Reply to Did your adult child know what they wanted to do at 18?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Only one of my ACs stuck with their original plan, hatched sophomore year of high school which was launching a tech business. The others all ended up in different fields than they thought they would. We did not push school as a path to career X that will pay Y. We always told them we supported their freedom to choose what to study, and when those choices didn’t have a clear career path, we encouraged them to create one.

A few people know what they want to do at 18 (not me!), but most really don’t. I think part of the benefit of college is finding things you’re passionate about and trying different things. We strongly encouraged them to make sure that they made effort with their professors, and clicking with mentors definitely helped them find their grooves.

Especially at a big state school, your daughter likely has Gen Ed to fulfill. [b]I would tell her to stop worrying and see what she loves. Find your passion and then figure out how to make it pay you. Tell her it is fine to be open to possibilities now.[/b]

My cousin has had a very successful career in engineering and hated every minute of it. Her parents pressured her because she was so good at it. She loved art history. She’s spent her adult life wasting away dreading each day. Yes, she makes money, but she is so drained she doesn’t enjoy it. She should have studied what she loved and made it work.

H left his science career which he loved for tech. He thought it would be more lucrative and stable. He doesn’t hate his work but he doesn’t love it, and it’s not that stable- I think we actually would have been better off if he hadn’t made the change, and he would have been happier. [/quote]

I actually find it bad advice to "find your passion" because literally 95% of adults have no passion.  95% of working adults have jobs that pay well and they find interesting enough, but if they won $10MM tomorrow they wouldn't keep doing their existing job in any form.

I am more realistic in that pursue things that interest you and make you reasonably happy, but don't try to invent a passion where none exists or will ever exist.  [/quote]

+1 I hate the passion line. Figure out what you can do well and can translate into a reasonably paying job. That's the best thing for most people.

People who have a passion don't need to be told to find it. That's one of my kids. She's loved the outdoors since she was very little, by high school had developed her passion for the environment with a particular interest in native plants and environmental restoration. That's what she's focusing on in college. Her specific path may adjust in time but she will absolutely end up doing something related to the environment.

OTOH, my son is good at math and picked a practical major where he can use his strengths. He doesn't LOVE it but finds it interesting enough to start a career.[/quote]

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