So I’ve heard & read things that I’d like to run by the CC community. The 3 main careers/majors I have interest in I’ve heard pretty negative things about; w/ Engineering I’ve met multiple people who have personally experienced or know someone that has had moderate to major career problems that seem to stem directly from their age or employer-implied outdated knowledge & skills. W/ accounting, I’ve just heard that the profession could become automated and eliminate the need for accountants or at the very least significantly decrease employment and ruin the career. W/ Applied Mathematics(meaning the major), I would most likely be looking to become an actuary, but was wandering about the “marketability” of such a major in a business/finance/statistics field that doesn’t involve becoming an actuary or getting heavily intotechnical/compsci type things.
Can anyone validate or speak to these things, offer advice, recommend othercareers,etc.?
Lastly, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. Typing on my phone is very difficult. Thank you.
I think some other notable things that should be mentioned is that w/ Engineering I’m really only interested in Chemical or Materials Science Engineering, or things of that nature. And I live in the state of Missouri, if that has any relevance at all.
In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.—Benjamin Franklin
All you can do is research, but no one can predict the future. College is supposed to prepare you for lifelong learning. There is always professional development. I feel it is always best to play to your strengths and interests.
A 40+ year career is a long time, so no one can predict what career will be secure over that time period (including economic downturns, industry downturns, etc.). Even much shorter time periods can bring (often unpleasant) surprises.
Continuing self-education is necessary in many kinds of careers.
I would advocate doing an undergrad in Engg. followed by an MBA (after a few years of work experience). I see no shortage of demand for folks with such credentials (I too have this background), especially for those from good schools, and am recommending likewise for my D2 (she just completed her freshman year doing ChemE). The best is of course the Medical field (my D1 has chosen this path) but I guess you do not seem too interested in it.
An engineering degree+MBA actually sounds like a really good option.
At least 65% of jobs of the future don’t yet exist.
My electrician (a college grad) has as much work as he wants and will for the rest of his life. He also makes a very good living having made a small business out of it. As some traditional careers get dicey, we may see more smart kids who like to work with their hands and solve problems consider the pay and job security of the skilled trades.
There’s inherent risk in anything, any kind of job. I don’t think anyone thought that the law market would collapse so catastrophically; law school has almost always been a good bet for smart kids who get into good schools. The real estate bubble had been rising for decades by the time it popped in the mid-2000s. Conversely, computer science didn’t even exist as such a lucrative option 30+ years ago, and even just 10 years ago when I was in school it was a boring job for nerds and geeks (which wasn’t a positive thing to do back then). It wasn’t the new hotness. Data science didn’t even exist.
Besides, your industry’s strength is going to depend on where you live, too. Petroleum engineers might have great prospects in Texas and Alaska but not so great prospects in Georgia or Florida. There’s a big tech boom but most tech jobs are concentrated in a handful of cities (Bay Area; Seattle; New York; a little in Austin, Ann Arbor and Raleigh/Durham). If you really want to settle in Missouri, you might have some issues.
I think that you should pursue what you want to pursue. Be pragmatic, of course, but there’s only so far pragmatism can take you. Engineering, accounting and applied math are three relatively stable and lucrative options. Of course a catastrophe could happen and wipe out the engineering field, but that’s unlikely, and you can’t really plan for that eventuality. Besides, nobody says that you are stuck in one career your entire life. If you major in engineering and there’s a downturn but you have good writing skills maybe you can switch to technical writing or science writing. If you’re an accountant and get years of experience maybe you move into business or project management. Develop skills and keep them sharp and you’ll be employable.
thanks for the responses, interesting perspectives to think about
Also, remember that, over all types of career paths and subjects, a high level of career success often depends on at least one of the following:
- Passing through high admission gates for the needed schooling (e.g. medicine).
- Completing rigorous curriculum in school (e.g. engineering, medicine).
- High level of skill otherwise acquired (e.g. tradespeople completing apprenticeships).
- High level achievement outside of or after completing school (e.g. almost any line of work, such as business, music, art, etc.).
- Willingness to do things which may be dangerous or which many people otherwise are not willing to do (e.g. police officer, firefighter, mining, oil field work).
Of course, many types of career paths that can lead to career success (including those given as examples above) have several of the above characteristics. As mentioned above, continuing self-education is necessary to remain relevant over a decades long career.