<p>No, marry a plastic surgeon.</p>
<p>Mr Payne, how much did my husband pay you for that post?</p>
<p>Alumother, thank you for the suggestion, to add to my toppling pile of good reads! It reminds me of how I have read that successful ceo's and inventors have much in common. They often fail many times, but they never give up. Edison had hundreds of utter disastrous failures, but we don't care about those.</p>
<p>Cartera, that would indeed be unfortunate, if we were to crush dreams with our fears.
But I know you are not assuming that an engineer doesn't want to be an engineer. Even my daughter, who is undecided still, is very excited by many aspects of engineering, and in many ways it suits her. She is great at problem solving, loves a challenge, doesn't give up, doesn't get angsty or upset when things don't work out but keeps trying, is very hands-on and savvy with mechanics and techy things. I think she would be a great engineer, if she so decided. On the other hand, she is in the 99 percentile in her humanities test scores, is an excellent communicator, very social, very artistic and very creative. I think she could do almost anything. (of course! I'm her mom.)</p>
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And it all seems to work out, somehow. Is that the moral of the stories?
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<p>Some interesting viewpoints from the performing arts standpoint are here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/460187-how-many-music-voice-performance-majors-find-jobs.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/460187-how-many-music-voice-performance-majors-find-jobs.html</a></p>
<p>Much applies to any discipline or choice of study.</p>
<p>One possibility is to pursue Engineering as an undergrad and patent law later. I happen to agree with your husband that it is best to graduate with a marketable degree in order to support yourself and be financially independent.</p>
<p>Post 62
If you take out the hands-on, mechanical part, could be pretty good traits for a lawyer too, do you think?</p>
<p>Engineer here married to an engineer. From my perspective, if your daughter is open to studying engineering and capable of success and not sure what to do then why not start in engineering? An engineering degree can lead to many different careers. Two anecdotal stories from my college years (class of '81). There was a family of 4 siblings who graduated from the engineering school at my alma mater in the time frame around when I was in school. Their father had insisted they earn an undergraduate engineering degree and then pursue the fields in which they were interested. One went to med school, one to law school, one is a highly accomplished professor of engineering. I'm not sure about the youngest. On the other hand, one of my classmates in chemical engineering was forced by his father to pursue an engineering degree ( refused to fund an undergraduate liberal arts degree). He was in the top ten percent of our class (I was an officer in the honor society so I know who was at the top). Anyhow, our senior year, while the rest of us were busy flying around the country interviewing for jobs, he calmly applied to the graduate English programs that he always intended to pursue. He had his degree but I thought wow, what a hard way to do it. I can't imagine going through an engineering program without having an interest in it.</p>
<p>This thread is the reason why it is so important for everyone to have a trust fund. </p>
<p>Sigh.</p>
<p>Singersmom07, of course there are going to be many lay-offs in every field, but lawyers as a whole are not doing nearly as badly as this forum seems to be saying.</p>
<p>Personally, I'd be more worried about the fact that the recent economy would create an abundance of engineers vying for too few careers in engineering.</p>
<p>Also, oldfort, plastic surgeons are the worst-off doctors in times of economic crisis (though generally the best-off in times of economic happytime).</p>
<p>This thread makes me do some re-thinking. Maybe I don't dislike that bad math high school teacher that my daughter had. It forced her to focus on her creative side. /Tongue in cheek</p>
<p>cartera45 too funny. I encourage my music major daughter to date all those engineers and pre-meds at her school :)</p>
<p>MadeleinesMom - my comment wasn't directed at your situation at all. I was reacting to the idea that a kid be forced into a certain major because it "might" result in a job after graduation - no matter the interest. Even if that hasn't been said in this thread, I have seen it in others.</p>
<p>tongue-in-cheek, but also some truth....
your d (or s) could do worse than marrying an engineer. I'm a former engineer (but with that math/french thing going on) married to an engineer for 23 years. Great provider (got to stay home with the kids) great dad (no one did better Pinewood Derby cars, and the Father-Son cakebake cakes were pretty amazing too...)</p>
<p>If I had a kid who was passionate about something that is not lucrative, there are worse things than finding someone who can support that passion....</p>
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Personally, I'd be more worried about the fact that the recent economy would create an abundance of engineers vying for too few careers in engineering.
