Parents with kids in high school: Which Is More Stressful: College Admissions or Job Market?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If You Have Kids in High School, What Worries You More about your kids future: Getting Into an Elite College or Finding a Good-Paying Job After Graduation?

I'm More Worried About Your Weird Writing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Are You Writing Like This?

Stressing About Getting Into An Elite College: The DCUM Story

Not really. Just typed too fast. I’m surprised by the optimism on DCUM—people spend so much energy discussing how to get into top schools without really worrying about the price tag or career outcomes. Does this mean most people here don't really care about whether their kids work or not... all trust fund families here?

No not at all. The ivies provide plenty of opportunities and have fantastic job and grad/professional outcomes. It was a huge sigh of relief when they got in. The internships they and peers have gotten is quite different from those attending schools a couple of tiers down. Ivy or at least T-20/Williams/Amherst is worth it for the outcomes boost.

+1 though I would say the peer push to always be focused on the next step is what helps the most, helpful approachable faculty with smaller classes second. The kids still have to do the seeking and put themselves out there.

[Anonymous]

The economy is terrible for new grads right now, so that would be my bigger concern. Hoping it’s better next year and following years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If You Have Kids in High School, What Worries You More about your kids future: Getting Into an Elite College or Finding a Good-Paying Job After Graduation?

Hands down , finding a job after graduation. DS wants to go into finance and I secretly wish he’d go to trade school to become an electrician or plumber and take some business classes at a community college on the side.
AI will heavily affect the finance sector. I don’t know what job market will await him in 5 years but I know well have a huge shortage of skilled electricians snd plumbers then. There’s also huge money to be made in the trades especially if one owns their own business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents of a 2026 T15 grad. The university has a <5% admission rate fwiw.

The job market —and getting a good job and getting on the career ladder — is way more stressful than the college application process. Says DS.

I don’t think parents on DC UM realize how very very difficult it is right now to get a good job coming out of a top university

DS’s friends are at Yale, Chicago and Brown and report the same. Lots of grad school apps

I can confirm this.
Kid is riding junior at Ivy.
Other is a rising sophomore at T10.

Getting in was the easiest part. Prepare yourself.

[Anonymous]

One thing at a time. Getting into college was a little stressful but not too terrible. I’m thinking of it as a four year buffer zone to help my kid develop some much needed independence. They can worry about the job part when they come out the other end. If they have to come back and live at home for a bit while they figure out the next step, so be it.

[Anonymous]

Most kids applying to college will get into one, maybe not their first choice, but will be able to attend. The jon market for new grads is just dismal.

[Anonymous]

Strange to address this to parents of high schoolers, assuming they don't have older children. Is this meant to flex on them that they have no idea what's coming?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If You Have Kids in High School, What Worries You More about your kids future: Getting Into an Elite College or Finding a Good-Paying Job After Graduation?

Why do parents worry about college admissions? That's just first level of worrying about their careers and income. Its not a separate fear.

[Anonymous]

All of the new grads I know have jobs. But, they took starter jobs and are prepared to work their way through the next 40 years like most of us did in years past. Most of these kids attended T75+ schools. So IMO, the same situation as college admissions. If you think attending a non-Ivy or T50 is indicative of a stressful college experience, you will want to prepare yourself for the crappy job market.

[Anonymous]

Job. No contest. My kid graduated last year. He spent so much time, energy and effort in college looking for internships and jobs. It was like having a couple extra hard classes every term. He did manage to get internships (none hiring) and eventually, a job, but it was a miserable, stressful experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why I never understand the families where they are so obsessed with their kid going to a top 20 university and then said kid majors in something like English. I rather my kid go to Penn State and major in Mechanical Engineering.

Maybe they want to be lawyers? You are weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If You Have Kids in High School, What Worries You More about your kids future: Getting Into an Elite College or Finding a Good-Paying Job After Graduation?

Hands down , finding a job after graduation. DS wants to go into finance and I secretly wish he’d go to trade school to become an electrician or plumber and take some business classes at a community college on the side.
AI will heavily affect the finance sector. I don’t know what job market will await him in 5 years but I know well have a huge shortage of skilled electricians snd plumbers then. There’s also huge money to be made in the trades especially if one owns their own business.

We don't know what AI will affect yet. AI, so far, has way under-delivered. Indeed, the wall street firms have been tearing through various AI models, adding and dropping them, because none of them have delivered what has been promised.