More students aim to become doctors, nurses amid pandemic

Eight-year-old Lee Sae-ron, a second grader at Eulji Elementary School in Seoul, used to say she wanted to become a famous YouTuber with millions of subscribers, but recently changed her mind.

“I saw many doctors and nurses on TV and on the internet helping coronavirus patients. For me, they are superheroes fighting the virus, so I want to be like them,” Lee said

“I am like many people who change their minds these days. A couple of my friends at the same private English academy said they want to be a volleyball player and a school teacher, even though we all used to dream about being YouTubers.”

Kim Eun-jae, a middle school student living in Namyangju, Gyeonnggi Province who will become a high school freshman next month, said she wants to become a nurse after watching so many medical workers fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I saw pictures and video clips of nurses wearing protective gear just like battledress and doing their best to treat patients. They looked worn out and tired, but at the same time, they looked amazing as they sacrificed themselves to help other people,” Kim said.

“I honestly didn’t have a desired profession before the pandemic, but now I’ve found one.”

The two are among many children and teenagers here who have changed their minds about what they want to be in the future, as a recent survey has shown that the coronavirus pandemic has actually had an impact on job preferences among Korean students.

According to the survey conducted annually by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, the number of elementary, middle and high school students hoping to pursue careers in the medical and health care professions, such as doctors, nurses, technicians and scientists, has increased due to the prolonged pandemic.

Teaching has topped the list of desired jobs among middle and high school students for 14 years since the survey began, but the percentage of students wishing to become educators has continued to decline.

A total of 23,223 students enrolled in 1,200 elementary, middle and high schools across the country as well as 16,065 parents and 2,800 teachers participated in the annual survey carried out from July 15 to Oct. 15 last year.

For three-consecutive years since 2018, being an athlete has topped the list of desired jobs for elementary school students at 8.8 percent. Doctors jumped to second place at 7.6 percent, rising from fourth place in 2019.

The most desired career among middle school students was teaching, followed by medicine and law enforcement, remaining the same as last year’s results.

High school students also picked teacher as the most desired occupation, followed by nurse, while in third place were scientist and researcher.