Teens career plans out of synch with reality, FSU study says

Parent Cafe
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<p>"Unfortunately, the goals of too many teens now outpace what they are likely to achieve, a problem that can lead to wasted time and resources, not to mention anxiety and distress, according to a new Florida State University study.</p>

<p>Sociology Professor John Reynolds tracked changes in high school seniors' educational and occupational plans between 1976 and 2000 and found the gap in goals and actual achievements has grown over the 25-year period....</p>

<p>"Today's teens are both highly ambitious and increasingly unrealistic," Reynolds said. ...</p>

<p>[Researchers] found that high school seniors in 2000 were much more ambitious than their 1976 counterparts, with 50 percent of seniors planning to continue their education after college to get an advanced degree and 63 percent planning to work in a professional job, such as doctor, lawyer, college professor, accountant or engineer, by age 30. In 1976, only 26 percent said they planned to get an advanced degree and 41 percent planned to work as a professional. Other categories were laborer, farmer or homemaker; service, sales or clerical; operative or crafts; military or protective services; entrepreneur; and administrator or manager.</p>

<p>[T]he percentage of high school graduates between age 25 and 30 who actually earned advanced degrees has remained pretty steady ....only the expectations have changed... The gap between expectations of earning an advanced degree and what is realistic grew from 22 percentage points in 1976 to 41 percentage points in 2000.</p>

<p>The researchers attribute the high school seniors' unrealistic expectations to the declining influence of grades and high school curricula and the increase of students who plan to use community college as an educational stepping-stone to a bachelor's degree and beyond. ...</p>

<p>Like many cultural shifts in today's society, money may be at the root of the "college-for-all" attitude. ..."</p>

<p><a href="http://fsu.edu/news/2006/08/28/teen.careers/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://fsu.edu/news/2006/08/28/teen.careers/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>This doesn't surprise me. I have met MANY kids (especially many girls) who are NOT academically strong (at all) but they "love animals" and insist that they are going to become vets. Their parents don't seem the least bit interested in trying to expand their interests and/or gently help them see reality.</p>

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<p>What always gets me are the students who hate math, but plan to become doctors.</p>

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<p>Of course kids plans are out of synch with reality. I remember all my sons thought, they really did, they would become pro sports players when they were 12 . It takes time to 'know thyself'. It is not in my opinion necessary that my kids know their career path and proceed on that course immediately as a Freshman. It would be helpful but it is not realistic. It is the luxury I afford my children as a parent in a prosperous nation, that he may take his time to survey the world and his talents and abilities and find his place in it.</p>

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<p>It's one thing for a "middle-schooler" to think he's going to be the next Michael Jordan. It's another thing for a junior or senior in high school, who has avoided the AP and other higher math/science classes, to claim that she is going to be a vet. I have to restrain myself from not raising my eyebrows when kids like this and their parents!!!! make these claims. I don't know what these kids' parents are thinking!</p>

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<p>I meet these potential vets all the time -- there are plenty of kids who will claim they are in 'vet school' or even 'medical school' when they mean they are in a 2 yr certificate program in some sort of tech school. Kids who think they want to be vets had better be interested in science and medicine first, and animals second. Otherwise -- think in terms of general animal agriculture and livestock and pet industries.</p>

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<p>So, the kids take an intro math or science class that is necessary to be a vet and fail or drop it. So, they learned. No big deal in my opinion.</p>

<p>cnp55; Our local vets have assistants who do initial assessments and treatments and sometimes I don't know who the vet was. Aside, I could see how some of these kids don't even know they are not a vet! dimmmmm........</p>

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<p>My high school had a program where senior spent one day a week interning. Many, many girls interned with vets and learned early that they did NOT really want to be vets. :)</p>

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<p>mathmom... /\ /\ /&lt;/p>

<p>I can totally see that happening. Taking care of very sick animals and performing their surgeries is very different from just being an "animal person".</p>

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<p>backhand.</p>

<p>Yes, it may end up not being "a big deal." However, I wouldn't want my child picking the wrong college (and overlooking a better fit college) just because my child had "wild haired" ideas about becoming a vet and thought that school "A" is where she "had to go" because it has a "pre-vet" program.</p>

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<p>It's harder to get into vet school than med school, FYI.</p>

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<p>in my mother land of japan, the opposite is true! expectations are shrinking! i think this is the most important thing to teach our youth of the world. that they need to be realistic. and realism involves taking a long glimpse at one's overall reflection and knowing where to place their heart, but not their dreams.</p>

