#Most parents think they already know what their kids will be when they grow up

Parents today don’t have the same dreams for their children as previous generations since three in five (59 percent) don’t want to see their kid end up in an office all day, according to new research.

Three in four parents say they already know what their child will be when they grow up.

The study of 2,000 parents of school-aged children revealed 35 percent see their kids headed for a STEM profession while 28 percent see their kids as chefs in the making in the food industry.

The survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Osmo revealed four in five parents want to “future-proof” their kids so they have the necessary skills to be successful as adults.

This isn’t surprising seeing as three in four parents are hoping their child will “hit it big” to take care of them in the older years.

Among the top “future-proofing” methods parents are using were: encouraging children to pursue learning about topics they’re already passionate about (67 percent) and subtly squeezing a bit of learning in through educational shows and games (53 percent).

Seventy-four percent of parents confessed to encouraging their children in areas that parents felt incompetent in, like STEM, so their kids’ skills are more well-rounded.

Parents are most likely to feel incompetent when it comes to mathematics (38 percent), technology (36 percent) and science (30 percent).

Writing and grammar (28 percent) and history (27 percent) rounded out the top five.

Technology (67 percent), mathematics (54 percent) and science (30 percent) were found to be the topics parents most want their children to excel in.

Today’s children are already ahead of the game to a certain degree, especially when it comes to technology.

Seven in ten parents think their kids are better with tech than they are and 74 percent would even qualify their child as a “tech wizard.”

Sixty-three percent want their kids to do well with tech-related skills.

Many parents want to help their children hone those tech smarts for the future as 79 percent think it’s important to introduce vital skills to kids, like coding, at a young age, even though over a third of parents didn’t know exactly what coding is.

Still, three in four parents expect coding to be a requirement for jobs in the future and 78 percent want their kids to learn how to code now.

“Hands-on games help prepare kids for higher-level learning and build confidence around coding,” says Osmo CEO Pramod Sharma. “Through play, kids transform their tablet into a coding adventure, where they connect colorful blocks of code in the physical world to chart their adventure on the screen.”

Two-thirds of parents may want their children to learn about coding, but don’t know where to start.

Seven in ten think it should be mandatory to teach coding in elementary schools.

Parents’ areas of incompetency

1. Mathematics: 38 percent
2. Technology: 36 percent
3. Science: 30 percent
4. Writing and grammar: 28 percent
5. History: 27 percent
6. Physical fitness: 23 percent
7. Culinary skills: 23 percent
8. Arts: 21 percent

Parents’ guesses at children’s future career interests

1. STEM: 35 percent
2. Healthcare and wellness: 32 percent
3. Food: 28 percent
4. Construction: 23 percent
5. Environment: 23 percent
6. Creative art and fashion: 23 percent
7. Agriculture: 23 percent
8. Sport: 21 percent
9. Education: 21 percent
10. Accounting: 20 percent
11. Media and publishing: 19 percent
12. Business and sales: 19 percent
13. Government and law: 18 percent
14. Tourism: 14 percent

Parents’ career wishes for their children

1. STEM: 39 percent
2. Healthcare and wellness: 33 percent
3. Food: 26 percent
4. Environment: 24 percent
5. Accounting and finance: 23 percent
6. Business and sales: 22 percent
7. Construction: 21 percent
8. Sport: 21 percent
9. Agriculture: 20 percent
10. Education: 20
11. Government and law: 20 percent
12. Creative arts and fashion: 20 percent
13. Media and publishing: 19 percent
14. Tourism: 15 percent