Interest in changing careers is rising across the U.S., with Google search data revealing which professions Americans are considering as potential next steps, Inc. reports.
Searchbloom analyzed monthly U.S. Google searches for “how to become a [occupation]” using Ahrefs data and verified the broader trend with Google Trends.
The research found that interest in “career change” was near a record high through June, about three times higher than five years earlier. The findings suggest many Americans are pursuing practical career paths with clear requirements, such as licenses, certifications or exams, rather than the technology roles often predicted to dominate the future workforce.
The most searched career change was becoming a real estate agent, with about 18,000 monthly U.S. searches, followed by notary at 17,000. Firefighter and therapist each received around 15,000 monthly searches, while pilot ranked fifth with about 14,000. Technology roles were largely absent from the top 25, with software engineer ranking 26th.
Real estate’s popularity may be connected to its entrepreneurial appeal, offering independence and the opportunity to build a personal business without creating a product from scratch.
However, high search interest does not always translate into completed career changes. Real estate trends vary by location, with some areas seeing declines in agents while states such as Florida continue issuing new licenses at record rates.
