Tailoring PTL Programs to Student Aspirations

In our survey, high school students across more than 10 school districts responded with industries they were interested in pursuing. We followed up with the respondents to understand the context behind their responses. Here are our takeaways for the top three most popular industries.

Technology: Students who responded with technology overwhelmingly clarified an interest in computer science and engineering. This trend is mirrored nationwide. Between 2009 and 2015, the Computing Research Association, a 501c3 association of North American departments in the computer science industry, indicated an almost 300% increase in computer science degrees awarded at Ph.D.-granting universities. In the workplace, employment in computer occupations grew by nearly twenty fold between 1975 and 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Health: Respondents interested in the health industry wanted to pursue a career as an on-the-field health professional. Trends in the subfields of medicine, however, were not present as students indicated an interest in fields that varied from pathology to orthopedics. 

Business: People who expressed an interest in business talked about entrepreneurship as their main interest. When asked about why, the majority indicated a wish to be in an innovative environment and pointed to enjoying starting businesses and passion projects during high school.

With these survey results, Project Talent Launch is actively reaching out to businesses within these three fields and beyond. We firmly believe in serving a diverse range of interests and goals of high school students.