Students ranked Disney as their first employer preference for the fourth year, according to a survey of top students.
First, let me explain who conducted the study and who took it.
This is the fourth annual survey of the National Society of High School Scholars — high-achieving students ages 16-22. The previous survey results were published in the March 2008, April 2009, and April 2010 issues of the Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership. Our 2011 career survey will appear in the Journal, too, which is a paid PDF.
The 10,000 respondents are members of NSHSS, an honors organization founded by Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes. The Society currently has a roster of 700,000 members internationally. This group of respondents consists of both college-bound high school students and currently enrolled college students; the respondents include 3,300 college students and 7,200 high school students.
Students ranked Disney as their first employer preference for the fourth year, and continued ranking highly those companies that reflect their interests in technology, such as Google and Microsoft; medical-related fields, such as St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mayo Clinic; and trend-setting firms such as Abercrombie & Fitch.
They ranked government and law enforcement careers highly, including the military. The FBI ranked #4 on the survey, with the CIA closely following at #7. The military rankings included: U.S. Air Force (17); U.S. Army (29); U.S. Navy (34); U.S. Coast Guard (52).
A new entry in this survey was the ranking of Teach for America at #13. The most popular write-in choices for employers included the U.S. Congress, the State Department, and non-specific K-12 and university teaching positions.
The top 100 will be in the Journal — along with more survey results about what people want in a job and a career. Meanwhile, here’s the top-10 employer list.
- Walt Disney Company
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- FBI
- Unspecified local hospital in their area, including working as an EMT at an unspecified location
- Health Care Service Corp.
- CIA
- Microsoft
- DreamWorks Animation SKG
- Mayo Clinic