Career Exploration

Survey Shows Majority of Students on Futurescape Platform Considering Going into STEM Fields

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 04/13/22

The American Student Assistance nonprofit, whose mission is to help middle- and high-schoolers explore career and post-secondary options, found in a survey of over 2,000 student members that the most popular careers respondents are considering have a STEM and digital focus, according to a news release.

ASA conducted the survey in 2021 through its Futurescape platform, where students can explore real-world careers possibilities and discover the education requirements for various career options. Students who had signed up on Futurescape were invited to participate, an ASA spokeswoman said.

The respondents were scattered across all 50 states and self-reported as being 38% white, 17% Latino, 15% Black, and 12% Asian. Just over half of Futurescape’s 7 million student users are from households with income below the median for their state, ASA said. Futurescape is free for students to use.

Key Findings of the Survey

• 17% of respondents said their top choice was a career as a biomedical engineer.
• 16% chose a career in medical sciences.
• 10% chose a career in multimedia art and animation.
• 8% chose a career in graphic design.
• 8% chose a career as a psychologist.
• 78% of respondents who said they favor a digital career of some type were female.
• 78% of respondents said Futurescape had given them exposure and insights into a career field they hadn’t previously known about or considered.
• 74% reported they’d learned more on Futurescape about their personal strengths and what career might fit them best.

Learn more at ASA.org.