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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What if your kid is insistent on what to major in, and you are strongly opposed to it?  DS, 15, insists he want to get a degree in video game design.  He is not artsy at all, but want to get a fine arts degree, not a computer science degree (with a minor in the game design fine arts).

DS is a math/logic type of kid.  Has never been an English or art or creative type.  Moreover, I've been reading about the gaming industry and it is BRUTAL.  No job security, 18 hr days for months on end, no weekends off, and lay-offs constantly.  Health insurance -- questionable. Not compatible with having a family or any kind of self-care.

I don't know why anyone would pursue this.  And I don't want to pay for a FINE ARTS degree in video game design that has very little cross-over use (I'd be ok with the comsci degree +video game minor).

All of this is just a long way of saying:  being undecided is better than being stubbornly committed to something that has a brutal future.  Go with "undecided!"[/quote]

To the parent whose kid wants to design video games...I suggest that you occasionally share the articles you are reading. If you respond in a heavy handed way, with an adolescent, it will backfire. You can also negotiate. Like send him to a school that offers a BS/BA, but has coursework in video design. Or agree that he should combine this interest with a marketable minor.

Instead of focusing on how flawed his dream is, try making him aware that 1/3 kids change their major so he should choose a place that offers other options in case HE changes his mind.

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018434.pdf

(Again, emphasizing him making choices not you. That will be a more winning argument with a teenager.)

In the end, you have to accept that eventually HE will get to choose his future/career. Some motivation will be needed for success. So, a negotiated outcome is your best shot at having any influence.
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