<p>My first child will be off to college in the fall. I am always somewhat jealous of those parents whose child knows exactly what they want to do. My Ds best friend wants to be a pharmacist. Others that post on CC just seem so sure. I have this recurring nightmare that I will spend a boat load of money on my child's college just to have them living at home and working at Mellow Mushroom because they chose a path that is simply not marketable. </p>
<p>So, all that being said, should I just let nature take it's course or is there some sort of process that a student can go through to find majors/careers that they will be both passionate about and have a fair amount of marketability when they graduate. I have no idea whats out there. Do students go through career assessment/counseling to match skills/natural abilities/passions with potential careers. Has anyone had their child do something like this for those students who simply have no idea?</p>
<p>I’d bet you that alot of those kids who seem to know exactly what they are doing, and have it all completely figured out…don’t end up following the same path they set out upon. Though I think it’s probably an excellent idea to have a direction, and then change it if desired, as time goes on. That’s probably far easier than having no idea whatsoever.</p>
<p>I share your fear about “Mellow Mushroom” because I also have one who admits to not knowing what he wants to do. But I have faith that since he has plenty of brains and motivation, and all the support in the world, he will find his way somewhere (besides our basement)! </p>
<p>I’m looking forward to seeing the answers on this thread also.</p>
<p>Very good job candidates will be very good at all three, but to get a good job (that eventually leads to a career…) it should be good enough to be VERY STRONG at one of the 3 above skills and decent to strong in the other 2.</p>
<p>Clearly, there are lots of potential majors that will allow you to learn these skills. Good people skills are not directly taught in the classroom, but there are many ways to strengthen these while in college (e.g. through ECs, on/off campus jobs, group work, etc). </p>
<p>Quantitative skills is a big one which one can clearly learn by majoring in a quantitative field like engineering, math, statistics, computer science, other sciences, etc. And for those that don’t love these fields, it may still be a good idea to pick up a minor in one of these fields (esp. math, computer science or statistics).</p>
<p>For writing skills again there are lots of possible majors like English, political science, philosophy and basically any liberal arts field. Or it may be enough to attend a college with a core curriculum that emphasizes writing skills. It may also be helpful to pick up one or two technical communication classes if you are in a liberal arts major to stretch your writing skills and make you more versatile on the job market.</p>
<p>Ultimately any major can be made into a good career as long as you are willing to be somewhat flexible in your career choices and take the time to develop core competencies outside your major. </p>
<p>So I would recommend majoring in whatever field you like best, but when in doubt go for the more quantitative major and/or pick up a minor that complements the skills learned in your major.</p>
<p>Courses in business writing / communication and technical writing / communication may be useful for students of all majors. In jobs and careers, one does not normally write about literature, art, history, etc. that humanities and social studies majors write about in school. And engineers, mathematicians, and scientists often have to communicate their ideas to non-technical people – what effectively communicates an idea to a fellow engineer, mathematician, or scientist may be incomprehensible to a non-technical person.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I do think I have gotten a lot of advice on how to be well rounded in choosing classes, but I specifically want advice as to any proactive processes one could take to understand career possibilities based on skills, passions etc…</p>
<p>Is career counseling a reasonable option for an entering freshmen? Are their online tools for assessment? I am interested more in process. </p>
<p>Most kids change their majors. Many change their majors more than once. Sometimes they end up majoring in whatever they can to get out in 4 years or whatever time frame where the deadline is looming.
