According to the National Society of High School Scholars' 2018 Career Interest Survey, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is the No. 1 dream employer, taking the spot from Google, for high-achieving high school and college students.

"At St. Jude, we strive to find cures and save children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases — and children around the globe benefit from our discoveries," said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer. "Connection to our mission and knowing that work done at our hospital has a far-reaching impact make all the difference in creating a sense of purpose for employees. We are proud to know there is a new generation eager to continue the lifesaving work of St. Jude."

The 11th annual survey, conducted in partnership with Hanover Research, sees the oldest members of the Gen Z population finishing a four-year undergraduate degree and entering the workforce, and the youngest just starting high school. As such, the survey offers an encapsulated glimpse into the most formative period of pre- and early professional growth for this generation.

The 2018 survey reflects a higher level of interest in the field of healthcare as opposed to other years with a focus on technology (internet, SAAS, etc.). Joining St. Jude are other highly regarded healthcare organizations like Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (9), Health Care Service Corporation (10), Mayo Clinic (13) and Atlantic Health Systems (22). The top 25 also included a "local hospital" catchall coming in at 3.

There were several newcomers to the list in 2018 including NASA (12) and SpaceX (18). In this era of AI, tech giants and deep space exploration, it's no surprise that the first two join this esteemed list with a focus on technology. Couple those new additions with Amazon's jump from 11 to four, and Google (2) and Apple (6) remaining steady in the top ten, and there is an understanding of why close to three-quarters of recent college graduates report having majored in a STEM-related field.

Chick-fil-A (24) was also new to the top 25, making it Generation Z's first choice among food establishments, most due to offerings like The Jumpstart Experience for leadership development, the Remarkable Futures Scholarship program and the Leader Academy focused on community impact.

Entertainment companies like Walt Disney Company (6), BuzzFeed (8), Netflix (14), DreamWorks Animation SKG (17), Universal Studios (20), and the New York Times (21), all remained in the 2018 top 25.

"Through the 2018 Career Interest Survey, we see that Generation Z has high expectations of themselves, as well as their employers," says James W. Lewis, President of NSHSS. "We noticed four distinct themes throughout this survey focused on economic security, STEM, politics and purpose as well as expectations for their career path. They are digital natives looking for security, purpose, a meaningful career, and work-life balance when trying to find their place. Companies should take notice when pursuing this talented generation."

NSHSS is a distinguished academic honor society for high achieving students that offers member-exclusive scholarships and connects outstanding scholars with colleges and universities around the globe. In addition, NSHSS members can participate in exclusive member events across the U.S., unique study abroad and experiential learning opportunities and benefit from a host of partner offers, plus a network of peers and mentors.

Across all respondents, the top 25 employers of choice were:

1.     St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

2.     Google

3.     Local Hospital

4.     Amazon

5.     Walt Disney Company

6.     Apple, Incorporated

7.     FBI

8.     BuzzFeed

9.     Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

10.  Health Care Service Corp.

11.  Central Intelligence Agency

12.  NASA

13.  Mayo Clinic

14.  Netflix

15.  Microsoft

16.  U.S. State Department

17.  DreamWorks Animation SKG

18.  SpaceX

19.  Nike

20.  Universal Studios

21.  The New York Times

22.  Atlantic Health Systems

23.  Instagram

24.  Chick-fil-A

25.  Boeing