National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) Annual Career Survey: Google Earns Top Spot

Date: Monday, June 1, 2015

NSHSS Publishes 2015 Findings That Reflect Career Aspirations of High-Achieving Millennials

JUNE 1, 2015 (ATLANTA, GA) – The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), an international honors organization helping to advance the goals and aspirations of high-achieving students, published today its 2015 Annual Millennial Career Survey.

Now in its eighth year, the NSHSS Annual Career Survey explores the opinions of over 18,000 high school students, college students and young professionals. Hanover Research conducted the survey, which charts the preferences and attitudes of high-achieving millennials in the areas of employment preferences, career planning and educational goals.

The survey respondents, members of NSHSS ages 15 to 29, represent an important segment of the millennial generation that is focused on college and career success. Currently, the top career interests of this group are STEM and business fields. Millennials hope to find in the workplace fair treatment, corporate social responsibility and strong company benefits. The confidence they place in their plans to enter the workforce quickly in their fields may be more realistic than in previous years. The survey findings yield better insights into developing strategies for employers regarding generational differences in the workplace and for engaging the emerging talent pipeline.

“With millennials now becoming the largest generation in the workforce, NSHSS recognizes the tremendous value in conducting its Annual Career Survey,” said James W. Lewis, President of NSHSS. “The survey helps our organization and employers gain insight into students’ career aspirations and how they will impact the future of our global economy.”

Google tops the list of employers, moving St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which held the #1 ranking in 2013 and 2014 to #3 as the most preferred employer. Overall, hospitals or health companies are most popular among respondents, with eight employers in the top 25 list. Technology-related companies are increasing in popularity, with Intel (rank 51 in 2014 to rank 24 in 2015) and Amazon (rank 22 in 2014 to rank 11 in 2015) substantially advancing as employers of choice.

The 2015 Top 10 Employers of Choice include:

1. Google
2. Walt Disney Company
3. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
4. Apple
5. FBI
6. Local hospital (write-in option)
7. Microsoft
8. Central Intelligence Agency
9. Heath Care Service Corp.
10. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Comparatively over the past three years, survey respondents express consistent interest in Medicine/Heath-related and STEM focused fields. Forty percent of respondents expect to work in Medicine or Health-related fields, whereas 21% and 28% expect to work in Technology/Engineering and Science, respectively. About 20% of respondents are interested in fields related to Arts/Entertainment/Media and Business/Administration/Corporate. Female respondents report more interest in the Medicine/Heath-related field than males (45% versus 26%).

For the complete list of companies and to view the 2015 Annual Millennial Career Survey in its entirety, please visit https://www.nshss.org/newsroom/millennial-career-survey/. For more information about NSHSS visit www.nshss.org.

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Formed in 2002 by James W. Lewis and Claes Nobel, senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes, The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) recognizes academic excellence at the high school level and helps to advance the goals and aspirations of high-achieving millennials through unique learning experiences, scholarships, internships, international study and peer networks. NSHSS members become lifetime members. At each step along the way – from high school to college to career – NSHSS connects outstanding young scholars with the resources they need to develop their strengths and pursue their passions. Currently, there are more than 1,000,000 Society members in 160 countries. To help us further efforts that provide students with continued opportunity, please acknowledge NSHSS in any press release mentions by providing a resource link to www.nshss.org. For more information about NSHSS visit www.nshss.org.

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