British Children Want to Follow Steve Jobs' Footsteps into a Career in Technology

Steve Jobs is the preferred role model among British children and teenagers who aspire for a career in technology compared other fields like politics and entertainment.

A survey of 2,000 British adults and children found that 16.8 per cent of 8-15 year-olds aspire to follow in the footsteps of Jobs, well ahead of entertainers and political leaders such as Simon Cowell and Barack Obama.

The research also showed that that two-fifths of children would like to have a career in technology, with only half as many wanting to pursue a career in entertainment.

Among the adults surveyed 23.7 per cent of people said they were more envious of Steve Jobs' career than pop singer Beyonce's, the Telegraph reports.

Almost a third (30 per cent) of adults also believe you have to be 'smart' to work in tech, and 14.3 per cent of children feel that a career in technology means working in 'cool' offices.

Stuart Silberg, vice president of technology at Hotels.com, which commissioned the research, said that recent developments in the tech world such as social networking, 3D TVs, or the latest smartphone have become cool and desirable by the mainstream.

"This research shows the impact of these changes, as the 'typical celebrity' aspirations are being overtaken by pioneers such as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs," the paper quoted Silberg, as saying.

Source: ANI