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[quote=Anonymous][quote]All my SLAC did for me was get me into Yale Law. And now I am telling kids not to go into law. [/quote]

One thing I find interesting is that everyone thinks that whatever they did is the hardest, most unreasonable, biggest ponzi scheme joke ever, and their kids should do the opposite of whatever they did.  My father was also a lawyer who went to a top law school and went through the grind to make partner at a large firm.  He had the same advice--especially regarding the win or take all nature of law these days.

So I got a PhD in chemistry.  But there are so many bitter chemists these days about how horrid the job market is, about how academia is a pipe dream, about how industry is insecure, about how your compensation is way less than in business or law or other areas, about how so many scientists end up in an endless postdoc cycle, making 40K in their 40s after a decade of higher education, how the number of professional jobs is way lower than the number of PhD scientists, the layoffs in the pharaceutical industry, etc.  There are plenty of PhD scientists (especially those who didn't make it in academia or land on their feet in industry) who warn their kids to never go into science and the notion of going into science (in the life and chemical sciences) and having a good life is about as realistic as making it as an actor in hollywood.

I have a friend who is working in silicon valley as a software engineer in her late 20s with a toddler and she gets compensated extremely well, however she deals with some of the worst, nastiest sexism, especially regarding her pregnancy and demands as a mother.  I also know engineers with limited career mobility who struggle to find jobs, especially if they ever want to make more than 60-80K and regret their decision to become engineers.

Then people say the same of finance, of medicine (especially the competitive specialities), of business, really of any lucrative, competitive field.  There are a handful of people who do really well, and everyone is left in the dust.  It's part of our win or take all culture these days.  In some regards, being a lawyer, especially if you are able to go to a top law school has far better odds and/or earning potential than some other competitive fields.

I'm not discouraging my own kids from going into STEM fields.  I think those careers can be great for the right person.  But I don't think they are guaranteed to secure you a nice life either.  Everything is a risk, and people need to forge their own pathways.[/quote]

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