, participants talked aboutsavings, budgeting, and working.
“Get on a budget, find out my payment date,make sure I have good credit and a steady job,enroll in autopay, make biweekly payments andpay off capitalized interest. I will also have some
support from my family.”
Despite jobs
being animportant partof the equation“Working hard in my career field to earnbetter wages and being wise about
my spending and saving

for managing

habits.”student debt, theproportion of college
students without a job has edgedup, from 37% in 2020 (pre-pandemic) to
42% in 2022. Perhaps this is because manycolleges and universities now offer hybridclasses, resulting in fewer on-campus part-timejobs than before COVID-19 lockdowns.

JOB STATUS AMONG CURRENTNSHSS COLLEGE SCHOLARSWhich of the following best applies to you?
% of college scholars

I don’t currently
have a job
I have a job, but themoney is just for
personal use
I have a job that I’musing to help payfor higher education
I have a job that I
need to contribute
to my household/family’s finances/13

Purpose
The cause of human rights remains the most important issue to NSHSS scholars, while interest inscience/tech innovation has jumped from 24% to 34%, and world peace is now debuting in the
top 10, no doubt due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which happened while the survey
was fielding. Dropping out of the top 10 was bullying/violence prevention, the incidence of which
declined while schools and colleges were virtual or hybrid.

ISSUES TO IMPACT
What issues are you mostinterested in impacting inyour world? - Top 10

Personal experiences with these issues influenced the career choices of 60% of NSHSS scholars. At
least one out of five reported their career was influenced by their personal experience with healthrelated issues (24%), racial inequality (22%), or gender inequality (20%).

INFLUENCINGPERSONAL
EXPERIENCES
Does your personal experience
with any of the following
issues influence your choice of
career? - Top 10/14

Career Expectations
NSHSS scholars are primarily interested inpursuing degrees that will prepare them for
STEM and healthcare careers. With morethan three-quarters believing it is very likely
or extremely likely that their career will alignwith their passions and aspirations.
In fact, all four of the STEM majors werelisted in the top 10 of the 30 prompted
majors. Not surprising, given the selected“I hope to study
biomedical engineeringand later medicine, withthe hopes of starting apractice and helping work
toward lessening the global
health disparity in any
ways I can.”majors, STEM and health fields are where scholars
most expect to work. Math majors primarily expect
to apply mathematics to fields like Engineering,
Sciences, Medicine, and Computer Science.

INTENDED OR CURRENT
UNDERGRADUATE MAJORSWhat is your intended or current
undergraduate major(s)? - Top 10/15

EXPECTED CAREER PATHSPREVIOUS CAREER PATH INTERESTSIn what type(s) of field do you expect

What fields interested you in the past but noto work in the future? - Top 10

longer interest you? - Top 10

Most scholars would prefer the city (47%) to suburbs (42%), with rural areas (11%) far behind. For
out-of-this-world destinations, three out of ten scholars (29%) are interested in living and working
in outer space, on the Moon or on Mars.

PREFERRED LIVING
For the career you wish to pursue, would

If you were presented the opportunity, and theliving in the city, suburbs, or more ruralcosts were reasonable, how interested would

area be more preferable?

you be in living and working in outer space oron the Moon or Mars?

/16

DISPARITIES IN STEM CAREERS
Unfortunately, almost every profession showed statistically significant
differences by gender. STEM careers remain divided by gender with womenbeing more likely than men to enter the fields of Medicine, Science, andBiology but far less likely to consider Engineering or Computer Science.

For the most part, STEM careers are seen as an area of opportunity forscholars of color who are often more likely to enter the STEM and health fields
than whites are.

/17

Top Employersof Choice
Hospitals earn the top two spots fordesired employers. Interestingly, local
hospitals maintain the number one spot
they took over from the well-known
St. Jude Children’s Hospital in 2020.
Driven by the pandemic, three of the 18
newcomers to the top 100 employers arein healthcare: CDC (#18), Pfizer (#48),
and Moderna (#97).
The top five risers within the list are
Target Corp. (to #45 from #89), Spotify(to #3 from #42), Airbnb (to #27 from#66), E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face, to #31 from#69), and Starbucks (to #16 from #44).
Gen Z would prefer to work at a large
corporation somewhat more than asmall business/family business (40% vs.
31%). Unsurprisingly, given the interest in
medical professions, working at a medical
facility or institution is in the top three(30%). Interest in entrepreneurship ishigh, with one out of five (21%) interested
in being freelancers or self-employed.
Rounding out the top five types oforganizations is interest in government.
Employers with the identical rank are in astatistical tie.

