More middle and high school students are now interested in computer-related jobs, according to a recent survey, as related industries, such as AI and metaverse, continue to receive the global spotlight.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training on thousands of students, parents and teachers nationwide, the popularity of computer engineer or software developer as a future career path has been on a rise since 2020, and has now reached fifth place for secondary school students.

Professional athlete topped the list of the most popular dream professions for elementary students, chosen by 9-point-8 percent of respondents, followed by teacher and social media content creator.

For middle school students, the most popular choice was teacher, chosen by 11-point-2 percent of respondents, followed by doctor and professional athlete.

High school students also preferred teacher as the top choice, followed by nurse and military soldier.

The survey was conducted on 22-thousand-702 elementary and secondary school students, 11-thousand-946 parents and 2-thousand-800 teachers nationwide between June and July this year.