SO: What advice have you given your kids about picking a career?


Question anything the facts don't support.
Dec 15, 2003
Spill Off of How Did you Pick your Career thread.

DW and I told out kids to decide what their priorities are. Job satisfaction or pay and benefits. Of course the ideal career would give you both, but that may be hard to find.
  • LynnTH

    DIS Veteran
    Jun 26, 2003
    I have a DS20 in college and DD17 going to college in the fall. Of course they both want to make big bucks (don't we all). DS didn't have anything in particular he was interested in so he is working on getting a Business Degree. At least that is a pretty basic major. DD wants to be in the medical field and has now decided she wants to be a Nurse -so she will be going that route.

    Of course anything could change at any time. But I want them to get degrees that at least will be useful and able to get jobs with.


    DIS Veteran
    Aug 31, 1999
    I advised a combination of two things: find something you can find "reasonably" enjoyable/interesting and make sure that it is in something that is marketable or easy to find a job in.

    Ideally, we'd all like to major in something that's our passion but I'm a little to pragmatic to spend a lot of money on a degree that has little marketability.


    DIS Veteran
    Mar 25, 2004
    DS18 graduates from high school this year and will start college in the fall. We haven't tried to influence his career choice other than to tell him that video game design isn't what he thinks it is and we will not pay for a degree in video gaming. Right now he is looking at the Broadcasting program at his chosen school, but that could change. He knows without a doubt that he does not want to do anything in or related to the medical field, and he does not want to sit at a desk all day. From his answers to a scholarship application that he asked me to look over, he is more interested in a job he enjoys than a job that just pays well.


    Feb 28, 2017
    We've told all of our kids are find something you love to do and the money will come. We've also tried to instill in them that you have to work your way up. Anything worthwhile is worth working towards. One son, 25, has a job he loves, but doesn't make a lot of money, but enough to live on his own and survive. Other son, 23, makes almost 6 figures, but can't live on his own cause he's screwed his credit up and never has money reasons relating to his gf, and our granddaughter and his own spending habits. All he does is complain about how hard his work is and he's never happy and has jumped from company to company for the past 4 years never staying longer than 6 months at a time. Hoping our now 16 year old daughter can learn from both of them.
  • nkereina

    Last chance to lose your keys.
    Feb 11, 2009
    I'm 32 and when I was going through college, I went for Hospitality & Tourism Management because I loved to travel and that was the industry that appealed to me. My dad told me to get away from my passion and move towards the practical, because I quickly learned that the hospitality/tourism industry were far from lucrative, with long days and no "business" hours. 24/7 industries. As I got older, work-life balance became more important to me - having the benefits of set hours, a job you can leave without being on call, vacation time, etc etc and found a career in banking. Its not what I went to school for and its certainly not a passion, but it affords me the life and money to do the things I AM passionate about. I don't think its bad advice to tell someone to do what they love, but I don't think its always practical in every situation.

    Wishing on a star

    DIS Veteran
    Aug 7, 2002
    Three things....
    This is what I would say to my son, and have also mentioned to him about his girlfriend as well.
    1. Be Patient.... It can take time to figure things out and to figure out which way you want to go. I had no idea that I would end up where I am today. So many people start out in college, or in a career path, and then end up in something that has nothing to do with that... or very very loosely related at best. My DH, looking back, would have made some different decisions back then.
    2. Again, be patient, even if you know what direction you might want to go, it does take time and effort to get there... Make the right decisions... College isn't for everyone... Certain professions are not for everyone... I don't think that there are that many teens and young adults that really have that focus and that drive... know what they want to do/be... And how to get there. Even for those young people who do have some focus, it takes some real time and effort. It is harder out there to get started out there than ever. Young people must feel a lot of pressure just in, how am I going to have a roof over my head, a decent automobile, etc... Not everybody is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. And, even in cases like mine, where I started out with literally NOTHING... all my kid, and many kids today, see is that standard of living that they are used to... and it is so very easy to become overwhelmed... it can seem so unattainable.
    My son is not one who is going the college/professional route. He has worked with coworkers who grew up with nothing, were out on their own at 18, just trying to keep a roof over their head and something in their belly... They meet somebody else, get some cheap nasty trailer/apartment... end up with 1-2 kids, perhaps then divorced... in a mountain of debt, just trying to keep their nose above water. And at my son's young age, they like to 'rag' him because he is going a slightly different route... Taking his time.... Heck, his girlfriend is younger than he is, and just a young teenager, just a kid, as we old-folk like to call them.
    He has mentioned some of this, and that is exactly what I told him... "So, are you supposed to just move out, get some old trailer, move in with some girl, have 3 kids, and nothing else in your future??? Are THESE the people you want to care, at all, what they think????".
    3. Having said all of the above... never forget that everything you do today means something... Every thing you do should be, in some way, a POSITIVE, when it comes down to your future. Even if you are just an assistant or a janitor or a cashier, or whatever... That should be in a positive way, in some way possibly related to your future... Same thing goes for your online presence... All of this is out there, and does make either a good, or a bad, impression about you and your future.

