Career a priority for Gen Z, Brainly survey reveals

77.8% of Gen Z students say it is important to focus on their career 

52.8% of students say salary is the most significant factor when choosing a job

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai: May 2022 Career emerges as the most important criterion for Gen Z when preparing for exams. Brainly, India’s #1 doubt-solving platform for students and parents, conducted an online survey to understand what motivates the students to put extra hours into preparing for their exams. Brainly polled nearly 4,000 Gen Z students about their career expectations, which revealed a distinct change in how they consider salaries, status, social impact, and more.

Career is the most important parameter followed by salary, status, social impact, and more for Gen Z members than it was for their parents. This is a significant finding of a survey conducted by Brainly, which is used by over 5.5 crore students, parents, and educators in India.

Interestingly, in the United States, a similar survey of 5,000 people compared Gen Z responses to previous generations – millennials, Gen X, and boomers. Only 66.8% of Gen Z respondents selected “salary” as an important option. This is nearly 20% less than what those their parents’ age and above indicated. Among Gen Z, college students in the USA (51.2%) were the least concerned about salary.

In the Indian survey, 77.8% of the students polled said they gave more importance to preparing for a future career. When considering a future job, 39% of high school students said they valued high-paying jobs, and 36.2 % of middle school students said that they preferred high paying jobs.  54.1% of middle school students said they would be happy working remotely in future jobs. 50.8% of high school students said they would prefer remote working.  When it comes to choosing a job, 52.8% of all students polled said salary is the most significant factor. 35.2% of all students said they would value the job title more than the salary.

Commenting on the survey, Mr. Narsimha Jayakumar, Managing Director, Brainly, India said: “Gen Z represents the future workforce, and it is important for educators to listen to these voices and understand the role education should play in preparing this generation for tomorrow. They must find ways to equip them with the skills and experiences that will enable them to create a better working environment for future generations. That is why, at Brainly, we’re committed to bringing education to the forefront through simple, accessible technologies and educational resources that Gen Z can rely on.”

The primary motive for students to work was to help their families, according to 56.1% of the respondents while 49.6% of high school students wanted to make money to save for the future. While 41% of the respondents wanted to make money for personal enjoyment, 63% of students believe their current education is preparing them for their desired careers.

When asked to choose between a “repetitive but high-paying job at a huge, for-profit firm” and a “stimulating but low-paying position with an environmental awareness organization”, nearly 64% of Gen Z respondents chose the former.

“Students of this generation are career-focused and give a lot of importance to salary and status. They are embarking on their education journey with higher expectations than previous generations of students,” summarizes Mr. Jayakumar.