Job prospectives of our children (job opening, college degree, employer, jobs)

[ladyvictoria]

I have an 8 year old and i know he is really young for me to worry about it yet but i would like to hear some ideas but job market of the future. What will it be like? Which jobs will be in demand? Will it be harder for my son's generation? I read an article few years back in which it said computer and bio engineering sciences will be big. What do you think?

[bUU]

I really feel sorry for the children of the current generation. They're facing an absolutely horrendous labor marketplace, as compared to that which folks of my generation encountered, with employers being given more and more leeway to exploit, resulting in a substantial reduction of the value of work. The skewing continues unabated, so I think it is safe to say it will be that much worse for the next generation.

Are there disciplines that will do better and worse? Of course, but trying to shoehorn your children into disciplines that they don't develop natural affinities for is as likely not to fail to achieve the desired end. Also, the signs are readily readable, and so figure many people so inclined will be aiming themselves (or their children) toward these disciplines, as likely as not to cause a glut of labor, which itself will further undercut the value of that labor. That's not to say "give up" and surrender to inevitable failure, but rather the point is to recognize that the problems you're worried about probably cannot be addressed solely through decisions related to your child's career choices.

What I think parents can do to best serve their children's interest, with regard to these concerns, is to help their children build a stronger foundation for their life, a foundation that is less consumption-oriented. For many of us, the idea of living with fewer things or without certain discretionary comforts is an anathema, but that's because we've known nothing else, and have built up our expectations around the assumption that these things are essential and perhaps even critical. Given how likely it is that globalization and increasing economic inequality will continue to drive down the standard of living for most of the people in our nation, the more independent we can make satisfaction and happiness from financial success the better. It may be too late for us, we who have been essentially programmed over decades with certain expectations, but hopefully our children can be led down a path whereby financial success can be appreciated and enjoyed as an especial surprise, rather than being a reflection of a decades-long developed expectation, which if it doesn't occur would lead to severe disappointment.

[ladyvictoria]

I agree with your post but how do you raise a non-consumer child in this environment? It is so difficult say no to your child when you have grown up with very little. I grew up in different country and never had much. That has its own problems.

[charlygal]

There's no use in worrying about something you can't control. There will be a job market when your son grows up. Whatever that market is, your son will have to adapt, prepare and be ready.

[maus]

I would support what interests your child as he ages closer to working age. If he already is drawn to computers, encourage him to learn more about them. I hope he can get a part-time job as a teen, that is really helpful in getting any hands on experience with the working world. I would also encourage a child to start his own business and to be as self-reliant as possible by not relying on a employer for long-term work. Your child's interests will change a lot between now and when he is a young adult.

I think generally speaking the job market will be harder for those getting out of school in a decade or more from now just as it has been now for a while as there is so much competition for each job opening out there. With that being said, I hope I am dead wrong, of course, for the children today entering the job force in a little more than a decade or so.

[gardener34]

Anything high tech related they will be fine. However, the days of learning a skill and riding on it for 40 years is done. Because the best jobs are tech related, tech CONTINUALLY changes. The computer programs change constantly. It is lifelong learning. Not just get your college degree and then you'll be good to go.

[midtown mile girl]

I would encourage a habit of learning and trying out new things. With summer coming up, you might want to look to summer camp programs that have an educational component to them.

[RoadWarrior12]

Originally Posted by ladyvictoria

I agree with your post but how do you raise a non-consumer child in this environment? It is so difficult say no to your child when you have grown up with very little. I grew up in different country and never had much. That has its own problems.

This belongs in the parenting forum. You just say "no".

[Heidi60]

I would teach that flexibility, life-long learning, and the ability to get along with others will serve better than anything else. I feel sorry for the kids today also but they will have to find their way, just as we did. Teach them to be the best they can be and strong enough to handle what comes their way. Don't force them into a job that doesn't match who they are at their core.

All the foreign workers taking our jobs today will be replaced by something else twenty years from now so...

don't borrow trouble from tomorrow.

[ladyvictoria]

It is not that I am particularly worried about my son. It is too early for that. I was just wondering what everyone thought about future of job market. I know it is difficult to predict the future and it almost always turns up being wrong anyway but I think certain industries will get big.