Hong Kong international schools help girls embrace non-traditional ambitions
They want to design human-centred AI, build underwater robots and direct film scores – and their schools help make these dreams come true
Annie, a Year 12 student in the English International Stream at German Swiss International School (GSIS), describes her ideal future career.
“My dream job would be one that applies AI and neuromorphic computing for real-world social challenges,” she says. “Something like a cognitive computing researcher for social good.”
It’s not the kind of traditional ambition that millennials once dreamed of, she concedes. “I think a major challenge will be navigating the modern nature of this path, which lacks the clear direction that usually comes with standard tech jobs or psychology roles.”
In fact, the career she describes didn’t exist a generation ago when young millennials were opting for more traditional jobs like doctor, teacher or engineer. A study published in 1989 in the British Journal of Guidance and Counselling found that 11‑year‑old boys at the time wanted to be athletes, soldiers or engineers. Girls mostly said teacher, nurse or flight attendant – traditionally female-dominated fields that economists refer to as “pink‑collar”.