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Disown them because of a college major? That is insane and cruel.
The best thing to do is let your children choose what major they want to pursue, but make sure they have a plan on how they are going to use that degree. While STEM is generally a more secure and in demand field, it doesn't always guarantee success for good employment. Rather success is what you make of it. With that being said, my cousin has an electrical engineering degree and got laid off more than a year ago, still looking for a permanent job. My other cousin was an English major, and she has been working for one of the top marketing firms in NYC with many promotions.
This thought has been bugging me lately. My children are still very young. But I want to be certain that when they go to college, they choose a STEM major, medicine, or whatever proves itself to be highly lucrative over the long haul. I am not motivated to pay for their college education if they don't do so.
Any thoughts on this?
Your children may grow up and say no ... I what do something else that I want to do.
Just like I told my parent, and I lived the life and jobs I wanted that suited me and with out College and enjoyed it ! ! !
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Last edited by toobusytoday; 01-18-2013 at 11:12 AM..
Reason: fixed typo
I have a lot of friends who participated in Occupy Wallstreet - many of them are high level IT professionals pulling in 6 figures before they are 30. Political consciousness and a sense of responsibility for those who are less fortunate are not the realm of the poor alone.
Wall Street is a centuries-old American institution. It will always be dominated by elites. There is no way to beat the system. The only options are to gain the system, or stay out of the game altogether.
This thought has been bugging me lately. My children are still very young. But I want to be certain that when they go to college, they choose a STEM major, medicine, or whatever proves itself to be highly lucrative over the long haul. I am not motivated to pay for their college education if they don't do so.
Any thoughts on this?
Yes.
My thoughts are simply the obvious observation that the majors of my children are about what my children want to do in life, not about how I might vicariously live through them. My children are not me. They are different people with different personalities and different interests.
They have to make their own ways, and I've never had any illusions that they will choose their own paths. Such is life.
They could pursue Robin Hood Studies or Pantomime -- I certainly wouldn't disown them. And frankly, even considering disowning a child over a choice of college major is an exercise in narcissism.
I want my children to be able to take care of themselves and be satisfied in life, not to live out the academic and professional fantasies I project upon them.
Wall Street is a centuries-old American institution. It will always be dominated by elites. There is no way to beat the system. The only options are to gain the system, or stay out of the game altogether.
In fact many IT engineers/analysts from India and China work on Wall Street. Yes they are relatively low-level there but still make over $200,000 per year. Their parents may be farmers and workers.
My oldest child is in preschool. I want them to understand from a young age that you're supposed to go WORK on Wall Street, not OCCUPY Wall Street. I just hope they don't screw that one up.
Why Wall Street? Or LaSalle Street? Or Montgomery Street? How about a power company, a school district, an engineering firm, or a hospital?
@NJBest - I wouldn't want my kid, assuming I had one, to go to Wharton if they hadn't demonstrated aligned aptitudes and interests throughout their childhood, and it was a last minute thing: "I think I'll apply to Wharton. I've got knockout grades and test scores ... and nothing better to do."
My oldest child is in preschool. I want them to understand from a young age that you're supposed to go WORK on Wall Street, not OCCUPY Wall Street. I just hope they don't screw that one up.
With all the pressure your kid will probably choose to be a hippy hitchhiking between Rainbow gatherings.
At least that would be more respectable than Wall Street.
Another thought... What if they just can't major in one of these fields? After all, many people are just not good at math, science etc, not because they are lazy, but because they just don't understand those subjects. I was good at anything literary, but as soon as there were numbers, it was a disaster, in spite of all my hard work... So I could have never majored in a STEM subject!
Another thought... What if they just can't major in one of these fields? After all, many people are just not good at math, science etc, not because they are lazy, but because they just don't understand those subjects. I was good at anything literary, but as soon as there were numbers, it was a disaster, in spite of all my hard work... So I could have never majored in a STEM subject!
Almost all people can be good at math and science. It's a matter of how they learn it. One of the failures that I see in parents is that they see their child struggling with a subject in school, and blame it on the child (or worse, the teacher).
However, the problem could be something as simple as the child needing more time with a subject. Or maybe a different teaching style. Many parents will just say "study more" or "pay attention in class". If that doesn't work, they'll just blame the child for not listening.
What parents need to do is support their child's learning. Get involved in the learning process. Hire professional tutors. Send them to learning programs during the summer. There's so many things a parent can do but they don't.
Given the right approach, a child can accomplish anything they want.
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