I, too, always wished that I, and any of my kids could fixate on a major and stick to it, and then I got one kid who did, that made all of our lives miserable with this fixation. So be careful what you wish for. </p>
<p>Kids should be made aware where the job prospects are the best, but pushing them into something they clearly don’t want can be futile and painful. Having to work a job you hate is not the way to go either. So it is a delicate balance at times. Most of us fall into our fields of work through serendipity that provides the opportunities.</p>
<p>Most college career offices provide assessment tools and I believe students can avail themselves of their services as soon as they step on campus. I had friends who know exactly what they wanted to do when they grew up. Some ended up doing those things, some did similar things and others found their lives took them in a completely different direction. My sister-in-law the English major thought she wanted to write the great American novel. She wrote for a local paper, was a children’s librarian, has taught at just about every level from nursery school to high school and is currently developing a small piece of property using New Urbanism principles. Meanwhile my brother the computer scientist has a business that has focused more the the psychology of programming and writes novels on the side. My third brother also in computer science, is still with a company providing normal computer services, but his role seems to have become more of the rainmaker. To his surprise I might add.</p>
<p>I chose my major based on the only course I’d really enjoyed my freshman year. I realized that while I was interested in theory I really needed a healthy dose of hands on work to make me happy. Architecture has proved to be a nice balance of reading, writing, drawing, math and schmoozing.</p>
<p>D1’s boyfriend (now a college junior) spent a lot of time his sophomore year working with their college career center. Looking at various career options before he finalized his major. I will say, he is a particularly mature, diligent young man, and I know a lot of students wouldn’t do this or would give it a half-hearted effort.</p>
<p>Another thought is that it can be helpful to put a little pressure on your kid by letting them know that they need to support themselves once they graduate. My dad did that to me, and I must say it motivated me to pick a major that helped me get a good job on graduation. I have given my kids the same message (although they know they can come back home and live while attending grad school if they want to – grad school is at their own expense, though). Also… my dad said he would pay for 8 semesters of college, and that is it. Motivated me to make sure I graduated on time. I have given my kids the same message. Working so far, D1 is on track to graduate next year with excellent grades and internship experiences in a field for which she is well suited. She is already laying groundwork and planning for her job search.</p>
<p>I know, we want our kids to pick something that fulfills them and makes them happy (really, I do). But they need some incentive to also pick something that they can make a living/career from, and move toward that goal.</p>
<p>I think the career assessment tools are helpful because they really do help kids focus on their strengths and interests. And I think the most important thing is to follow your own interests, wherever they lead you. You’re always more likely to work hard, think hard, and accomplish more when you really care. </p>
<p>I didn’t have a clue when I was 18–or 21! I just chose the classes I was interested in, tried lots of things, and my curiosity and skills just led me step by step to my life now, which really is a great life for me. (Though I’m sure there are others I’d be happy with too.) I do have one of those kids who has been on a certain path since she was very young…her subject is really, really important to her now but I imagine it will morph some as she grows…given that our kids’ life expectancy is probably over 80 years, they’ve got plenty of time to develop! If my D was more like me (undecided) I think I’d guide her to a college she felt some instinctual link to, and figure that was the first step toward the future, without trying to choose a field right now.</p>
<p>When I was headed off the college, I was absolutely certain I wanted something in the health field. I signed up as a med tech major, and before school had even started, I changed it to nursing. Once I got to school, I changed my major to accounting. Now that was a big change! Then I added economics and finance as additional majors. But then I didn’t end up with a career in business - I went to law school and became a lawyer. A far cry from the health professional I had started out so certain I would become. I assure you that a lot of the kids who “know” what they want to do will change their minds.</p>
<p>As for choosing a major, my D is finishing up her junior year of HS, and her school has given the kids career assessment testing, which in D’s case affirmed what she already knew were her strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. She knows her favorite subject in high school (and the only one she really likes, frankly) is math, so she’s exploring majors that involve numbers. I doubt she’ll be a math major (although she likes math, she’s not confident she won’t hit the wall with upper level math classes), but she’s looking into accounting, finance, economics and statistics. I think she’s gone through a rational process in arriving at that.</p>
