There are 2,266 students that roam the school hallways daily. Each has their own job they dream of, however, how many of them will actually achieve it? 

According to a CNBC article, 7% of Americans actually achieved their dream career, leaving 93% of Americans stuck with any other job. In a survey conducted by @rcrockmedia on Instagram asking students what kind of jobs they dream of, answers were different for every student. The most common was something related to a career in medicine and science; however, this range was anywhere from epidemiologist to prosthetist to forensic scientist. 

Harper Bezemek-Aguilar ‘26 wants to be a forensic scientist. While she can’t take any classes related to her dream career currently, she will be able to in future years. 

“Currently I’m not taking any classes pertaining to forensics, but I hope to take the forensics class Rock Canyon has to offer either my junior or senior year,” Bezemek-Aguilar said.

While wanting to do something related to medicine is common, many students don’t want to try this. Other careers like professional musicians, music teachers and pilots were mentioned in the survey. The second most common answer was a career in law and criminology or one that revolved around music. 

 Thierry Mac ‘26 wants to be a professional musician. He practices percussion for hours every day and is in Jazz band, Concert band, and Marching band. 

“[I know how to achieve my dream], but the chances of achieving it are very low,” Mac said.

Jason Parker, the teacher librarian, had wanted to be a teacher as a kid. Now, as an adult they get to do their dream, and now work in the learning commons. 

“I started off teaching English at a different school. I realized I wanted to work in a library so I could help a wider variety of students and a wider variety of teachers, and Rock Canyon is where I ended up,” Parker said.

How do students achieve their dream job?

A huge part of getting the job you desire is pushing toward it. This can be done with part-time jobs, internships, and classes offered in school. For example, students who want to have a career in journalism can take one of the journalism or media classes offered. Musicians can join Choir or one of the many band classes. Future actors can take drama class, choir class, or Improv Club, held during Access. They can also be a part of the plays and musicals held. Additionally, there are business classes, fire science classes, criminal justice classes, emergency service classes, and many other classes for future careers. 

“I think we’re more of a launchpad. In some areas, I think we have more of a complete picture, like fire science, EMT, criminal justice, forensics. Some of those are a little bit more specific to a career field or maybe to someone’s dream job, but I think other than that, Rock Canyon really serves as a launchpad,” Principal Andy Abner said.

On the other hand, some students don’t know how to prepare for certain jobs, whether the school doesn’t offer the proper classes, or they just don’t know what to do. 

Tyler Finney ‘23 wants to pursue electrical engineering. However he isn’t taking any classes towards it currently. 

“I don’t really know [what I want to be]. Probably something in electrical engineering,” Finney said. 

Alexandra DiLacqua, a counselor, believes students can achieve their dream job through going to places of work and asking questions, seeing how others got to be who they are. Students can ask what classes they suggest taking in high school and college. 

“We typically will do senior meetings and junior meetings, and that’s more like college guidance. We typically have to pull the students to get those meetings started… I do not think that students utilize us very often for career guidance questions,” DiLacquan said.

The Money Aspect

Money can make the world go round, and many can worry that their dream job won’t pay enough. It often comes down to the question: should I choose a safe job or should I choose my dream job, even if it isn’t as stable? This can cause people to choose a safe job, which isn’t a bad thing, however it isn’t their passion. 

Common dream jobs salaries vary, and although on average some people make this, others can make more or less. Each year, music teachers earn an average salary of $75,940, professional musicians earn $43,783, epidemiologists earn $104,318, pilots earn $99,640, criminologists earn $55,000 and police officers earn $59,821. Some jobs have large variances depending on what field in that job someone was to go into. For example in therapy, salaries vary largely for pediatric therapists, psychologists, and physical therapists. The average cost of living in America is $67,690, however, it varies in each state.  This would not allow some people to survive in America with these dream jobs, preventing them from doing their passion. However other dream jobs will allow people to pay their bills.

Bezemek-Aguilar believes that people should be able to achieve their dream career, no matter what pay it is, however it would be hard. 

“Personally, I believe someone should choose a job they know they will enjoy, or are interested in, similar to how I wish I could be an actor. However, logically I think it’s wise to choose a job with a stable income, considering the way the world is headed economically,” Bezemek-Aguilar said. 

 Kate Kubina originally wanted to be a travel magazine writer, but ended up working in advertising. Now, she is teaching English classes, public speaking classes, and Senior Studies.

“[I became a teacher] because I think high school is a really difficult time for kids. I think you go through a lot of changes physiologically, emotionally and physically, and for me, I felt like I just didn’t have a person that I could connect with. I think if I had had someone I could connect with, it would have really inspired me,” Kubina said.

The reality is that most students won’t get to do their dream job, however, every student can still try with the resources they have. Whether it’s taking a class or joining an extracurricular activity, there are many resources given to students. Even if they don’t achieve their dream job they have now, they can still enjoy their future career.