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I imagine you know this because you are in academia yourself or you study trends in academia as part of a socio-cultural analysis for a think tank.
Either that or you just passively let ultra-right-wing propaganda, projected at a 4th grade vocabulary level, wash over you like a neverending tide. But that would be so pathetically ironic that I'll give you the benfit of the doubt.
Son is first year in high school. In 2 years he will be starting to put together his college application. I think now is the time to start establishing the credential that he wants to be able to present. It's not too early...
He can pursue his interest in history as a hobby after he establishes himself in a career which allows him to get an actual job and pay the bills. Spending money on degrees like history is even dumber than kids (and parents) who think they're going to be the next Michael Jordan or Tom Brady and make career/spending decisions accordingly.
Good gravy, please raise to a safe cruising altitude, Mr. Helicopter Parent.
I have to tell you a funny story.
Before retirement, I was a middle school principal. One day I had two parents come in who wanted to talk to me about what they could do "now" to assure that when their daughter got to middle school they could be assured she would get Mr. Jacobs (the names have been changed to protect the guilty) in 7th grade gifted math. They were very disappointed to learn that class assignments were ALWAYS randomly assigned by a computer; no 'placements' were ever made.
As the conversation wound down rather quickly I asked, "How old is your daughter". She was 2. 2 years old. And they were worrying about how to get a particular teacher ten years down the road.
I heard plumbers and electricians make a ton of money, especially those working for the city govt.
But I will be, yes, if my son ends up being a plumber, mainly because I think he should have the brain to do something more sophisticated.
That's sad that you would be disappointed in your son's choices when he would be gainfully employed and not living on the streets selling drugs......perspective. There are professional gamers who are multimillionaires. Every plumber I know makes 6 figures. We ALL need plumbers!
I know a kid who went to BOCES in high school for electrical work. By the time he finished high school, he was in the electrician's union and started his own business. The kid is VERY successful at 18 years old. He's completely financially independent and not in debt! There's a lot to be said about both of those things especially at 18 years old.
I heard plumbers and electricians make a ton of money, especially those working for the city govt.
But I will be, yes, if my son ends up being a plumber, mainly because I think he should have the brain to do something more sophisticated.
So if he ends up spending $20K on an associate's degree in plumbing technology and works as a plumber making $$80K a year you'll be disappointed in him, but if he ends up spending $100K on a history degree and works as an associate professor making $50K a year at a community college you'll be proud of him?
Make suggestions if you like, but don't pressure a 14 year old or you'll end up alienating him. Wendell Berry is a well-known author and environmental activist who happens to farm a 117 acre homestead in Kentucky. You don't have to be one thing in today's world, and you don't have to have your life figured out when you're a teenager to be a "success". Let him explore - that's what being a kid is about - and let him define what success means in his own life.
1. Career choice for history study seems narrower than other subject studies. Basically teach, or write books.
2. Salary outlook seems mediocre from what I remember.
3. Off the top of my head I don't even know what credentials should be built for college application to this major. For science one can build stuff; for math there are a lot of competitions. What for history?
He's interested in history. Did he say he wants to major in it? Unless he said that I think you're overreacting a lot.
I would take those advocating following a passion with a grain of salt. I think "following your passion" tends to be a grass-is-greener mistake many people make who did not follow their passion.
Anything you do for a living gets old. Even if it's not unpleasant work to you, you tend to lose your passion and the job becomes routine. If the job pays poorly or is hard to get because it's a high profile passion job that attracts lots of people, that can make for a disappointing career.
My advice to my teenage self regarding choosing a major and a career would be to ask three questions.
1) Am I good at it?
2) Can I tolerate it?
3) What is the competition?
The sweet spot is a job you are good at, can tolerate, and in which there is more demand for your services than supply. You might never be passionate about your job, but you will make easy money. And when midlife rolls around and you are burnt out (this can happen to passion careers as well) you may have enough of a financial buffer to start your own business or start a second career.
Variety is the spice of life.
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