Open University survey finds only 1 in 10 Irish people are in their dream jobAnd most believe they don’t have the skills to change careers

A survey of 1000 adults conducted by The Open University in the Ireland found that the majority of people are not in their childhood dream job; in fact only 10% consider themselves to be in the exact job they wanted as a teenager.

Respondents said as children they most wanted to become a teacher, followed by a nurse, a doctor, a vet and a pilot. However, 90% of people have not achieved these ambitions as adults.

John Darcy, National Director (Ireland) at The Open University, says:

“It’s very sad that so many people are not in their dream jobs. Whilst the thought of taking a leap into the unknown can be daunting, career changes are a real possibility and can transform lives. For those thinking about a career change a distance learning degree could be the solution, giving the qualification needed to make the change, with flexible study time to fit around working lives.”The study also reveals the job aspirations of a new generation of Irish youngsters, with being a professional footballer registering as the most popular career amongst 11-16 year olds, nudging the traditional areas of medicine and teaching further down the list.

The relatively new career of an app designer also enters the top five, suggesting that new technologies are giving young people career options that were not available to their parents.

The top five “dream” careers amongst Irish 11 to 16 year olds:

1. Footballer2. Teacher3. Doctor4. Vet5. Designer

The survey also shows that a significant proportion of  of adults feel they are not sufficiently equipped to make a career change in pursuit of their dream job.The study finds a range of reasons for this reticence, with the majority of people (38%) believing they are too old; nearly a quarter feeling they don’t have the necessary qualifications to find a new job and nearly19% citing a lack of confidence as the reason for staying put.

John continues: “We believe in lifelong learning and lifelong opportunity. Age is no barrier whatsoever to achieving your aspirations and career choices you made in your early twenties. “

“With a flexible and supported course from The Open University, people can gain both the necessary skills and confidence to start turning their dreams in to realities.”The research has been conducted as part of Degree Week, a week-long event where The Open University’s international team will be offering information and support to those contemplating degree study, either this autumn or further in to the future.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

*Research conducted on 30/07/15 with 1000 adults and 150 childrenFor more information on Degree Week, visit: www.openuniversity.edu/degree-week#DegreeWeek

Additional Statistics

-          Only 16% of 11- 16 year olds said money would motivate them to choose a career, Fame 8%.  the vast majority 70% would choose a career because it was interesting-          No respondents aged 11-16 wanted to enter the construction industry when they were older-          A quarter of adults surveyed now in employment do not feel like they have the right skills to be promoted in work,  the same number felt they did not have the right qualifications

About The Open University

1. There are currently over 2000 students studying with The Open University in Ireland and 29 635 Irish students have studied with the University since it was founded in 1969. Its awards are formally aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications, Ireland and it is a member of Universities Ireland.2. 50% of Open University undergraduate module registrations in Ireland are in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM).3. The Open University is a world leader in developing new technologies for education and has recently worked in partnership with Trinity College Dublin on developing free online courses for FutureLearn, a massive online open courses (MOOC) platform.

The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning. Since it began in 1969, the OU has taught more than 1.8 million students and has almost 200,000 current students, including more than 15,000 overseas.The OU is rated in the top ten of UK universities for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey, since the survey began in 2005. In 2013/14 it had a 91% satisfaction rating. Over 70% of students are in full-time or part-time employment, and four out of five FTSE 100 companies have sponsored staff to take OU courses.In the latest assessment exercise for university research (Research Excellence Framework), nearly three quarters (72%) of The Open University’s research was assessed as 4 or 3 star – the highest ratings available – and awarded to research that is world-leading or internationally excellent. The Open University is unique among UK universities having both an access mission and demonstrating research excellence.The OU is a world leader in developing technology to increase access to education on a global scale. Its vast ‘open content portfolio’ includes over 800 free courses on OpenLearn, which receives 4.5 visitors a year, and materials on YouTube, Bibblio, AudioBoo and iTunes U, which has recorded over 69m million downloads.For further information please visit: www.openuniversity.edu