How can I get my child interested in a science major

[Anonymous]

DD is a rising junior. She wants to go to college and major in dance education and then go to culinary school. She wants to start a catering business and teach dance on the side. I would love for her to major in a science so that she has a chance to have a real career. How can I encourage her to become interested in/pick a science major?

[Anonymous]

Maybe if you can yourself invent a time machine? It seems like this die is cast and your daughter has some wonderful interests. Good luck to her in her endeavors! She sounds charming and I hope she has a wonderful time exploring her path.

OP, you might want to do a Google search for Steve Job's Commencement Address at Stanford. Watch the video. It may help you see that there is more than one definition to success just like there is more than one path to success.

[Anonymous]

This is sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe if you can yourself invent a time machine? It seems like this die is cast and your daughter has some wonderful interests. Good luck to her in her endeavors! She sounds charming and I hope she has a wonderful time exploring her path.

OP, you might want to do a Google search for Steve Job's Commencement Address at Stanford. Watch the video. It may help you see that there is more than one definition to success just like there is more than one path to success.

I know that, but if she doesn't get her business started or make it as a dance teacher, I would like for her to have a backup plan.

[Anonymous]

If your child is interested in dance and culinary arts, I hate to tell you, but the writing is on the wall. She's not a science/tech kid!

I think I would work with her interests, but add to them some business or perhaps teaching skills. You can't make your child into someone she isn't. The sooner you get that, the better off you will be.

[Anonymous]

OMG op she has plans, good ones. At least she doesn't want to be a ballerina or a broadway dancer. That would be risky.

[Anonymous]

Catering is a real career, as is teaching dance. Don't force homer into doing something that will make her miserable. (If you're really nervous about practicality, I might suggest that she takes some business/accounting classes, as a way to further guarantee success in starting a business.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG op she has plans, good ones. At least she doesn't want to be a ballerina or a broadway dancer. That would be risky.

That was her original plan, but she gave up on that when she got rejected from a dance company in New York.

[Anonymous]

So if it doesn't work out she'll struggle a bit figuring it out. That is appropriate in one's early twenties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a rising junior. She wants to go to college and major in dance education and then go to culinary school. She wants to start a catering business and teach dance on the side. I would love for her to major in a science so that she has a chance to have a real career. How can I encourage her to become interested in/pick a science major?

Basically, you're asking, "How can I encourage my child to be somebody else?" That is a question that answers itself, I hope.

Also, catering can be a real career. Teaching dance can be too.

[Anonymous]

Is she attractive? She'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Tell her to minor in business or finance to be able to run her business and not pay accountants. That way she can fall back on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG op she has plans, good ones. At least she doesn't want to be a ballerina or a broadway dancer. That would be risky.

That was her original plan, but she gave up on that when she got rejected from a dance company in New York.

The fact she endured the dance company's rejection, rethought how to use her dance skills, and came up with her new plan shows that she is resilient and realistic. So why can't you see that?

You seem to have a narrow concept of how she can make a living. Please try to be glad you have teen who, instead of being crushed and defeated by being rejected for a dream job, found another way to apply her interests to the working world. Support her by encouraging business classes, further dance training, and serious culinary training.

She is old enough that if you push for her to force a fake interest in science just to please you or just to get you to pay for college...you will alienate her, maybe for life. And she will not keep employment long in science if she studies it only to please you; employers will know her mind isn't really on the job.

Her career plan is not a silly pie-in-the-sky notion. Is she in FCPS? Does she know FCPS has a culinary academy program where she could start working on those skills in high school? Search the FCPS web site using the term Marshall Academy and find "culinary arts" on the academy page. FCPS lets students travel during the school day to high schools that offer academy classes if their own base school does not. So.. Certainly the schools think catering is a real career option. So do colleges that offer degrees in hospitality industry, culinary arts, dance education....This summer, have her research jobs and salaries in catering and dance education; have her research colleges and outline the career path in these fields, etc. Let her see that you'll take her goals seriously if she will seriously research them and make plans on how to spend her last year's of HS.

Please back her up. She will do better and go farther if she knows you are not silently thinking she's wrong and should change her fundamental interests and strengths.

[Anonymous]

Is she taking calc next year? Physics?

[Anonymous]

My MD/PhD husband is at the peak of his research scientist career and makes 100K annually.

Dance and catering ARE real careers.
And she might make more money that way!