CNN Money electronic magazine, reported May 18 on a Gallup poll that asked more than 1,000 children, aged 13–17, “What kind of work do you think you will do for a career?” When the kids were asked to give their top three choices, architecture ranked in the top 10 overall, along with teacher, lawyer, doctor, sports, science/biology, business, the military, engineering, and nursing. That’s the good news.

The bad news is the raging difference between the sexes. The top pick for boys was a career in the sports field, followed by doctor and architecture. Slightly further down on the boys’ list were engineer, teacher, businessman, lawyer, and jobs in the military, science/biology, and computers. Architecture did not make the girls’ top 10 list at all, which encompassed teacher, then lawyer, then doctor, followed by nurse, fashion designer, scientist/biologist, author/writer, veterinarian, artist, and a job in the medical field (e.g., lab technician).

CNN reports that the sexes have consistently chosen different fields since the Gallup Youth Survey first was conducted in 1977. For instance, CNN says, girls never have chosen the military as a top 10 career choice, while it has always appeared on the boys’ list. Nursing has never appealed to boys, while it continues to be a popular choice for girls. For more information, read the article online.

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