/18

Employer Rank

2022

2020

1

Local police department

25

16

2

2

Universal Studios

26

19

Spotify

3

42

Airbnb27

66

Google4

5

U.S. State Department

28

14

Amazon5

7

U.S. Air Force

29

25

FBI

6

6

Atlantic Health Systems

30

34

Mayo Clinic

73

E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face)

31

69

Apple, Incorporated

8

8

Chick-fil-A

32

28

SpaceX

9

20

Meridian Health33

40

Walt Disney Company

104Delta Air Lines

34

52

Netflix

1113

Adobe Systems

35

48

National Aeronautics and Space
Administration

12

9

U.S. Army

36

32

Microsoft

13

12

American Airlines

37

46

Health Care Service Corp.

14

17

National Football League

38

22

Tesla Motors

15

29

Boeing39

31

Starbucks

16

44

Major League Baseball40

33

DreamWorks Animation SKG

1724

National Basketball Association

41

21

Center for Disease Control andPrevention

18

--

3M

42

49

Instagram

43

37

Central Intelligence Agency

19

11

Lululemon

43

41

Nike

20

15

Target Corp.

45

89

SONY

21

36

National Security Agency

46

23

Lockheed Martin

2230

Teach For America

47

27Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

23

10

Pfizer48--

The New York Times

24

26

Abercrombie & Fitch / Hollister

49

58

BuzzFeed

50

18

Employer Rank

2022

2020

Local hospital

1

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/19

Employer Rank

2022

2020

Employer Rank

2022

2020

Blue Cross and Blue Shield

51

38

Southern Ohio Medical Center

75

60

CNN

52

39

The Everett Clinic

77--

Kaiser Permanente

53

35

UnitedHealth Group78

43

Duke Energy

54--

Facebook

7990

CHG Healthcare Services

55

50

Ford Motor Co.

79

100

Bank of America

56

54

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

81

80

Johnson & Johnson

57

72

Toyota81--

Build-A-Bear Workshop

58

67

Ohio Health

83

75

U.S. Navy

59

47

Southwest Airlines

84--

Samsung

60

63

T-Mobile

85--

Mercedes Benz USA

61

62

Scripps Health8673

Forbes62

68

JPMorgan Chase

87

70

Major League Soccer

63

51

Dell

88

87

WellStar Health System

63

59

GPS Hospitality

88

--

Valve

65

--

U.S. Marine Corps

90

77

Dow Chemical

66--

Wells Fargo & Co.

91

--

Intel

67

71

A.J. O’Connor Associates

92--

CVS Caremark

68

91

IBM Corp.

93

82

Aeropostale69

94

Costco Wholesale

94--

Boston Scientific

70

53

Honda

95

--

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

71

98

American Express

96

--

eBay

72

--

Bethesda Softworks

97

64

Local fire department

72

45

Moderna

97

--

Lyft

74

--

Coca-Cola Company

99

74

L’Oreal75

57

Porsche

100

95

/20

Employment
Preferences
NSHSS scholars paint a clear picture of thetype of employer and environment theywould like to work for, and their preferencesreflect their values and fears. Gen Z finds it
most important to work for organizations
that provide fair treatment of all employees
across gender and race. The next mostimportant item is the quality of life andemployer flexibility. Gen Z again places
their values foremost, with employers who
are working to make a positive impact on
the world ranking third. Less important,surprisingly, is environmental impact andthe presence of women or different races inleadership roles.
When considering potential employers,
what is most important to you about theorganization?

Overall
Rank

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Fair treatment of all employees
Quality of life and employer flexibility
Corporate social responsibility
Location
Reputation
Diversity of staff
Diversity of managers and senior leaders
Presence of women in leadership roles
Environmental impact
Presence of people from different races inleadership roles/21

Factors in Choosing an Employer
Although fewer Gen Z scholars plan to attend graduate school than before, they still prioritize
learning skills to advance their careers and pathways to promotions. Given the importance ofdevelopment, we asked about training and continuing education. Most desired was in-person
training (63%), favored almost five-to-one over online training (13%).
For jobs after college, the economic impact of education is important. When asked how they
expect their employer to invest in them, 44% expect help with paying off student loans and 38%
expect tuition reimbursement for a master’s degree or other postgraduate degree.

JOB-SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIESWhen considering potential employers, what is most important
to you about the work experience?

EXPECTED EMPLOYER INVESTMENT
How do you expect your employer to invest in you?

/22Work Atmosphere & Environment
Gen Z ranks work conditions that promote a work/
life balance and flexible work schedule the highest.
COVID-19 concerns have largely waned, as few said theopportunity to work from home was most important, nor
was the enforcement of clear COVID guidelines or vaccine
mandates. In a follow-up question, only 23% rated theoption to work remotely as very or extremely important.
When considering potential employers, what is mostimportant to you about the working conditions? - Top 10

Benefits & Compensation
In terms of compensation, the median salary expectationthat NSHSS scholars have for their first full-time job is$50,000 to $69,999. Looking beyond compensation, thebenefits of most interest are health benefits, a flexible work
schedule, and time-off benefits.
When considering potential employers, what is mostimportant to you about benefits and compensation? - Top 10/23

Internships
More than four out of five (82%) NSHSS scholars expect
to participate in an internship. When asked what theywould most like to gain from an internship, the #1 priority,
for nearly half, was skill development and training (49%),
followed by the chance to explore career interest (#2).
What would you most like to gain from an internship?
Overall Rank

#1

Skill development and training

1

49%

Explore career interest

2

24%

Future full-time employment

3

13%

Employer reference

4

5%

Earn college credit

5

8%

NSHSS SCHOLARS INTERESTEDIN CERTIFICATION COURSE
How interested would you be in a
certification course to prepare youfor an internship?

