<p>We advised are son on his major quite a bit, starting early in HS .We explained that if he wanted a similar lifestyle to what he was raised in (not that grand!) then he would need to make 'x" amount, and if he was married with his wife not working, then he would need to make more. He has the aptitude & smarts to excell in many fields…but he is also artistic, and wanted to choose a field that would include this interest. He chose game programming because he is very good in math and computer science and wanted to take animation classes as well. So far so good…he is enjoying his classes!</p>
<p>A bit of a soapbox but I hate the phrase “pick a major”. It suggest that the goal is just to select a field of study and you are done. </p>
<p>Kids should have a career plan. Choose a career and work backwards from that goal. The degree is just part of that plan. </p>
<p>Rather than go undecided its ok to pick a broad category…like Science or Health Care, then you at least have something ask about when you talk to schools.</p>
<p>I feel like most people don’t know exactly what they want to do until they find themselves in that field of study in college. In high school it’s all about grades, essays, tests, and homework but in real life it is the exact opposite, there is interaction and more aspects that are different. Some teens won’t see that unless they have parents in that field of study and it coincidentally is of interest for them.</p>
<p>I thought my daughter was going to be a teacher… and BOOM… she became a nurse.</p>
<p>I talked to my kids about their major… but let them pick their own.</p>
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<p>This may require kids to think about what they want five to ten years in the future–a daunting prospect. </p>
<p>If your 16-year-old came to you and said “[Name of person your kid is currently dating] and I love each other. We are getting engaged. We plan to get married in five to ten years,” you would probably point out that although they’re enjoying the relationship now, much can change as they grow and mature over the coming years, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they changed their minds about wanting each other as lifelong partners.</p>
<p>If we think that way about love, why not about careers?</p>
<p>Information to help them make an informed decision may be what helps them the most. Seems that a lot of students (and parents) have ideas about majors and careers that do not really match what is out there. Making a decision based on incorrect information could lead to (expensive) disappointment later.</p>
<p>Yes…if you mean by exposing them to all kinds of opportunities while they are growing up, helping them develop their interests, passions and strengths, and talking about all kinds of options and paths that arise from situations in their lives or those of people they know. </p>
<p>“Helping choose a major” does not include trying to force a quant peg into a humanities hole, or vice versa. It does not include telling my child to do what I would enjoy doing, or what I want him to do. It also does not include telling my child to go for whatever job is “hot” right now, just because it is “hot” right now–remember in the 1990s how many engineers lost their jobs?</p>
<p>To me, helping means letting my child think out loud about his strengths, weaknesses, options as he sees them developing. What he would like to achieve. What various paths might get him there. What paths might keep multiple options open. What to do when he tries out an option he thinks he might like–and finds out that it is not what he wants to do with his life. Because sometimes this is a most important step! </p>
<p>Basically, my role has been to help each of my sons figure out himself for himself.</p>
<p>Did I help them pick majors? No. My only concern about baby kiddo was, “Do you have eough credits in X and Y to graduate with a degree in your chosen field?” (after she did 180 and chose science over humanities).</p>
<p>“In high school it’s all about grades, essays, tests, and homework but in real life it is the exact opposite, there is interaction and more aspects that are different.”</p>
<p>That’s why I love our D’s 6-12 school so much. It is absolutely not aboutgrades and tests alone. Every single senior gets an internship in the real world in an area of their interests. Some of the lower HS grade kids also get internships. People out there working in the real world come in and talk to the kids about their jobs-and often they’re not the typical jobs one would expect for someone in whatever they majored in.</p>
<p>D is in 8th grade and comes home every so often with some thrilling story about a guest speaker. While right now she is certain about what she wants to major in, she’s most certainly getting a look at many options. Hers is a very small, privately supported public school, but a lot of what they do to introduce kids to post-HS options could be done by any school. In fact her entire district is having a “Life After HS” day next week to do just that. Career option workshops will be one of the components.</p>
<p>I don’t have a senior high school yet but when the time comes that my kid reach that age I will never ever influence on his decision. I have this feeling that he will choose something that he wants and very beneficial. I grew up in an environment wherein my parents also did the same and because of that I really enjoyed my career. I would like him to feel that way that he is able to choose whichever major for as long as he will have a brighter future.</p>
<p>What my parents did was throw out some suggestions for me to look into. I was good at math so they said, “how about accounting?” so I researched startin in 11th grade. Accounting, then industrial engineering, then finance, then economics (which is what I’m doing now).</p>
<p>my parents never pushed me to go to get a degree or a diploma after high school. I wish they would have then I wouldn’t of “waisted” 7 years of my life flipping between dead end jobs. I did spend a lot of my time being a carpenter after high school, and when i decided to go back to school my parents didn’t understand why. they thought that life as a carpenter should be enough for me. expect I was not being intellectually stimulated. I wish my parents would have sat down with me at the diner table to talk while i was in high school, and to tell me about some options. like: teachers get the summers off but have to bring their work home with them. carpenters have monday to friday jobs but their body starts to hurt after a while. a business degree can take you here or here in life. nurses have shift work etc… </p>
<p>Again, now that i am older and going back to school I still am having a hard time choosing my major and I wish my parents got excited about the different majors I talk to them about, so that I could have a conversation with someone important in my life about my future life. I just wanted to discuss the different aspects of the jobs with them so i could choose better. now that they “sluffed” me off a few times, i am having a hard time talking to them about anything school related, and i wish i could. so try not to give too much space.</p>
<p>Sorry that you don’t feel support from your parents echo4300. If you need parents to root for you, you have bunch her on cc. As my son used to say to me, “You are all about school mom.” and I am. So feel free to PM or post anytime you want to talk about your education.</p>