UK students choose creativity over tech

A new poll of over 4,000 UK Generation Z teenagers reveals that more plan to pursue studies in creative arts and design subjects rather than science, technology and IT.

The study from social app Yubo finds the most popular subject area for further studies is creative arts and design with nearly 15.4 percent of respondents saying they plan to explore further studies in this area, closely followed by medicine at 14.5 percent.

But despite the digital skills shortage and the increasing reliance on technology, only 9.5 percent of Generation Z respondents say that they plan to pursue studies in science, technology and IT, with this sector ranking sixth overall in popularity. Media communications and studies in trades are the least popular option for UK-based Generation Z.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also hit study plans, with 9.2 percent of students saying that due to the impact of of the pandemic they no longer want to pursue further studies as previously planned but instead want to take advantage of easing restrictions to travel elsewhere.

In fact a majority of UK Generation Zers aren't planning to pursue higher education at all, with nearly two fifths (37 percent) wanting to go straight into the workforce or get an apprenticeship. When it comes to career aspirations, the rise of social media has certainly had an impact as over a third (33.1 percent) want to pursue a career as an influencer or content creator.

When it comes to priorities for the world of work, work/life balance ranks the highest with a third (32.2 percent) of respondents saying this was the most important to them. A good salary ranks second with over a quarter (26 percent) of respondents choosing this option. Just 3.7 percent of respondents value flexible and hybrid policies as the most important, while only 2.1 percent of respondents named environmental protection policies.

There's a desire for independence too, 14.8 percent of respondents have aspirations to start their own business and a further 10 percent want to explore their own side projects as they work full time.

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