Did You
Know?
NSHSS launched an Intern
Readiness Certification
Program to provide essential
internship and job skills!
Learn More.

/24

First Jobs after College
Another expression of NSHSS scholars’ love for learning,
and a sign they are more humble than sometimes assumed,is their attitude toward their first job after college:

65% claim:

35% claim:“There’s a lot to learn, so
I’ll roll up my sleeves anddo anything.”“I know my skills and plan
to make an impact in myfield right away.”

53%

39%

8%

“I know myskills and can
hit the groundrunning but
know I have towork my way
up the ladder.”“I justgraduatedand I know I’m
entry level witha lot to learn.”“I learned thejob in school
and am readyto lead as anexpert.”

said:

said:

said:

However, first jobs are clearly seen as a stepping stone:
27% expect to stay in their first job for less than a year, and
36% more for less than two years.

FIRST JOB TENURE
How long do you expect to stay, or did you stay, in yourfirst full-time job?

/25

Top Preferred Colleges & Universities
NSHSS scholars were asked to share up to five of their preferred colleges. Universities with the identical rank
are in a statistical tie.
College / University

2022

2020

4

University of California, San Diego

26

32

2

3

Boston University

27

31

Texas A&M University

3

15

Cornell University

27

55

University of California, Los Angeles

4

1

Johns Hopkins University

29

16

Yale University

4

11

University of Alabama

30

24

University of Florida

62

University of Chicago

31

33

Stanford University

7

5

University of Houston

31

38

University of Texas, Austin

8

10

University of South Florida

31

37

Florida State University

96North Carolina A&T State University

31

45

University of California, Berkeley

10

12

University of Southern California

35

23

Columbia University

11

21Louisiana State University

35

25

Duke University

118

Texas Tech University

37

36

University of Georgia

13

7

University of Pennsylvania

38

39

Arizona State University

14

20

North Carolina State University

39

67

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

15

17

University of Miami

39

28

Howard University

16

19

Vanderbilt University

41

30

University of Central Florida

179

Florida A&M University

42

62

Pennsylvania State University

18

18

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

43

14

Purdue University

19

44

University of South Carolina

44

48

Baylor university

20

13

Ohio State University, Columbus

44

40

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

21

65

Clemson University

46

47

Georgia Institute of Technology

22

22

Rice University

46

35

Princeton University

23

41

University of California, Irvine

48

51

Georgia State University

24

26

Rutgers University

48

79

Brown University

24

59

University of Washington, Seattle

50

29

College / University

2022

2020

Harvard University

1

New York University/26College / University

2022

2020

Florida International University

51

54

Texas State University

52

University of Tennessee

College / University

2022

2020

Loyola University

75

--

--

Mississippi State University

77

61

52

72

Northwestern University

77

64

University of Arizona

54

49

George Mason University

79

60

University of Wisconsin

54--

Brigham Young University

80

94

University of Maryland, College Park

56

68

University of North Texas

80

91

Michigan State University

57

57

Northeastern University

82

96

Northern Arizona University

58

90

Temple University

82--

Spelman College

59

53

Liberty University

84--

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

60

78

Virginia Tech

84

46

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

61

84

Tulane University

84

86

Kennesaw State University

62

52

Iowa State University

84--

California State University, Long Beach

63

80

University of Oregon

88

71

Indiana University, Bloomington

63

83

University of Texas, San Antonio

88

89

University of California, Davis

65

34

California State University, Fullerton

90--

University of Virginia

66

43

San Diego State University

91

82

Emory University

66

50

University of Notre Dame

91

85

University of Colorado, Boulder

68

76

University of Oklahoma

93

66

Georgetown University

69

70

Mercer University

93--

Auburn University

70

42

Xavier University

93--

Colorado State University

71

97

University of Pittsburgh

93

81

Savannah College of Art and Design

71

56

Oklahoma State University

97

75

University of Minnesota

73--

University of Kentucky

97

63

University of Texas, Dallas

73

92

University of Connecticut

97--

Florida Atlantic University

75

77

Oregon State University

100

74

Washington State University

100

73

/27

For more information about partnership opportunities with NSHSS, contact
partnerships@nshss.org, or visit www.nshss.org.