Lawyer among top childhood ‘dream jobs’

It’s also the most likely to become a reality, according to research

A new study has found that becoming a lawyer is among the most popular childhood dream jobs.

Lawyer ranks in ninth position in a list of children’s top ten most dreamt about professions, with 4% harbouring ambitions of dealing with cases, clients and courtrooms.

The most popular childhood dream job is a vet, with one in ten (10%) dreaming of becoming one. This was followed by teacher (2nd), pilot (3rd) and actor (4th), with police officer completing the top five.

Athlete featured in sixth spot, followed by dancer (7th) and doctor (8th), in the survey conducted by employee wellness company Perkbox of 1,567 people. Musician rounded off the top ten in what seems to be a mixed bag of public service and celebrity.

But dreams don’t always become a reality. The study found that 96% of adults are not in the job they dreamt of as a child, meaning only 4% were successful in making their dream job a reality.

The research did find, however, that of all the childhood dream jobs most likely to become a reality those of becoming a lawyer were highest. Fourteen percent of those who dreamt of becoming a lawyer are now working in, according to the study, “law, law enforcement or security”.

Of the lucky ones who made their childhood dream a reality, 92% said they were “happy” in their dream role. Interestingly, those that didn’t make it and now work in a different sector cited not enough “talent, opportunity or resources” (43%); a lack of interest as they grew older (20%); too much training involved (9%); and low pay (8%) as some of the reasons they were put off.

This follows news earlier in the year that the children of lawyers are 17 times more likely to become lawyers themselves. LSE prof Sam Friedman and academic Daniel Laurison found law to be the second most inheritable profession of the 20 or so they examined in their The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged book. Medicine came out on top.