New York ? Shortages of teachers, nurses and military personnel might come to an end with the next generation. All three are top 10 career choices of today’s teenagers.

As many 13- to 17-year-olds polled by the Gallup Youth Survey – 8 percent – want to become teachers as doctors. A career as a lawyer ranks next (7 percent), followed by the fields of sports, science and biology, architecture, business, military, engineer and nurse.

“I’m always intrigued that doctor appears high on all the lists despite all the criticism we hear of the medical industry,” says Frank Newport, the poll’s editor in chief. “(Becoming a doctor) also is a major commitment, but people are still interested. There are financial and personal rewards, and it’s a job you can feel good about doing.”

Gallup also asks adults what career advice they’d give youngsters, and the medical field is often at the top of their list, too, notes Newport. Adults also encourage kids to consider careers in computers.

Since 1977, the first year Gallup tracked career aspirations, teaching has been among the top choices for girls, but for boys, it made the list in 1977 and then not again until 2003.

Newport sees the shift as a positive development considering that male teachers, particularly in low-income urban settings, are in very short supply thought they are considered key role models.

Meanwhile, the military, which remains short of its recruiting goals for the year, might be able to make up some of its numbers during high school graduation season. A military career consistently is named as one of the top possibilities for boys, but this is the first time it’s been on the list of girls’ choices.