High-earning careers for risk averse people?

[Anonymous]

Accounting has 100% job placement at UMD. My DS is graduating from UMD with an accounting degree and has a b4 job offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actuary

+1. I have a family member who is an actuary, and they work remotely and make more than most accountants I know. Seems to be a much lower supply of actuaries than accountants. If your son is smart he will pass the necessary tests and be part of a small pool of qualified actuaries making really good money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accounting has 100% job placement at UMD. My DS is graduating from UMD with an accounting degree and has a b4 job offer.

Still wouldn't do it. Once in industry, people in other disciplines earn more because they are not in staff roles.

[Anonymous]

If he has the grades/LSAT for a T14 law school, that’s a pretty safe career path. Start in biglaw (almost everyone who wants it gets it unless there’s a recession), move to government around five years in, eventually earn close to $200k at the top of the GS scale or more at a financial regulator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he has the grades/LSAT for a T14 law school, that’s a pretty safe career path. Start in biglaw (almost everyone who wants it gets it unless there’s a recession), move to government around five years in, eventually earn close to $200k at the top of the GS scale or more at a financial regulator.

That's a highly unlikely pathway, and you have to have a ton of drive to achieve that.

[Anonymous]

My son graduated from UVA in CS seven years ago and worked for Lockheed while attending law school specialized in Intellectual Property.  After graduating from law school, he worked at a startup and the company was sold to a bigger player and he got his share of 10M.  He is now a high school teacher.  CS -> IP law will be here for the next 50 years with very high salary.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone expand on the pathway to becoming a quant? Major in CS, do you also need financial/economics/math minor? Are there exams? Grad degree? Series of exams?

How do you see this profession being impacted by AI? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

There is an oversupply of CS majors.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to accounting!! These are my people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an oversupply of CS majors.

And there’s a significant undersupply of accounting majors.

[Anonymous]

Accounting is indeed very stable, and easy to get a job out of school, but I wouldn’t call it non-competitive, especially if you’re talking the big leagues. Making partner at a Big 4 is as difficult, if not more so, than in Big Law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone expand on the pathway to becoming a quant? Major in CS, do you also need financial/economics/math minor? Are there exams? Grad degree? Series of exams?

How do you see this profession being impacted by AI? Thank you!

Agreed. AI will have a significant impact on any careers dependent on quantitative analysis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he’s genuinely interested in medicine join he military and have them pay for med school. “Retire” after 20 years with a pension and go into private practice.

This. Focus on surgery once in. And one thing military medicine lis better at than probably anyone else in the world is ortho and spine surgery. Hone your practice while still in the service and then make the biggest bank in private practice fixing lower backs, ankles and hips.
— OR @ a military hospital

I don't think an anxious, risk averse kid is going to be a surgeon!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accounting has 100% job placement at UMD. My DS is graduating from UMD with an accounting degree and has a b4 job offer.

Still wouldn't do it. Once in industry, people in other disciplines earn more because they are not in staff roles.

But some people don't always need to earn the most. They want to earn enough. A field where you can be more or less guaranteed employment that pays enough can be very appealing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son graduated from UVA in CS seven years ago and worked for Lockheed while attending law school specialized in Intellectual Property.  After graduating from law school, he worked at a startup and the company was sold to a bigger player and he got his share of 10M.  He is now a high school teacher.  CS -> IP law will be here for the next 50 years with very high salary.

Risk averse people are not going to startups hoping for a big windfall. That is the opposite of what risk averse people are doing.