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Steve Jobs 'a greater role model than Beyonce'

Nearly a quarter of people are more envious of Apple founder Steve Jobs's career than pop singer Beyonce's

Nearly a quarter of people are more envious of Apple founder Steve Jobs's career than pop singer Beyonce's
Nearly a quarter of people are more envious of Apple founder Steve Jobs's career than pop singer Beyonce's Credit: Photo: REX FEATURES

Britons would rather have a career in technology than entertainment, according to new research.

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 Steve Jobs, well ahead of entertainers and political leaders such as Simon Cowell and Barack Obama.

Only 4.3 per cent of children aspire to follow in the footsteps of the American president.

The research also shows 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 Beyonce's

Many also said that they were looking for technology skills in a long-term partner with more adults seeing computer programmers as an attractive romantic proposition rather than a pilot or actor.

Accordingly the job "gadget inventor" now makes the top four list of most wanted children's careers ahead of the more traditional doctor or pilot.

IT is one of the top four favourite subjects, with over a third of pupils (34.9 per cent) wanting to continue studying IT and/or science at university.

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:

“In recent years, developments in the tech world such as social networking, 3D TVs, or the latest smartphone have become cool and desirable by the mainstream, hitting headlines and sparking discussions in the playground or by the water cooler.

"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.”

He added: “Gadgets have inspired future generations who want to design the next cool phone or website. A career in technology can open many doors – not only can you work on a diverse range of projects, but it also gives you the opportunity to work on a global scale and have a real impact on society."

Jobs, who died in October last year was named the greatest entrepreneur of our time by Fortune magazine in March.