Majors/careers for a kid who wants money and work/life balance

[Anonymous]

Why do so many parents and kids assume engineering is such a great career path financially? I understand if people choose it if they think it’s fun and rewarding, but if you’re choosing it mostly for the money, don’t most engineers make under $250? There are other ways to make more than that without having to grind through 8 years of high school and college if you’re reasonably smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do so many parents and kids assume engineering is such a great career path financially? I understand if people choose it if they think it’s fun and rewarding, but if you’re choosing it mostly for the money, don’t most engineers make under $250? There are other ways to make more than that without having to grind through 8 years of high school and college if you’re reasonably smart.

250k is a hefty sum in a country where the average individual is making 30-40k

[Anonymous]

Accounting

[Anonymous]

General dentist who has their own practice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:So he basically wants money but doesn’t want to work hard? Isn’t that what you are really saying, OP?

That’s the dream! Don’t be jealous you didn’t think of this.

Dermatologist or orthodontist. Hard to get into but the careers aren’t as stressful as other kinds of medicine. But you make bank.

I don't see him wanting to go through medical school or residency.

He will NEVER make it thru. My kid who is a resident doctor put in 120 hours last 7 days. That's like 17 hours/day in avg. I don't see OP's kid willing to do that.

Physician here. This is not typical any longer. I did my residency at Stanford, and even back then it wasn't like this. Now, many residents are unionized, get Uber vouchers after call, 80-hr max, etc. Besides, residency isn't the issue. The burnout comes much later, mid career, and not at all related to long hours.

Regardless, I agree about avoiding medicine.

Can you say more about this? What's do you see as the cause of burnout?

[Anonymous]

He needs to learn what a “comfortable life” will cost him. Does he expect to own a home, have a few kids, and live in the suburbs? This is silly post.

[Anonymous]

Nurse anesthetist

[Anonymous]

Don’t do medicine. Won’t make it through if you don’t love it and love taking care of all kinds of people.

Burnout is from so many factors.
I’m not burned out because I’ve decreased hours.

Worked full day yesterday as fast as I could with literally no breaks. Snuck in a bite here and there. Was exhausted by the end of the work day. But absolutely loved the day because the work still fascinates me and I truly enjoy connecting with patients, helping patients and learning from them. Don’t at all mind that on call over the holidays.

[Anonymous]

Dentist or doctor who works part time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do so many parents and kids assume engineering is such a great career path financially? I understand if people choose it if they think it’s fun and rewarding, but if you’re choosing it mostly for the money, don’t most engineers make under $250? There are other ways to make more than that without having to grind through 8 years of high school and college if you’re reasonably smart.

So, your kid wants to make an extraordinary salary and not a good enough salary.

[Anonymous]

Marketing
sales

[Anonymous]

Major in a professional sport! Football comes to mind

[Anonymous]

Commercial real estate.

[Anonymous]

I think he’s asking an astute and thoughtful question but he needs to dig deeper. No,there are not a lot of careers with 9-5 hours and amazing salaries that you can just walk into. So he needs to think about what kind of lifestyle he wants to support. If he’s willing to live a pleasant but not extravagant lifestyle more options are feasible.

[Anonymous]

With respect to major, consider data science. The many branches of career opportunities available from this major can be explored as this student progresses through his undergraduate studies.