What are high school and college students thinking and feeling when it comes to their future careers? See the results of CollegeData's College-to-Career Survey.
Choosing a career path – and securing your first job in your chosen field – isn’t always easy, especially now given an uncertain employment landscape, unpredictable political and economic climate, and rapid emergence of artificial intelligence.
To better understand how Gen Z views its career future, we conducted a survey asking students about their career hopes and dreams, the industries they’re considering, and their biggest concerns about their future. We are sharing the results of the survey to help you navigate your own professional goals and college path.
Many young people are unsure about their job prospects and the stability of some industries and career paths – no matter when they hit the job market. In our survey, students indicated that they are most concerned about not finding or landing an enjoyable or meaningful job – or any job at all. Almost 28 percent said they are most concerned with simply finding a job, while 26 percent said they worried about finding a job they would enjoy or find meaningful.
“My biggest concern ... is finding a well-paying job that suits me and is something I'll actually enjoy,” wrote one student. “I also worry about finding a stable job that aligns with my values and provides long-term growth,” wrote another.
Yet, as AI continues to evolve, it’s increasingly unclear which jobs will be in demand and which will be at risk. “My biggest concern is that my skills and knowledge ... will be outdated by the time I enter the job market,” wrote one student. In our survey, 13 percent of students indicated that the rapid development of AI and other technologies is their main worry.
Financial stability was another factor for 21 percent of survey respondents. A pre-med student expressed concerns about the cost of medical school and whether the time and money spent to become a doctor would be worth it: “The amount of effort/schooling needed to secure that career and the rising costs of education and overall living makes that seem near impossible. I don’t want to put in all this effort to get a medical degree in a system that ... doesn’t guarantee you any job security when you’re all done.”
When it comes to their next job, Gen Z is looking for job stability and security above all else, according to a recent trends report by job recruitment site Handshake. Our survey respondents showed a similar preference with 97 percent selecting financial stability as a “very important” factor in a job.
Although financial stability is important to our survey respondents, they did not rate a highly lucrative salary among their highest priorities. Instead, they indicated that their ideal job aligns with their values, offers opportunities for work-life balance and personal growth, and makes a positive community impact.
“Work life balance is something I’ve seen my parent struggle with,” expressed one student. “I want a fulfilling job that is not terribly taxing on my family.”
Another student wrote: “I really would like a job where I can make good money so I can be stable for the future and have abundance to give away [and] I want a company that does something I believe in. That means a lot to me.”
Least important to survey respondents was the location of their job, whether or not they could work remotely, and whether the job met their parents’ expectations. As one student wrote, “I think I'm more likely to find personal satisfaction in a job that fits my values and allows for personal growth, regardless of how much money I make or where it is.”
While every graduating class faces its own challenges entering the workforce, graduates in 2025-2026 are entering a particularly competitive and unpredictable job market. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22-27 was 5.3 percent at the beginning of 2025, higher than the average for all workers, which was 4 percent.
Career fields that have consistently offered high rates of employment and job security, such as computer programming and other jobs in tech, experienced a spike in unemployment in 2025. This may be due to a reduction in entry-level positions as companies move to Artificial Intelligence. During this same time frame, students majoring in nutrition science, special education, and philosophy had lower unemployment rates than STEM and finance majors, according to the New York Federal Reserve.
Despite these trends, most students we surveyed said they are planning to pursue work in science and technology (43 percent), healthcare (34 percent), and financial services (33 percent). Another 30 percent said they plan to pursue careers in education. Survey respondents indicated the least interest in pursuing careers in business and the non-profit sector.
An increasing number of companies report hiring people based on their skills over their college degrees. Some companies have shifted their hiring strategies away from Gen Z due to a lack of professional and soft skills – such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.
When we asked students what skills are most important for career success, most survey respondents said communication, followed by teamwork and job-specific technical skills.
A study reported in Harvard Business Review shows that workers with a broad range of soft skills learn new things faster, earned more money and were promoted more often than workers with only highly specialized technical skills. The study’s authors concluded that interpersonal skills will be even more valuable in the future as more companies tackle cross-functional projects, work in remote teams, and adapt to rapidly changing technology. “The more moving parts a firm has, the more it relies on people who can align goals, share knowledge, and keep friction low,” the report stated.
Some career experts recommend that students should begin exploring their career interests, passions and potential career paths as early as their freshman year of college, if not in high school. In our survey, students had varying opinions about the best time to start thinking about their careers.
Almost 40 percent of respondents said that high school is the best time to start planning for a career, either junior or senior year. Another 16 percent thought freshman year of college is the right time and 21 percent said junior year of college.
If our survey is any indication, college and high school students are thoughtfully planning their futures. They seek work-life balance, personal growth and meaningful work that aligns with their values. Amid a rapidly changing employment landscape, students consider soft skills like communication just as important to their success as technical skills. Together, these insights suggest a generation that can quickly adapt to new challenges and career opportunities. We hope this survey inspires you to think about your future career and envision the job of your dreams.
*Methodology: Survey results are based on responses received in May 2025 from 61 CollegeData registrants. Of the respondents, 54% were college students and recent college grads; 43% were high school juniors and seniors; and 3% identified as “other”.