<p>When he first went to college, my son knew without a doubt that he wanted to major in history, and decided to be a teacher because he couldn’t think of anything else to do with a history major. After getting a D and an F in history courses his first semester, that was out the window. Although he is very good at learning historical facts, he has major problems with analysis. He had no interest in any other subject, so he concentrated on completing his gen ed requirements.</p>
<p>He’s a sophomore now, and we talked him into taking accounting last semester–he loved it! Sometimes it’s just a matter of trying different subjects to see what clicks.</p>
<p>Another accounting story: my D went off to school unsure of a major but was adamant that she would never study accounting because accountants are boring. (Sheesh, 18-year-olds.) Now she’s finishing up her 3rd year in accounting and loves it. You just never know.</p>
<p>I have the same wish and fears as you do and all parents should share them. As you put it, spending a boat load of money and then having one’s S or D working at Mellow Mushroom and living at home after all that education. I honestly have to stifle myself from laughing out loud when someone says in all seriousness that education shouldn’t be about training for a career or something along those lines. Okay. Whatever you say. </p>
<p>I am not saying the entire focus of education should be vocational but c’mon it really ought to count for something career wise. By the way, I can appreciate art and culture just fine without college credit. The world will somehow survive without music appreciation credits too. </p>
<p>But I digress. </p>
<p>I don’t think there is a pure and simple “process” for identifying the right career. It is part guess work. Ce la Vie. My only insight is too inquire and research as many different careers as possible and then take your chances like the rest of us. </p>
<p>For example, my oldest sone is strongly considering majoring in sports management. Can you get a career with that major? Some people have but next time you go to Mellow Mushroom I’ll bet one of the waiters has a sports management degree. So be careful. Double major and/or reevaluate what it is you really want. </p>
<p>I haven’t taken a career test thing in along time but if they are as bad as they used to be I do not trust them. I don’t trust them anway. I think it is just something you and your kids have to really discuss and even then it is guess work.</p>
<p>A Cecil, the problem with training for a career is that sometimes the career is gone by the time you’re done. I remember having meetings with various representatives from universities in 1999 and 2000 as they were touting their degrees in “internet marketing” and “Ecommerce management”… and then in 2001 the tech bust happened and all those kids who were graduating with those career oriented degrees were stuck with… what exactly? And I’ve interviewed plenty of kids with undergrad degrees in Real Estate Management and sports management and even the most beloved degree on CC- accounting-- who wish they could turn back the clock and study something they loved. 'cause ending up with a practical degree which prepares you for a career you hate is the same waste of money you decry in those art and culture classes.</p>
<p>OP- Encourage your kid to take advantage of all the resources at Career Development (i.e. don’t wait until March of senior year to wander in and ask, “where is my job?”) Encourage your kid to talk to professors; interact with the TA’s and other grad students, go to lectures and symposia and special activities on campus. It will be much easier to figure out a direction and a path if your kid is exposed to more than beer pong and fraternity rush while on campus.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse: I loved the use of the word serendipity in describing the process. “Most of us fall into our fields of work through serendipity that provides the opportunities.” Being an accounting major though, I simply had to look it up first before I could appreciate its meaning. Wiki Dictionary defined it as follows: “Serendipity denotes the property of making fortunate discoveries while looking for something unrelated, or the occurrence of such a discovery during such a search”. </p>
<p>Now although I tend to agree, my question is whether a young adult without experience would even recognize a good thing when they saw it during their “self discovery”. For instance, my D loves to read literature and to write creatively. As she is wrapped up in taking her courses, does she make the connection that print journalism is a dying industry and that may not be the most fulfilling career in how to apply her reading and writing skill set. She may still choose to take that path but the knowledge that the job market and pay scale might be tough and frustrating might factor in to her satisfaction level. </p>
<p>stevensmama: Thanks for the book suggestions. I lean towards a pragmatic approach to things versus relying solely on “serendipity” I guess its the accountant in me. </p>
<p>Thanks again for all the great feedback on this thread. Keep it coming! Particularly those pragmatic suggestions.</p>
<p>PS. Pragmatic is a big word for an accountant to use!</p>
<p>I’m not knocking accounting- I take it your digs are directed at me.</p>
<p>People who love numbers and are curious about how things work often love accounting. But to force a kid who isn’t wired that way to major in accounting or nursing or chemical engineering because those are the “employable” majors isn’t always the best path either.</p>
