Grey’s Anatomy Effect? “Doctor” is the Top Career Choice of Teen Girls, According to a New JA Poll

Poll Released in Conjunction with Job Shadow 2007

Washington, D.C.—Call it the “Grey’s Anatomy” effect, but “Doctor” is the top career choice of teen-aged girls, according to a new poll released by JA WorldwideT (Junior Achievement) and Verizon. “Teacher” was their second choice, followed by “Businessperson.”

Based on the responses of 1,500 teens between the ages of 13 and 19, 10 percent of girls said that “Doctor” was their ideal job, up from 8.3 percent in 2004. In 2004, “Businessperson” was the top career choice of teen girls. There has been a steady increase in the percentage of girls interested in careers as “Doctors” since 2004.

“While we have no way of proving it, one might see a correlation between the rise of popularity in a medical drama like Grey’s Anatomy, whose target audience is young adult women, and an increase in interest in the medical profession among girls,” said Dr. Darrell Luzzo, Senior Vice President of Education for JA Worldwide. “We saw a similar effect in 2004 when The Apprentice was very popular during its first season. That year, ‘Businessperson’ was the top career choice of girls. It was the only year since we started this poll that ‘Businessperson’ was the top career choice of girls.”

According to the poll, “Businessperson” is the top career choice of boys, with 14 percent responding that it was their Ideal Job. “Professional Athlete” was their second choice at 9.4 percent and “Computer Field” was number three at 7.8 percent.

No matter what career they choose, the Job Shadow experience helps students become “work-ready” by taking them into the workplace for a day. By showing students how education and training translate to success on the job, providing the “soft” skills needed to succeed in the workplace, such as leadership and creative thinking; and teaching the value of teamwork, students are able to make the vital connection between school and the workplace. Job Shadow kicks off each February 2; events are held nationwide throughout the year, involving hundreds of thousands of middle grades and high school students annually.

About JA WorldwideT (Junior Achievement)

JA Worldwide is the world’s largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. 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, 140 individual area operations reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than 3.5 million students served by operations in 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

Job Shadow Day

The poll was released in conjunction with Job Shadow 2007, a coordinated effort of America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. National partners include the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and is made possible through the support of national title sponsor ING. For additional information, including a How-to Guide and a brochure on how to coordinate Job Shadow ing, visit www.jobshadow.org. For more information contact info@jobshadow.org or your local Junior Achievement office.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving more than 59 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation’s most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, is committed to improving literacy and K-12 education; fostering awareness and prevention of domestic violence; and promoting the use of technology in health-care delivery. In 2006, the foundation awarded more than $69 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched charitable donations from Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $29 million in combined contributions. Under the foundation’s Verizon Volunteer initiative, one of the nation’s largest employee-volunteer programs, company employees and retirees have also contributed nearly 3 million hours of community service since Verizon’s inception in 2000.

For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.

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