All-star athlete, veterinarian and astronaut: what do all of these jobs have in common? They’re common career paths that you likely dreamed of becoming as a kid.
What if you hadn’t strayed from this career path? Would you be better off, financially speaking? Now is your chance to find out!
Using careers ranked by users within a LinkedIn survey and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates survey, Forbes compiled a list of what 10 common childhood dream jobs actually pay on average.
Discover what the role you dreamed of becoming as a child actually pays:
Average pay for writers and authors: $68,420
Average pay for media and communications workers: $59,180
Note: According to Forbes, the BLS only provides hourly wage data for this occupation.
Average pay for commercial pilots: $80,140
Note: According to Forbes, this data comes from NASA; the BLS did not provide salary data for astronauts.
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Top 5 Common Childhood Dream Jobs for Women:
1. Teacher
Average pay for education, training and library occupations: $51,220
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2. Veterinarian
Average pay: $93,2503. Writer, Journalist or Novelist
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Average pay for media and communications workers: $59,180
4. Doctor, Nurse or EMT
Average pay for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations: $73,5405. Singer
Average pay for singers and musicians: $31.94/hourNote: According to Forbes, the BLS only provides hourly wage data for this occupation.
Top 5 Common Childhood Dream Jobs for Men:
1. Professional or Olympic Athlete
Average Pay: $75,7602. Airplane or Helicopter Pilot
Average pay for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers: $128,760Average pay for commercial pilots: $80,140
3. Scientist
Average pay for life, physical, and social science occupations: $68,3604. Lawyer
Average pay: $130,8805. Astronaut
Average pay: between $67,000 - $123,000 per year to start (with an increase in salary based on time on the job and supervisory evaluations).Note: According to Forbes, this data comes from NASA; the BLS did not provide salary data for astronauts.
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