<p>I have a liberal arts degree in a pretty random subject (which I loved and did well at) and have been working every day of my life (in a professional capacity) since two weeks after college graduation (almost 35 years ago). And I had my first job by February of senior year- and every interviewer I met wanted to know if I could say something in Latin. My kids have each followed their bliss and even in the crappy economy they graduated into have found employment, health benefits, and a long term career track despite some similarly “useless” majors. Will they stay in those fields forever? I doubt it; did they have to exhibit flexibility around location, compensation and what-not in order to land that first career track job? Absolutely.</p>
<p>The kids I know who are unemployed right now (both the practical majors and the useless majors) are the ones who are insisting “I will move to DC or NY” or “If I can’t afford my own apartment it’s not “worth” taking that job” or “When I said I wanted a job in television production, I didn’t mean as a set assistant for a public television station in Minneapolis- I meant I wanted to move to NY and work for HBO”. Un-huh.</p>
<p>You can have a degree from Syracuse in TV/Mass Media (a very fine, vocationally oriented program) and still be unemployable if you refuse to pay your dues. You can have a degree in accounting from U Texas Austin (which my company believes is one of the top undergrad accounting departments in the country) and still be unemployable if your love for accounting doesn’t shine through your interviews. And you can have a degree in Comparative Literature or Renaissance History and still get a career track job with a major corporation if you’re prepared to move to Dayton Ohio or Springfield MA or Tampa Florida and start at the bottom.</p>
<p>And I love accountants. And some of them even majored in something other than accounting as undergraduates- imagine that.</p>
<p>blossom: “I’m not knocking accounting- I take it your digs are directed at me”</p>
<p>No my digs were not directed at you. Actually I had not read your post when I sent my reply as I while I was drafting it you had posted on the thread. I really was not trying to “dig” at anybody and thought I was just making fun of myself as I was an accountant for 10 years with D&T and got my undergrad and grad degrees in the field. So, sorry if you were offended. </p>
<p>All that being said, I think you post is informative. Maybe there are a lot of grads just unwilling to pay their dues. I think we may have more common views than you think. My D is looking at going to Furman which is a small liberal arts school that is not occupational focused but more focused on developing a well rounded student. I am slowly becoming a believer in the liberal arts path. </p>
<p>I too worry about what my D will be “when she grows up”. I am shooting for happy and able to feed, clothe and house herself. But we know there is more than that.
Deep down I also want her to have a job that can allow her to be a great mom as well. Wow, how utterly selfish of me to want grandchildren some day!
Back when she was in middle school all she wanted to do was be a whale trainer at sea world. She even sent for info and they sent back a job application! (guess she did not mention in her inquiry she was 11). I suggested she look to the future for a job that was held by say, more than 30 people on the planet! (the # came from me calculating killer whales in captivity- very scientific conclusion).</p>
<p>So I suggested, with her gumption she would be a great lawyer. Always arguing everything brilliantly.</p>
<p>So now I am faced with the fact that she listened to me. She wants to go to law school. Based on the cost, job prospects, and everything else…I so wish she were swimming with the fishes.</p>
<p>She did take a career assessment class at her university during her freshman year —it said she should be a “top executive”. Where do you apply for that?</p>
<p>So because a few people educated with vocations in mind don’t end up working (for a variety of reasons), universities ought not to even attempt to educate vocationally and instead focus on purely liberal arts? </p>
<p>With all due respect, if that is the best you have, that makes no sense. I have nothing against a liberal arts education. I believe you can accomplish both a vocational driven education and a liberal arts education. After 18 years of education (k-12, UG and Grad) one might hope so. The two are not mutually exclusive results. </p>
<p>But I am probably asking for too much. I also respectfully disagree that a kid is “wired” one way or the other. No one is suggesting that kids not wired to be an accountant, for example, be forced to do so. I point out one very key thing. It is called work for a reason. It is work. It isn’t fun. If everyone does only jobs they consider fun then plenty of work goes undone. I feel that many young people simply do not want to burden themselves with certain tasks. Well, sorry. That is fine if you hit the lotto or marry rich but perhaps what’s out of whack is one’s expectations of what’s expected for a day’s pay. </p>
<p>Hey, I agree if you can find something you enjoy doing and you get paid for it all the better. But beggars can’t be choosey as the saying goes and when it comes time to getting food on the table one has to do what one has to do. </p>
<p>My oldest son has it down to three possible majors. We are going to do our best to figure out EXACTLY what the day is like for those careers and hopefully that will break the tie. It is hard to know what jobs will still be around. blossom makes a good point about that.</p>