A recent survey carried out by YouGov found out what kind of job British people would have if they could. Polling over 14,000 adults, YouGov discovered that 60% of the British public would like to be an author, even though it is low paid and an often lonely job. The desire to become an author is most likely based on the image of high profile authors who earn a great deal of money, sell the movie rights and live a quiet life in the countryside, rather than the more realistic struggling writer.
The second most desired job in Britain is a librarian polling at 54%, and the third is an academic, polling at 51%. These careers are all very bookish, which is an interesting trend to note. According to the study, both women and men share these preferences.
The least desirable job is to be a miner, polling at just 5%, followed closely by being a call centre worker, of which only 7% of people would like to do for a living. The third least desirable job is traffic warden, which polled at 10%.
The poll suggests that money is not necessarily British people’s main priority when thinking about their dream job, as though investment bankers are some of the highest paid workers, only 26% of people said they would like to do it for a living if they had the choice.
The survey also found that women are more likely to want more creative jobs such as interior designers and librarians, whilst men would prefer to be train drivers, astronauts and MPs. Popular jobs for both men and women would like to be lawyers, journalists, doctors and TV presenters.
The survey was limited, though, as YouGov could only include a certain number of careers so the list was not exhaustive. Even so, the study suggests that workers in cities like London care about their level of happiness in the workplace, and that it does not necessarily depend on the size of their wage packet.
What would you do for a living if you could do anything? Do you already have your dream job? Do you know what you want to be, but don’t know how to go about it? Directions Coaching can help. We offer personal and executive coaching for all areas of your life. For more information on how life coaching in London can help you become the person you want to be, call us on 02031516830.