    SC Minnie

    <font color=purple>Are we there yet???<br><font co
    May 18, 2001
    Find something you enjoy to an extent and you can find a job that will allow you to support yourself.


    DIS Veteran
    May 19, 2016
    We haven't, and won't. Our goal is to teach them how to be outstanding young men and women, work hard and be happy. The path they take in their career is theirs to choose. Certainly, if they have questions, we answer them, but won't push them toward one career or another.

    As has been said, their career path could take twists and turns that nobody could foresee. My college degree has almost nothing whatsoever to do with what I do for a living.
  • Praying Colonel

    DIS Veteran
    Aug 16, 2004
    I said working is a grind. In the winter I get out of bed when it's dark and cold and don't want to get out of bed. I slog through rush hour traffic I don't want to endure. Do the same thing in reverse on the way home. Rush to get something semi-nutritious on the table. Go to bed before I want to so I can get up early and do the whole thing again the next day. Lather, rinse, repeat.

    So if working's a grind*, you'd better like what you do and you'd better like the people you work with. In that regard, I'm blessed and it makes the other stuff bearable.

    *--I know working conditions aren't a grind for a lot of people. To those people, I say "Good for you!" But the vast majority of people don't have it that good.


    Jun 11, 2016
    1. you will never work a day in your life if you love what you do
    2. your salary dictates your lifestyle. If you don't want to live on a _____(Insert career here)________ salary then pick another career.


    DIS Veteran
    Apr 4, 2014
    Intern even as early as high school in any field that you are interested in so you may know what you'd be studying towards.

    Also, take a year off in between high school and college if you are unsure what you want to do.


    DIS Veteran
    Feb 20, 2006
    Major in something that you are good at and tolerate, find a career that pays well and you can get a job anywhere. Dd22 has her masters in accounting (took a class in high school). Ds20 is majoring in finance. Dd18 is going to get her doctorate in physical therapy.

    Dd16 loves math and SAT’s she’s going the accounting route, ds16 is good at math and says the same. They plan on going to a business school and will sort it out (ds20 started out as an accounting major).

    They do/will have loans to repay.


    I am hazed everyday
    Aug 27, 2011
    Go to college where you can graduate with the least amount of debt.

    Choose a career that you will enjoy and something that will pay the bills (all the bills from basic living to retirement savings).

    Do something that is marketable for your whole life or be willing to go back to learn something else.

    So many folks that are in their mid fifties have a tough time getting back into a job after losing a job. Things are not the way they thought they would be 35 years ago when they started working.


    DIS Veteran
    Feb 28, 2016
    My ds is currently struggling to figure out what he wants to do. He wasn't happy with his major so he's taking a semester off to work and think about his future.
    I told him he needs to figure out something that he can be happy doing and make enough money to pay his bills, save for retirement and allow him to have hobbies that he loves doing.


    Who needs doors when you can use windows
    Jun 13, 2000
    DH and I are both in health professions. We told our kids not to go into health care. Otherwise, follow your heart.

    DD is a social worker for the state and DS is in federal law enforcement. (Wasn't so sure that was a good choice this past month as he was working but not getting a paycheck.)


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