Career guidance for your children

[Padukacat]

Lots of smart guys here that have been down this road, as well as some folks in the higher education field, so I want to get some feedback and ideas if you have them. My son is a bright young guy who tends to operate out of both sides of the brain so to speak. He likes the fine arts and sings and has been in his school musical, he's a very social and witty kid with personality, but at the same time does very well in math and science. He is finishing up his sophomore year and is only 15, so young and immature for his class, but did very well on his ACT so may have some options as to where he goes to school. I honestly don't feel paying an arm and a leg for most schools is worth it, so will probably advise him to keep it within reason and likely prefer to keep it in state unless he gets a solid scholarship out of state. He's a kid that is going to have a hard time deciding what he wants to do for a career until hes in a career that he realizes isn't for him, so i'd like to guide him as to his options. I'm in the early stages of researching this, but are there any career paths that are really booming that would be fitting for a kid that fits his type? Basically what I'm trying to avoid is him being in my position in college, not deciding on a major and finally settling for one just to graduate after 6 years. I chose engineering after 3.5 years of college just because I could graduate quicker, just to find out I didn't want to sit behind a computer and do design work...then ended up in a sales engineer role that fit me better. He may be interested in engineering, being an architect, or those types of fields, but I don't think its going to make him happy in the end considering he's a bit ADHD. Having seen my wifes career path I'm not so sure getting a degree in business/finance and getting an MBA wouldn't be a bad idea just because it seems you can do well if you are worth a darn and it leaves a lot of options open to you. Are there any colleges that would be great for a kid like this and offer more than a UK or WKU? I'm also wondering which in-state schools offer the most scholarship support with a good ACT score, at a glance WKU seems to really hand it out. Any thoughts and guidance from you guys would be much appreciated.

[Darrell KSR]

I'll check back later on this and maybe add some things. But first thing is, don't overlook out-of-state private colleges (or even out-of-state public colleges). Many private schools give excellent scholarships that can make the experience just as affordable as an in-state public university.

My 2nd piece of advice. Stop trying to figure out his career path until you see what his interests are. And you can't rely on what he thinks, or what he tells you, or his activities to date.

How do I know?

My junior son spends most of his free time on computers. Has written some basic software. Takes AP Computer class now. Thinks he wants to go into computer programming, or some offshoot. 34 ACT math, 33 ACT science.

His interest test survey showed that to be a poor fit for him. Literally, almost the worst fit.

Investment analyst, accounting, etc. is a better fit for him, according to the surveys he did. Says he needs a better fit of working with people than the career path he thought.

I'm not suggesting that one survey should dictate. But several should give a better indication.

(By the way, my son's scores were much lower in Reading and English. He can't seem to put together an ACT where he nails everything at once, although he's never had Reading and English scores anywhere near those scores.)

My son is the polar opposite of your son on being social, witty, outgoing, liking theatre, etc. Four of my five children fit that mold; he's been the "oddball." People like him, but he's quiet. He's my quiet athlete, wanting to find a small college where he can continue playing ball. But he also is going to have a tough time figuring out what he wants to do. He's signed up for the June ACT (his 5th), and we're going to have him take two or three more of the career interest survey things and see if he can start to narrow it down.

Then again, I had a son that had 7 different majors in college. So don't take my advice for anything.

[PedroDaGr8]

My rambling advice is as follows:

1. The degree you get doesn't always decide the job you will have, it just opens the doors for the job. For example, if he is a very social getting a science degree and going into scientific sales can be a great career.

2. DO NOT have him get an MBA unless he has a few years career experience under his belt. I see many kids who couldn't find a job with a BS and then go to get an MBA. They end up screwed because they are overqualified based on the degrees and underqualified based on years experience but now they have MUCH higher student loans.

3. As someone with severe ADHD but also a Sr. Research Scientist, the two are not exclusive. It really depends on his drives, work ethic, treatment status, etc. I enjoy science, enjoy the business side of things, etc. So I am driven and do well, but I have seen others (who are notably less ADHD than me) not do nearly as well because they were not driven. I've also had the benefit of some incredible mentors/bosses.

4. Keep in mind, he might not be ready for college yet. He might be better served either by military or doing volunteer work for a couple years until he is ready. One of the worst things anyone can do is go to college before they are ready.

As for career paths:

• Sales is always booming but it is VERY hard work. The lucrative kinds of sales (where you can make 6 figures) almost always require a degree in the field or a related field in which one will be working.
• Computer science is less work but very tedious. Great salaries on the west coast (Google, FB, etc. START at $105k/yr and go up rapidly from there).
• Traditional science is hard to VERY hard get into, but once in you can do well if you have drive.
• Architecture is VERY rigorous but very valuable if you are good.
• Industrial design, if you go to a good school, can be a decent career path for the hybrid artsy/techy types.

