I get what you’re saying in your post, @californiaaa, and overall I agree with you, but just because students nowadays are bright and so on doesn’t mean they can follow the template of previous decades. Just to take my own career path, yeah, it worked fine for someone coming through a social science PhD program in the 90s to get a tenure-track university job with the degree nearly finished—but after the crash and burn of that part of the academic job market (a few bright spots aside) last decade, yes, getting a job like mine with the experience and history I had would take a lot of luck, connections, or both.
BA in Biology followed by MD and 4 years of residency
First job was all-time faculty at a medical school
Currently practice medicine half the time and teach and run QI projects the other half.
OP, “Good idea? Bad idea?” is not important, WHAT WE DO IS ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT TO YOU.
OK, my father was an engineer, so he suggested (naturally) the same for my bro. and me. Well, good for my bro., it worked for him. I had not problem at school, but I hated my job, hated it for wooping 11 years after which I decided that I gave it enough try and switched to CS. What a relief to be where you belong!!
So, do not listen to anybody, do not listen to me and others here, figure out on your own, or try and make mistake and try again, but waiting for 11 years was way too long, I should have done my switch much earlier.
For Me: BA Secondary Social Studies, 30 credits towards MA in American Studies
Various jobs in publishing and in non-profits with many miles travelled throughout the U.S on many business trips, many years as a stay at home mom and active in PTA while always doing some freelance or part-time publishing/non-profit positions/freelance writer/consultant, teaching as an adjunct faculty member in a college publishing program and for the past 19 years in educational sales. What has made me successful in my field is a good understanding of the culture of schools and understanding how schools function, attention to detail, willingness to listen and be patient (sort of the skills that you need to be a good parent actually), a memory that doesn’t stop, outgoing, being aware of real-world political situations, being knowledgeable about what I am presenting to schools and genuinely interested in my customers.
Me: BA Communications, MA Special Education – I’ve been teaching elementary education to students with Learning Disabilities, Autism, Language Processing Impairments, Intellectual Disabilities, Visual Impairments, Emotional Disturbances, and other categories for 23 years. Teaching had always been my passion, but I shied away from it in undergrad because of the low pay. After graduation I sold new cars for 3 years and started taking grad classes to become a teacher. I figured I might as well follow my dream.
My H got his undergrad (dual major) in Math and Psychology. He really didn’t have a passion/long-term plan at the time. He just liked those subjects. He also sold cars (that’s where we met) and then went back to school to get his MA in Secondary Ed (we were in grad school at the same time), and then took a couple more classes to get endorsed in Elementary Ed. He taught HS Calculus and Chemestry for a few years and then switched to Elementary where we worked at the same school for 9 or 10 years. He’s now taking classes to get his Educational Leadership license to become a principal. He wants to continue on and get his PH.D and teach at the college level.
ME - Undergrad: double major in Political Science and Economics (focusing on the Soviet Union - bad move since I graduated in 1987 and the Soviet Union collapsed 2 years later! haha)
First job: analyst at major international bank
Graduate school: MBA in international finance (paid for by said bank)
Result: promoted to vice president by age of 30 and worked as advisor for companies wishing to invest in former Soviet republics
2nd career: Masters in Divinity at age 37 and ordained into the United Methodist Church
H - Undergrad: double major in Computer Studies and English
First job: Software programmer
Graduate school: Masters in Artificial Intelligence, PhD in Human Computer Interaction
Result: Director of HCI for several companies - most recently in the video game industry
Undergrad: major in animal science(pre-vet program)
DVM
Worked 11 years for myself, equine reproduction and ultrasound, and burned out after too many 90+ hour weeks and angry 1500 pound patients with small brains. I retired from the veterinary business and let my license lapse.
I’ve been an investment advisor for the last 15 years, and it is a much better life. Many of my former vet clients are still investment clients. Better money, better hours, no kicks, no bites, no flailing hooves, and I can spend the whole day reading about different companies, industries, technologies, etc. I work from home, see my kids all the time. Way better.
Parent 1337, I was looking at my advisor’s LinkedIn and saw he had an alternate career for a dozen years before getting into the financial world. (I had thought it was just a year, working for his dad.) Not sure kids today realize you don’t have to major in biz at some tippy top to get into that line. Granted, some Wall Street folks are making bazillions. But friends I know here are making very good money and happy with the work.