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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who would like to have a comfortable lifestyle. He’s a smart kid, who does well in school, who likes a comfortable lifestyle. He thinks he would be happier with a job he “didn’t hate” that gave him $ to do what he likes on the weekends, than a job he loves with uncertain income, or one with long hours.

He does well in school, math comes easily to him. He’s wondered about careers in data, finance, etc . . . Someone told him patent attorney is a good choice if you want interesting work and a good life style.

Any suggestions for majors and careers that might be a fit?

Im looking for the same!
-50 yo

[Anonymous]

If he finds the financial markets interesting, is a good communicator, and enjoys working with people, he should consider becoming a financial advisor. You usually don't work weekends or late nights unless your entertain clients. Once you build your own book of clients, you can strike out on your own or will be in demand by multiple firms. Building a book of your own clients is tough and will take time, but you can make more than $250k pretty easily.

[Anonymous]

There isn't anything like this. Money takes sacrifice

[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.

OP's kid should figure out the costs of the life he'd like to have - mortgage, kids, travel, etc - and also the typical salaries in a few fields that interest him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There isn't anything like this. Money takes sacrifice

There are lots of points of balance, though. You can work a little and earn a little, work a little more and earn a little more. You can plan to work crazy hours for 4 years while banking all your money and then move into a different role with your down-payment saved. You can choose a career that lets you live somewhere cheap or near your family or in a city where you don't need a car or whatever your priority is.

[Anonymous]

Every inexplicably wealthy person I know who doesn’t seem to work much is in commercial real estate or real estate development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every inexplicably wealthy person I know who doesn’t seem to work much is in commercial real estate or real estate development.

This is a good one.

I’ve also found that people who work in sales (corporate sales, not hawking some cheap little product) tend to work very little for their pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My spouse has this in biotech but put in a solid decade after undergrads to get the degrees/skills for it. Still, it’s worth it if you can hang for first that ten years.

I think OP’s child is missing the time perspective. A lot of us that are advanced in our career and have a comfortable life worked long hours in our 20s and 30s to get here.

There’s no magic profession that starts you in six figures with 40 hours and significant flexibility. You’ve got to earn it.

[Anonymous]

Work for your parents company and then claim you got there through your own hard work

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Patent Attorneys work long hours, so probably not that.

To me, it sounds like he wants a government sector STEM job.

How do you get a government sector STEM job? Can you give an example?

This year is not normal, but in a normal year someone with a relevant CS or engineering degree often can get a government STEM job at any of these local places:

NIST in Gaithersburg
Army Research Lab in Adelphi
NASA Goddard in Greenbelt
NSWC in Carderock or in Indian Head
DISA at Ft Meade

If one has a BSN+RN or a graduate degree in Bio or Chem, then possibly at NIH in Bethesda.

Right now many government orgs, but not all, have a hiring freeze. Some DoD orgs have a limited waiver from that hiring freeze narrowly for STEM jobs.

Tech firms along the Silver Line usually pay better than the government, but they want a lot more than 40 hours/week and have limited time off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poster with a poli sci undergrad and then a top MBA. I now work for a Fortune 500 known for good work life balance.

I make enough to be in the top 10% of the population in household income, but never really have much to do after work at this stage of my career, and have not for the past 10-15 years.

I have told my similarly math-oriented kid in college now to major in business with a finance or accounting focus, or data science/analytics. Contrary to some popular theories, AI is not taking these jobs and in fact it’s really going to be a tool that people in these jobs will use in the future.

I think it will be easy to be a Director/sr director/VP level in many companies, large and small, with this kind of background undergrad.

What makes you say this? Everyone I know in these fields is convinced that AI is going to change everything .

NP but it’s honestly shocking how easily the public is convinced by tech bros with overvalued companies. AI is a readjustment, but the whole “taking all the jobs” bit is so some douchey 20 year old who just graduated Stanford can get investors to send him an obscene amount of money for a company that Open Ai and inevitably Google will buy. It’s jarring because in the tech space currently the discussion is Open Ai needing to eventually collapse, but somehow that isn’t reaching most employees yet.

NP. This is very astute. People need to stop listening to the Sam Altmans of the world. They are charlatans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who would like to have a comfortable lifestyle. He’s a smart kid, who does well in school, who likes a comfortable lifestyle. He thinks he would be happier with a job he “didn’t hate” that gave him $ to do what he likes on the weekends, than a job he loves with uncertain income, or one with long hours.

He does well in school, math comes easily to him. He’s wondered about careers in data, finance, etc . . . Someone told him patent attorney is a good choice if you want interesting work and a good life style.

Any suggestions for majors and careers that might be a fit?

Im looking for the same!
-50 yo

Yeah, same here.

- much older than 50

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who would like to have a comfortable lifestyle. He’s a smart kid, who does well in school, who likes a comfortable lifestyle. He thinks he would be happier with a job he “didn’t hate” that gave him $ to do what he likes on the weekends, than a job he loves with uncertain income, or one with long hours.

He does well in school, math comes easily to him. He’s wondered about careers in data, finance, etc . . . Someone told him patent attorney is a good choice if you want interesting work and a good life style.

Any suggestions for majors and careers that might be a fit?

Dentistry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse has this in biotech but put in a solid decade after undergrads to get the degrees/skills for it. Still, it’s worth it if you can hang for first that ten years.

I think OP’s child is missing the time perspective. A lot of us that are advanced in our career and have a comfortable life worked long hours in our 20s and 30s to get here.

There’s no magic profession that starts you in six figures with 40 hours and significant flexibility. You’ve got to earn it.

agree. surgeon mom who now works 30-40 hour weeks, controllable schedule, ~400k. but it took 8 years of 100+ hour weeks during residency (salary<100k) and another 10 years of 50-60 hour weeks with salary slowly increasing from 250k base. it's a lot of work but i love my patients, colleagues, and teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who would like to have a comfortable lifestyle. He’s a smart kid, who does well in school, who likes a comfortable lifestyle. He thinks he would be happier with a job he “didn’t hate” that gave him $ to do what he likes on the weekends, than a job he loves with uncertain income, or one with long hours.

He does well in school, math comes easily to him. He’s wondered about careers in data, finance, etc . . . Someone told him patent attorney is a good choice if you want interesting work and a good life style.

Any suggestions for majors and careers that might be a fit?

Im looking for the same!
-50 yo

Yeah, same here.

- much older than 50

I'm mid 50s, and I have this life. I went into IT when I was 30 back in 2000. I made good money and generally worked a 9 to 5. I pivoted to a BSA role, then program management role. I still make a decent amount and don't work much overtime, but I'm also efficient (though I'm slowing down a lot).

But, these jobs have largely gone overseas. I'm glad I'm retiring in the next year.