Careers in information technology (IT) or finance, such as accountancy and banking, were cited as the popular dream jobs among young adults aged 17 to 23, according to a recent survey conducted by LinkedIn, a business and employment-oriented social networking platform.

Meanwhile, young professionals aged 25-36 were said to dream of pursuing conventional careers, such as health practitioners, teaching or in the police or military.

However, both age groups considered science, engineering and entrepreneurship as dream careers.

"The evolving list of dream jobs signals changing preferences and a desire to acquire new skill sets – such as IT and finance skills for current students," said Linda Lee, the company's Southeast Asia and North Asia head of communications, in a press release.

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The survey, titled “Childhood Dream Jobs”, involved 1,000 respondents, both students and young professionals, across the country.

In addition to the popular dream jobs, the survey also revealed 58 percent of young professionals are currently working in a field different from their childhood dream jobs. 55 percent mentioned they did not have the opportunity to follow their childhood dreams because of educational qualification and skill set deficiencies.

Meanwhile, the student respondents said their dream jobs were driven by passion and inspiration. Thirty percent of the students mentioned they were inspired by something or someone and 89 percent of them were certain that they could achieve their dream jobs. (asw)