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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Are any of you actually teachers (or nurses?).

I work as a nurse in DC.  I can afford to live in DC because (by luck) I'm married to a high earner.  98% of my coworkers live an hour+ out of the city because that's where they can begin to afford to buy a house (and generally a townhouse).  All of my kids' teachers live there as well except for those married 
to a high income earner.  Many of the rest leave the DC area entirely when they hit 30 and want to buy a house, have kids, etc.

Look, I'm all in favor of kids following their passion.  But I'm torn.  I know the reality of making a salary that many (most?) on DCUM [b]openly mock.[/b]   I'm honestly torn about what I'll tell my own kids when they're choosing college majors.

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I'm not torn at all. I'm a RN married to a high earner living in NoVa. I have told my kids that nursing is very stressful work lot work for little pay. I don't want them going into nursing.[/quote]

You can move anywhere as a nurse and find a job.  There will always be a demand for your skills and your profession.   Some of the ridiculous salaries in other professions that we hear about on DCUM  are not going to be found just anywhere.

If my kid had an interest in the field of nursing (or teaching) I would tell them to pursue it - IF that is what they wanted to do.[/quote]

+1  My sister is a nurse (although now in administration, managing nurse training for a hospital and working on a doctorate) and encourages people to go into it but ONLY if they've had some real exposure to the field and really want to do it.  It's not something you pick just because there will always be jobs.  She used to teach in a nursing program and often had students who were upset that they finished the degree and couldn't find a job in their city.  The city has several nursing education programs so that particular market was saturated with new nurses.  There are plenty of nursing jobs but you may have to move for the best opportunities.

I know plenty of teachers who are happy with their careers but agree with PPs that OP's daughter should keep her math major and either double major or minor with elementary ed.  Will give her much more flexibility in the future, either to teach at a higher level or to work in another aspect of education or to leave it and do something different.  And, if she has not had direct experience working with ES kids she needs to get it now -- work at a camp this summer, volunteer at an after school program, something to get a sense as to whether or not she really wants to spend her career working with kids.  [/quote]

Sure you "always have a job" as a RN or teacher. But let's face it. Both are low-pay, high-stress professions. Until this country figures out that we need to actually value these two professions and reward them accordingly, there will always be a shortage of good nurses and teachers. Teachers in Oklahoma have 1-3 side jobs just to live. How is this sustainable? [/quote]

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