Thoughts for getting my daughter thinking about a career....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your daughter sounds exactly like me when I was her age. I’m a prosecutor now. What I love about the job is that it’s so much more than a desk job. I’m involved and out of the office a lot assisting with investigations. I travel to meet with witnesses sometimes. I’m in the courtroom probably 400% more than most other types of lawyers. I put on seminars, and I get to travel once or twice a year to attend other seminars myself. So I get to be a lawyer, without being a typical, stuffy, paperwork-laden existence (though a large amount of my job IS paperwork).

The drawbacks are that it pays shit, at least on the local government level, it’s kind of a niche job in that if you want to stay in it forever but “advance” the path pretty much ends at the US Attorney’s office, and I never really felt like I’m part of the “lawyer club.” I consider myself more a part of the law enforcement community than the lawyer community.

But it’s a great job for someone who doesn’t like being stuck in an office 100% of the time, likes handling different and important situations, can get a little gritty, but also enjoys writing and reading.

Another prosecutor here and this 100% sums up my experience.

I'm not convinced this job is great for the "nicest person in the world" types. You have to deal with really horrible stuff: drug dealers, domestic violence, child abuse. Victims/witnesses are going to be horrible to you and I'd rather wrestle a bear than deal with a lot of criminal defense attorneys. You have to have a pretty thick skin and you absolutely cannot be a "people pleaser."

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the awesome ideas. Some I had thought of and discussed with her previously (but the confirmation was nice). Also nice to have some new ideas which I had never considered since I am wired differently than my daughter is.

I also appreciated the comments from the prosecutor who said "law school was harder than my job." I think this is true for a lot of careers! (Although, I think she is too much of a "people pleaser" and "too nice" for being a prosecutor or social worker! I think she'd be completely stressed out!!)

I have zero intention of "backing off".... I am the parent that has made my kids talk to their own coaches/teachers/friends and otherwise refused to helicopter. I have saved my "hovering" for things that are important-- like a career choice (especially with how expensive college is!). My parents were the same. My parents specifically discouraged me on a few career choices I was hot on (and those silly tests told me were a good match). My parents were absolutely correct and I ended up with a career I truly love. I get to use skills that I am "good at" (i.e., better than my peers) and has aspects that truly interest me so it means a happy and successful career. I want the same for her.

Obviously, she is free to pick whatever career she wants. I have told both my kids that I will pay for college if there is a "path" that leads to a career that will allow them to be gainfully employed.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who's an occupational therapist and it seems like a really fantastic job. She's gotten to live overseas, work in a lot of different settings, go part time when her kid was young, be both physical and smart. I have another friend who's a physical therapist and it also seems great. (He's a bookish kind of guy who was in a philosophy PhD program before going to PT school so my conclusion from that is that many types of people enjoy that career.)

I think it's great that you're being proactive with this for your daughter. I'm in my mid-40s now, but still remember how lost I felt in my teens and 20s, just feeling like I really had no idea what careers were even out there beyond doctor or lawyer. (I became a lawyer, decided I hated it, and do something else now.)

If it'd been a more ambitious or proactive person - or, had the internet existed when I was younger - I'm sure I could have discovered much of this for myself. As it is it took many years of exploring and talking to people and learning, even to get a sense of how big the world is.

[Anonymous]

PHDs are not worth the investment. if you have money to burn, sure, or if you have a foreign gov subsidizing you, sure, but not for most US college graduates

And most important, an NSF internal memo written in 1989, at a time the NSF was lobbying Congress to establish the H-1B program, called for bringing in large numbers of foreign students to suppress PhD salaries, and noted that that would drive away Americans from pursuing grad study

A growing influx of foreign Ph.D.s into U.S. labor markets will hold down the level of Ph.D. salaries. …[The Americans] will select alternative career paths…by choosing to acquire a “professional” degree in business or law, or by switching into management as rapidly as possible after gaining employment in private industry…[as] the effective premium for acquiring a Ph.D. may actually be negative.

http://users.nber.org/~sewp/references/archive/weinsteinhowandwhygovernment.pdf

[Anonymous]

I think high school is too early to pigeon hole yourself. Why not take a top-down approach and have her explore areas of interest to study first before locking in on a career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think high school is too early to pigeon hole yourself. Why not take a top-down approach and have her explore areas of interest to study first before locking in on a career.

This is why college grads do not have jobs! It is irrelevant what you want to study. What is relevant is what is at the other end. What your skills are, what you would be good at, what you value the most from a career (e.g., money? social value? interesting? challenging?).

I did NOT like law school. I love being a lawyer. I chose law school because I wanted to be a lawyer because I felt it was a good match for me personality-wise and skill-set wise (and figured I would not have to worry about money).

I loved studying history. Not a lot of jobs as historians.

[Anonymous]

I also thought of PT, OT, and SLP.

Some other options that may not be as overtly popular (less well known, and might be worth looking at acceptance rates and job opportunities):

Child life specialist
Kinesiologist (not just for PTs!)
Audiologist
Respiratory therapist
Art therapist
Athletic trainer
Deaf interpreter (can be hard to find work or you will be overwhelmed with oppotunitis, depending on the locale, certification, and training)
Imaging technician (e.g., ultrasound tech -- lots of hands-on and people involvement)
Massage therapist
Prothetist/orthotist
Hippotherapist (horse therapy!)
EEG or EKG tech
Paramedic
Health educator (diabetes education, genetics counseling)
Dental hygienist

Don't forget the trades. She might really get into metalworking, woodworking, plumbing, landscaping, etc., if she does some shadowing or a trial run. Worth being realistic about job prospects, and there is a wide range in the trades, depending.

[Anonymous]

Until your daughter comes to you expressing an interest in X, leave her alone. She'll figure it out.

My daughter, who's only in 8th grade, has expressed an interest in forensic psychology. That's great. We discussed it. She looked into it - read books, etc. But that's all. I leave it alone, as it will change, I'm sure!

She'll be fine. She seems well adjusted and happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also thought of PT, OT, and SLP.

Some other options that may not be as overtly popular (less well known, and might be worth looking at acceptance rates and job opportunities):

Child life specialist
Kinesiologist (not just for PTs!)
Audiologist
Respiratory therapist
Art therapist
Athletic trainer
Deaf interpreter (can be hard to find work or you will be overwhelmed with oppotunitis, depending on the locale, certification, and training)
Imaging technician (e.g., ultrasound tech -- lots of hands-on and people involvement)
Massage therapist
Prothetist/orthotist
Hippotherapist (horse therapy!)
EEG or EKG tech
Paramedic
Health educator (diabetes education, genetics counseling)
Dental hygienist

Don't forget the trades. She might really get into metalworking, woodworking, plumbing, landscaping, etc., if she does some shadowing or a trial run. Worth being realistic about job prospects, and there is a wide range in the trades, depending.

Love this list! Some mainstream, some that nobody really thinks about ......