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<p>"What always gets me are the students who hate math, but plan to become doctors."</p>

<p>That could be done, but I have met a kid who hates math, but wants to be a Physicist.</p>

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<p>I know a young man, a brilliant theoretical physicist, who still doesn't know his multiplication tables. But I guess that's arithmetic, not math?</p>

<p>A lot of the animal lovers would be happier doing grooming, training or "doggy daycare" kind of jobs. </p>

<p>Our HS does some planning with all seniors before they graduate, but it's hard to fit in all that should be done in addition to coursework. I think it's great for kids to dream. Reality hits soon enough.</p>

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<p>lauer:In my opinion it is unlikely that a girl/boy who 'likes animals' would be accepted at an expensive elite university. Those who have the high SAT's , multiple ec's, excellent grades, etc. are not dim bulbs. Perhaps they have an interest in medicine and if that does not work well for them can transfer their talents and abilities to other areas. The value of the education is not lost.</p>

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<p>It all comes down to do a little research (just a little!) on the education requirements for professional school in a specific field. While average Joe knows that MDs need college plus medical school plus more training ... Joe probably doesn't know that the DVM follows a similar track.</p>

<p>This thread reminds me so much of a girl who worked for me for a few years. She desperately wanted to be a vet tech and wanted to go to school and get a vet tech license, but had already failed several basic intro courses at our local community college.</p>

<p>A vet tech license is not required <em>in our state</em> to be a 'vet tech' and she eventually got a job as kennel help for our local vet and is working her way up in his practice. </p>

<p>The absolutely brilliant girl that worked for me (as well as for two local vets) and went to a top-tier university as pre-vet/animal science is rethinking her vet school ambitions -- although she intends to complete the entrance requirements and keep her options open -- but is considering other sorts of animal-related careers.</p>

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<p>Sorry for the novel-length post... this is long and disjointed, but I think it gets my point across.</p>

<p>Of course their career plans are out of synch with reality. Who honestly wants to work 9-5 office jobs? People want to make money, they want to be successful, they want to be powerful. Lawyers, vets, doctors, politicians, astronauts, rockstars, etc--those are the jobs that could lead to money or power.</p>

<p>If a teen wants to major in engineering but they're awful in math, why not let them? If it interests them, let them do what they want. Even if they fail, they've still learned something about their capabilities. How many of you can say that your used your degree since you graduated?</p>

<p>Also, you need to remember the parents' influence on a kid: even if their parents don't say it, kids--especially the overachievers on this message board--KNOW that their parents want them to be successful, rich, etc. The easiest way to do that is to be a lawyer/doctor/etc.</p>

<p>(A long, drawn out personal anecdote: I know my father wants me to major in business or economics and to succeed in life where he hasn't, although he's never explicitly stated this. And yeah, I feel awful that I'd rather be a "failure," learn languages, and backpack through Europe than make $100,000 a year and succeed in financially taking over the Western Hemisphere by the time I'm 25. You know what? It's my choice to "fail" at life, and wearing a suit and tie every day and playing nice with the management would feel like failure to me. No matter what I do, no matter what my father may think but not say, I don't think I'm going to fail.)</p>

<p>Uh, in other words, if a girl wants to be a vet, let her. It might take her a few years to realize that dealing with sick or injured animals isn't for her, but she needs to do this on her own.</p>

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<p>this is a very selfish attitude and would not be accepted in my mother land! but then again, this may summarize nicely the entitled attitude of the current north american generation. "if i want it, i can try for it, even if it wastes time and resources" the inhabitants of north america have such luxury to have such thoughts! imagine what a teenager in africa thinks! perhaps if those in the western world were less selfish about spending their time, money and world supplies, there would be more to go around for the remainder of those on this earth.</p>

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<p>Dippity,</p>

<p>I don't necessarily agree with your statement. I am the parent of a college freshman. Ultimately it is my D's life to make, not mine. </p>

<p>We had an agreement that is she got the grades, I would pay a percentage of her schooling. I did not try to limit where she could go to school and what she could study. She is at an art school. She knows that she will not be rich when she gets out, but she has talent and even more important, passion. She gets up excited to go to her classes and six hour studio sessions.</p>

<p>It is as important to know what you don't want to do as is it is to know what you do, and that you find value in the life you live, not live it based on the expectations of others.</p>

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<p>When I was a small child, my ambitious peers and I would proclaim our desire to be President of the United States. What do today's chidren want to be when they grow up?</p>