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An abundance of engineers? No.</p>
<p>The cold reality is that demand for engineers is on the up, and supply is going down (we graduate the fewest engineers, per capita, of the 1st world economies).</p>
<p>Follow your heart; do what you are most passionate about whether it be engineering or theatre. Thirty years ago (+), I had a father that vehemently tried to talk me out of majoring in elementary education. I did it anyway and while I did not immediately teach when I graduated, I was very passionate about it when I did and indeed obtained my masters degree after. And, while I gave it up to raise a child, I have absolutely no regrets! I never understood economics, finance, or accounting for that matter (besides basic reconciliation of checkbook) and no, I was not going to become rich teaching school (to quote my father !). BUT, I was happy and I felt, successful at it. There are a lot of factors to consider when pursuing a degree and money (even tho the economy is just awful right now) is just ONE of those factors. I have always thought there was a reason why colleges ask prospective applicants about passion--or at least look for evidence of it--maybe it helps kids to try to think about what they would be happy doing! And, I am a firm believer that while some professions pay far more than others, you are only going to be as successful at that profession if you are indeed passionate (happy) with your choice. </p>
<p>Son is currently majoring in engineering, even tho he is an excellent reader, writer and could probably be just as successful in the humanities. But, he has always wanted to be an engineer and I can perhaps see that he would be miserable majoring in humanities/liberal arts. He likes the challenge and he is passionate about it! No, he may not be in the most lucrative of jobs when he graduates, but I believe that he will be successful at whatever he happens upon in this field. We did not try to discourage him even tho we know no engineers or have any in the family! I guess I can sort of identify with him in that I always knew I wanted to teach/he has always known he wanted to do some kind of engineering. Follow your heart-passion!!!</p>
<p>I am an applicant right now, and I really want to go to a liberal arts college or Harvard or Yale, but my parents said they wont fund anything if I study liberal arts. im forced to study engineering and/or medicine. it blows. Sure Im good at it, but I love the humanities much more. </p>
<p>To any parent: let the kid follow his/her heart. Which is better: happiness or money? That's the question we need to ask ourselves when we make these decisions. I wish I would be able to do what I love, but I cannot. Instead, I'm forced to study something I find boring and get a job in that same field. And I am sad for that.</p>
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But heavens, looking at the news, the layoffs left and right... prospects of all sorts seem unpredictable. Where is that crystal ball when I need it???
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<p>Perhaps there is no crystal ball, and no one should have ever been lead to believe that there was one.</p>
<p>My general opinion on this subject is that if someone manages their money and lives within their means, a lot of "risky" careers become feasible. A lot of the mess that the US is in now is because too many people didn't live within their means.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I encourage my music major daughter to date all those engineers and pre-meds at her school >></p> </blockquote>
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<p>Singersmom...and we hope our son (the musician) will find a love of his life who is an engineer...doctor...or business major with job prospects----who has a significant appreciation for the performing arts.</p>
<p>cartera45, sorry to misunderstand. </p>
<p>violadad, post 63, the music majors thread is quite the companion to this one. Or is it juxtaposed? I am about half way through it. </p>
<p>I would like to be able to say that my daughter will freely choose her course, but she would likely dabble and explore much more if money were not a consideration. Parental and economic considerations out of the equation, things might be different, but I agree with compmom that we have become much more vocation minded, and it's not because everyone wants it that way. The trick is for our kids to retain the aspects that make them unique and wonderful, I suppose. I will hope for that. </p>
<p>Not serious about the crystal ball. Life would be boring with a crystal ball, and I'd likely walk around with my eyes closed, if I walked around at all...</p>
<p>Ahh thumper, my luck though she'll fall for another musician. We keep telling her a nice oil man with the desire to be a patron of the arts would work, too. (She's at Rice:))</p>
<p>Madeline Mom- I think you are overthinking this. Despite your H's pov (which I absolutely understand) there are very few 18 year olds in America who know what they want to do. There are even fewer 55 year olds doing what they thought they wanted to do when they were 18. Hilary and Bill Clinton being notable exceptions.</p>
<p>I don't know your D's stats, but if this were my kid (and it kinda sorta was, except we had no illusions about there being such a thing as a sure fire path to employment...)</p>
<p>Create a list of schools which have the following:
Strong engineering school
Wide choices in Arts and sciences if she hates engineering
Good mix of social/non academic opportunities (this is where many kids discover their passion- from other students, from jobs, from a lecture or symposium that "looks cool")</p>
<p>So schools like Rochester, BU, Purdue, Rutgers, U Missouri at Rolla, Michigan, Cornell, Princeton all make the cut. MIT might be on the edge (we know a lot of kids who majored in a non-engineering discipline, but it was usually with a heavy quant edge- linquisitcs, cog sci, econ, etc, so very math oriented science or social science). RPI, Worcester Polytechnic, etc.would all be out- if she got there and discovered a passion for Renaissance History the offerings would be limited.</p>
<p>And then she has to apply. Most of the schools I've listed you apply directly to the school of engineering, and it is indeed easier to switch to Arts and sciences then the other way around. In the meantime, she can actually sit in on some engineering classes (which are as different as night and day as the theoretical idea of "being an engineer".) If she hates the classes, you have your answer-- but of course, she could love Applied Math or BioStatistics or any one of a number of disciplines which are heavily quant but not quite as gear-head. </p>
<p>I think you deal with the "it could take her forever to take classes" sydnrome by sitting her down and explaining that you are prepared to do what you can to help her complete 8 successful semesters leading to a college degree. If she takes a circuitous path she'll need to find her own finding- or go part time, work, live at home while taking classes, etc. Your D sounds smart and directed- so if she has to take summer classes while working to make up for a semester lost while she changes disciplines, it doesn't need to derail her for very long.</p>