What do you want to be when you grow up?
It is the most important question we face in our lives, and yet few of us know the answer. Sure, there are some people who have known as young as four that they want marine biologists and then discover a new species hidden deep in the Mariana Trench, but most of us struggle with the question our entire lives and often come of age. retirement without ever feeling totally satisfied with our career path.
When you’re a kid and the question is first posed to you, any job seems glamorous. The kids proudly declare that they want to be butchers or hairdressers and then a few months later they change their minds to doctors and astronauts and then move on to golf caddies. Nothing is impossible for children, which is a lovely trait that we somehow lose as we get older.
Priorities change with age, and instead of the excitement of carrying someone else’s golf clubs, we decide we want more job security and more money. Let’s face it, unless you’re working as a caddy for the pros, it’s not exactly a lucrative career. We also discover new talents. Few kids want to be an actuary when they grow up, but according to CareerCast, a career portal for North America, an actuary is the third best job to have. Actuaries have very little stress, there are no physical demands, there are tons of job opportunities, and the salary is magical – more than $ 87,000 a year.
Software engineers have the best job, apparently, because even though the salary is a little bit lower than an actuary, they are in more demand, and as we become more and more dependent on computers, one might imagine that they will remain. at the top of the list. stack up for years to come. Mathematicians have the second best job, but at more than $ 94,000 per year they are the highest earners; which makes you wish you had paid more attention in school, doesn’t it?
The South African perspective
Things are a bit different in South Africa. Actuaries certainly make a great deal of money and software engineers are in high demand, but most of those who drop out of school want to work for the government, specifically the Department of Health and Education. If we are cynical, we could say that the main reason for this is the opportunity to earn a ridiculous salary and claim ridiculous benefits while doing as little as possible. But the director general of the Department of Health, Gadizwe Nkomo, says it has to do with the main push to reach school children and inform them of the myriad of opportunities available.
According to Peter Johansson, CEO of Magnet Communications, an employer branding specialist, young people are toning down their job expectations (and priorities) to adapt to the prevailing economic climate. In other words, rather than looking to start at the top of a company and earn more than people with years of experience, students look for companies that offer job stability, reasonable wages, and reasonable prospects.
However, if money is still your main motivation, you should consider these main South African wage earners:
• Petroleum Engineers – Earn nearly $ 82,000 per year.
• Air Traffic Controllers: Earn more than $ 83,000 per year.
• Computer and information systems managers: Four years of experience will earn you nearly $ 84,000, and that increases with each additional year.
• Lawyers: An unambitious lawyer in a reputable firm can earn between $ 91,000 and $ 95,000 per year.
• Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers: Earn about $ 99,000 per year.
Some people are lucky and, with a modicum of talent that allows them to kick a soccer ball into goal, they can make more money in a week than most of us will ever see in our entire lives. The rest of us have to make a living, but if we can hold on to the belief we had as children, the world will still be our oyster.