For many teenagers, the question “what do you want to be when you grow up” remains unanswered due to a lack of inspiration or early identification of their vocational skills. Nestlé Romania supported the vocational testing of over 15,000 teenagers from six counties and the results are particularly interesting.
10th grade students from selected counties were given access to online vocational tests as part of the program entitled “What do you want to be when you grow up?” initiated by Nestlé last year, as part of an effort to identify and assess students’ skills, aptitudes and abilities for their subsequent integration into the labour market.
Based on the anonymized responses from the questionnaires, each respondent was associated with a profile, out of a total of six vocational profiles. Overall, the table of professional preferences looks like this, revealing the professional profiles of the teenagers who participated in the test (the preferred profile being highlighted as the first answer option):
According to this multi-county test, most teenagers have psychological profiles of either teachers, social/medical assistants, or civil servants, or managers and entrepreneurs, in the “realistic” segment is actually the recruitment pool for future engineers and technicians, and in the “investigative” one are future journalists, lawyers, researchers – people with a high level of intuition and creativity – in a different sense than the plastic one, manifested by the personalities in the “artistic” profile. Each profile is briefly described below.
” Nestlé Romania’s approach aimed to align the aspirations and skills and abilities of adolescents with the requirements and expectations of modern organizations, offering young people a professional perspective firmly anchored in the realities of the labour market. Although the main occupational profile showed a predilection for professions anchored in the community such as teacher or doctor, in second place is a profile conducive to entrepreneurship. On the other hand, there is a reduced interest in trades, which may lead to the need to develop dual education and promote technical schools”, explains Irina Siminenco, Corporate Affairs Manager, Nestlé Romania.
Social profile: people in this category show a clear interest in activities that involve direct contact with people and are generally attracted to careers in social work or health, while others prefer to work in education and training or in “information” roles. Possible occupations are Psychotherapist, Clinical Psychologist, School Counsellor, Teacher, Priest, Social Worker, Medical Assistant, Coach, Librarian, Receptionist.
Entrepreneurial profile: Entrepreneurs feel comfortable in situations and work environments that involve initiating, coordinating and carrying out different projects. They enjoy taking risks and making decisions, appreciate competition and challenge, and are usually good at motivating and leading others. Some of these people will be attracted to sales or marketing occupations. However, a large number will start their own business, having entrepreneurial inclinations, or will manage a department within a company. Possible occupations are HR Manager, Sales Manager, Marketing Manager, Politician, Lawyer, Judge, Travel Agent, Real Estate Agent, Executive and/or Administrative Functions in Various Organizations, Inspector.
Artistic Profile: People in this category may be drawn to classical artistic activities such as painting, sculpture, music or may demonstrate a stronger interest in design and planning activities such as architecture, animation or craft activities – pottery, ceramics. Possible occupations are Actor, Director, Interior Designer, Painter, Composer, Conductor, Poet, Writer, Stylist, Architect, Photographer, Sculptor, Choreographer.
Conventional Profile: People in this category appreciate routine and clear instructions and feel comfortable following clearly established work procedures, being extremely efficient in the conditions of a well-defined regulatory framework. Conventionalists tend to move towards occupations that involve administrative activities and office work. They often form the “backbone” of any organization, be it large or small. Possible occupations are Financial Analyst, Loan Officer, Librarian, Traffic Controller, PC Operator, Secretary, HR Assistant, Salesperson, Travel Agent, Accountant, Clerk.
Realist Profile: Realists are interested in “things/objects” such as buildings, machinery, electronic equipment, materials such as wood or metal, plants or animals and focus on working with them – building, repairing, operating, gardening, caring for animals, etc. Possible occupations are Farmer, Technician, Firefighter, Dental Technician, Construction Worker, Cook, Mechanic, Electrician, Driver, Locomotive Mechanic, Tailor, Plumber, Construction Engineer, Construction Engineer Designer.
Investigative Profile: Investigative people prefer to work independently and rely extensively on their own intelligence, intuition and creativity. Usually a particular field of science will be of predominant interest. They show an inclination towards analytical and intellectual activities and enjoy observing and theorizing. Possible occupations are Researcher, Historian, Political Analyst, Anthropologist, Mathematician, Statistician Biologist, Neurologist, Radiologist, Pharmacist, Surgeon, Veterinarian, Geologist, Meteorologist
Data collection was carried out online, between December 2024 and July 2025, by applying the Occupational Interests assessment through the Great People Inside platform, to which over 15 thousand high school students from Botoșani, Buzău, Hunedoara, Maramureș, Mureș and Suceava counties responded.