At the end of the day, for some it is just finding a career they can tolerate which allows them to pursue their hobbies; for others, it is finding a job they love because they will dedicate all of their energy to it.

[Padukacat]

Which career interest surveys has he taken?

[Padukacat]

Great advice guys

[Catonahottinroof]

When discussing this with my daughter, we asked, even prodded “where do you want to be when you are 30?” Take a week and give us an answer. Once she figured out what it is she wanted to do and where she would be in life, we set an educational path to achieve that.
It hasn’t been easy, but it’s going to pay dividends once she graduates next year.

[PedroDaGr8]

I'll check back later on this and maybe add some things. But first thing is, don't overlook out-of-state private colleges (or even out-of-state public colleges). Many private schools give excellent scholarships that can make the experience just as affordable as an in-state public university.

My 2nd piece of advice. Stop trying to figure out his career path until you see what his interests are. And you can't rely on what he thinks, or what he tells you, or his activities to date.

How do I know?

My junior son spends most of his free time on computers. Has written some basic software. Takes AP Computer class now. Thinks he wants to go into computer programming, or some offshoot. 34 ACT math, 33 ACT science.

His interest test survey showed that to be a poor fit for him. Literally, almost the worst fit.

Investment analyst, accounting, etc. is a better fit for him, according to the surveys he did. Says he needs a better fit of working with people than the career path he thought.

I'm not suggesting that one survey should dictate. But several should give a better indication.

(By the way, my son's scores were much lower in Reading and English. He can't seem to put together an ACT where he nails everything at once, although he's never had Reading and English scores anywhere near those scores.)

My son is the polar opposite of your son on being social, witty, outgoing, liking theatre, etc. Four of my five children fit that mold; he's been the "oddball." People like him, but he's quiet. He's my quiet athlete, wanting to find a small college where he can continue playing ball. But he also is going to have a tough time figuring out what he wants to do. He's signed up for the June ACT (his 5th), and we're going to have him take two or three more of the career interest survey things and see if he can start to narrow it down.

Then again, I had a son that had 7 different majors in college. So don't take my advice for anything.

Truth be told, I have VERY little faith in the interest surveys. They just can't capture everything that drives a person, often homing in on a limited number of factors and doing more harm than good. I took multiple and NONE of them ever ranked science in the Top 5 (a career I am doing quite well in and enjoying). One of them, I remember because of its ridiculousness, said my number one job was to be a chicken farmer.

[KentuckyWildcat]

2. DO NOT have him get an MBA unless he has a few years career experience under his belt. I see many kids who couldn't find a job with a BS and then go to get an MBA. They end up screwed because they are overqualified based on the degrees and underqualified based on years experience but now they have MUCH higher student loans.

We have a LOT of MBA degrees apply for low paying entry level jobs here.

I think MBAs are okay, but they need to have a focus and purpose. Otherwise you are just 1 of 70 applying for an admin asst job...

[Darrell KSR]

Truth be told, I have VERY little faith in the interest surveys. They just can't capture everything that drives a person, often homing in on a limited number of factors and doing more harm than good. I took multiple and NONE of them ever ranked science in the Top 5 (a career I am doing quite well in and enjoying). One of them, I remember because of its ridiculousness, said my number one job was to be a chicken farmer.

Anecdotally, I'm sure that's the case. I have more faith in them than you do, though. Certainly more faith in them than what my 17-year old thinks, who doesn't really understand completely the dynamics of how you work with it.

[suncat05]

If, and I say IF he chose to go into the military, it would certainly help him mature, learn serious responsibility, and help him achieve personal focus, while also learning the "team first" concept.
That's if he can stand the discipline, and self-discipline involved in that kind of endeavor.
That said, unless he wants to be a ground pounding 'grunt' (INFANTRY) steer him away from the Army and Marine Corps. The Navy and the Air Force are better options.
JMHO.

[CitizenBBN]

A little late for my primary advice on this subject, which is to not have kids.

Difficult question IMO, b/c if you are good at lots of things but not in love with one of them, you can definitely end up wandering some.

Those personality tests didn't work too well for me. Basically said I had low ambition, think it came up with something about as good as Pedro's chicken farmer result. I only took one though, maybe another would work better. But didn't really help me.

I also have an increasingly low opinion of higher education. Not sure what you do with that, not ready to say just skip college in this case, but I do think one has to be careful. I really doubt the payback on spending what they charge.

[CitizenBBN]

If, and I say IF he chose to go into the military, it would certainly help him mature, learn serious responsibility, and help him achieve personal focus, while also learning the "team first" concept.
That's if he can stand the discipline, and self-discipline involved in that kind of endeavor.
That said, unless he wants to be a ground pounding 'grunt' (INFANTRY) steer him away from the Army and Marine Corps. The Navy and the Air Force are better options.
JMHO.

Military, if he's interested, is an excellent choice.

[Padukacat]

Thank you everyone for all the advice I love hearing it so keep it coming.