In this research, we explore the association of parental occupation with the career aspirations of young adults between the ages of 16 and 21. To do so, we exploit household-level data from the UKHLS. We adopted a value-added framework to isolate the marginal impact of parental occupation on subsequent certainty and level of career aspirations. We added youth (age 10 to 15) career aspirations as a baseline indicator of early career aspirations. The results suggest that before completing secondary education, there is a strong association between having parents in low-skill occupations and low career aspirations. Maternal employment status plays a significant role in explaining the level of career aspirations in all young adults (regardless of gender) and the certainty of career aspirations in young males. Beyond secondary education, the impact of fathers’ employment status is crucial to the aspirations of males.