At the launch of the ADN Vocațional project by the Mind Architect team, the findings of the study Romanians’ Vocation Under the Microscope were presented, aiming to identify and analyse people’s attitudes toward careers and the alignment between personality and job across different age groups.

The project launch, which is supported by Banca Transilvania, and the presentation of the study results took place in June 2025, in Bucharest, at STUP.

The ADN Vocațional platform offers a practical framework for vocational guidance, based on the TPVM-P model: talents, passions, values, motivations and personality traits.

Study conclusions:

Almost half of Romanians, across age groups, are not satisfied with their current jobs, as they feel these do not reflect their values, passions and talents. They also face various concerns, from fear of not finding a suitable employer and a fair salary to a sense of stagnation or burnout.

• People aged 18–21: 61% say they are not aware of their skills or are aware only to a small extent, and 26% do not know which profession they will choose
  
  
  • 78% feel they need guidance (slightly higher than in the 16–18 age group, where it was 75%);
  • 61% say they are not aware of their skills or are aware only to a small extent;
  • 26% do not know which profession they will choose; 29% want to become entrepreneurs, and 27% would like to work in corporations;
  • What motivates them in looking for a job: exploring their passions and acquiring skills that will help them in the future;
    
    
    
• People aged 22–27: Fewer than half are satisfied with their current job, and the changes they would want companies to make relate to higher pay, investment in training and hiring more people
  
  
  • 76% work in a field similar to what they studied;
  • What they would change about their current job: higher pay, investment in training, hiring more people;
  • Aspirations: they want to learn and progress, and to attend training courses (similar to the previous age group);
    
    
    
• People aged 28–35: 19% said they do not know whether they are paid fairly relative to their expertise and the number of hours worked. Of these, 63% want pay rises
  
  
  • 19% said they do not know whether they are paid fairly relative to their expertise and the number of hours worked, but of these, 63% want pay rises;
  • 65% work in a field that matches or is close to what they studied;
  • The need for change is pronounced in this segment.
    
    
    
• People aged 35–43: 70% work in a field that is to some extent aligned with their degree
  
  
  • 70% work in a field that is to some extent aligned with their degree;
  • The share of entrepreneurs is double compared with respondents in the 36–43 age group;
  • Poor management is among the main reasons for changing jobs.
  • For this generation, the relationship between values–passions–talents and the job does not differ fundamentally from the previous generation. Around 8% fewer than in the previous generation consider the job very important at this life stage, indicating a shift in priorities, with family taking precedence.
    
    
    
• People aged 44–50: A shift in career priorities is becoming more pronounced
  
  
  • 74% work in a field that matches or is close to what they studied;
  • Most choose to stay in their current job and be promoted, or to remain in their current role.
  • For people in this age range, the tendency to change priorities with respect to career is increasing (+4% versus the previous category).
    
    
    
• People aged 50+: There are no major differences compared with the previous category. What is new is a (moderate) increase in the degree of alignment between values–passions–talents.
  
  

The research was conducted between October 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025, on a sample of nearly 2,000 people, aged from 16 to over 50.