Job Shadow Day February 2, 2006!

For First Time, Girls’ Salary Expectations Are On Par With Boys’, According To New Junior Achievement Poll

“Businessperson” most popular career choice overall for fourth consecutive year

Colorado Springs, Colo.—Continuing a three-year trend, results of the “2006 JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) InterpriseT Poll on Kids and Careers” show salary expectations between boys and girls have narrowed. Since first being measured in the 2003 Interprise Poll, male salary expectations for most jobs exceeded earnings anticipated by female teens. In this year’s Interprise Poll, the seventh time this poll has been conducted, the highest earnings expectations for frequently-cited careers are split fairly evenly between the genders. Girls’ expectations to earn $250,000 or more were higher than boys’ for the career of businessperson (44.1 percent versus 38.9 percent), doctor (63.2 percent versus 41.7 percent), and teacher (9.5 percent versus 7.1 percent). Male students still held higher salary expectations for careers in entertainment (42.1 percent versus 38.5 percent), the computer field (38.1 percent versus 25 percent), and law (37.5 percent versus 34.8 percent).

“Businessperson” has been the most popular career choice overall for the last four years the poll has been conducted; this year it was selected by 8.7 percent. “Teacher” was the second-highest selection with 7 percent, moving past “Doctor,” a consistent first or second choice in previous years, which came in third with 6.2 percent, tied with “computer field.”

Over the past four years, the top ten career selections have remained fairly constant. However, female teens are drawn to careers that require more education, and this year are more confident than males that they can obtain their ideal careers. In the 2006 I-Poll, 78.2 percent of female teens were “definitely” or “pretty sure” they would obtain their ideal job, compared to 65.5 percent of male teens.

In other key findings, students selected “teacher/counselor” (31.9 percent) as their first choice to learn about different career options. The “Internet” (21 percent) was the next most frequently-cited source, followed by “parent “(13.1 percent) and “job shadowing” (12.6 percent). Starting February 2, JA Worldwide kicks off its yearlong Job Shadow initiative, where students venture into the workplace for a day, hosted by adult mentors who teach them about the “world of work.”

Students from 97 JA locations across the country participated in the “2006 JA Interprise Poll* on Kids and Careers.” This is the seventh time this survey has been conducted, and 858 responses were used in this Poll. The survey was administered in October and November of 2005, and many participants were involved in JA programs. To view the complete poll results, please visit www.ja.org .

Note on margin of error: Because the respondents were not randomly selected, there is no margin of error for this report. The survey results cannot be represented as a scientific cross-section of American students between the ages of 13 and 18+. However, the ethnic/racial mix of respondents approximates the national distribution of the U.S. population by ethnic origin and race, indicating that the responses and attitudes provided in the results may be a broad indicator of student perceptions and preferences nationally.

About JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement)

JA Worldwide is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and entrepreneurship. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today, 142 offices reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than three million students served by operations in 96 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

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