Anonymous wrote:Middle class people and strivers are soooo boring because EVERY decision is about money. (I’m not saying that money isn’t important, but there’s no need to fixate on it; life is more colorful than money alone.) Consequently, they are not fun, witty, interesting, informative, or even friendly. Instead, they are highly practical, uptight, judgmental, and narrow-minded. If a kid can’t kayak at 22, when should he? According to the dopes on this thread: never.

Anonymous wrote:Better to do that now than hit 30 or 50 with a wife and kids and a head full of regrets. I’ve seen those people and it’s not pretty when the crap hits the fan.

Anonymous wrote:This is fun and enjoyable and like a gap year. I know a kid who graduated from one of these schools, worked as a backwoods hiking guide for a year, then joined a top tier investment bank.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with a kayak instructor’s job. There is no such thing as a “crap” job. That said, choosing a major or field of study is more important than ever. Decades ago when fewer HS graduates went to college, someone with a BA degree in history from a state school might be hired as a factory manager or some office job, not because the company has any use for his (more likely his than her in those days) knowledge of history, but the fact that he went to college and got a degree showed that he had intellect, work ethic, and more importantly, ability to learn. But since about 20 years ago history degrees are a dime a dozen. If I were a kid today, unless I get into an Ivy, I would NOT study history (or any humanities or social studies). Even at Ivys, have to make sure you do well and hopefully get into an Ivy or top ranked law school. My friend who graduated from Harvard Kennedy School of Govt in the late 80’s got his first job at BofA. He told me that he was lucky to live in a different era; nowadays banks are not willing to train even Ivy graduates from scratch unless they have a strong math background (regardless of major).

The history majors I know from my state university (gasp) are: 1) a lawyer; 2) a chief medical officer of a hospital; 3) a TV executive; 4) a social science researcher in the private sector; and 5) a high school teacher. It really isn't the death sentence you think it is.

You graduated a long time ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with a kayak instructor’s job. There is no such thing as a “crap” job. That said, choosing a major or field of study is more important than ever. Decades ago when fewer HS graduates went to college, someone with a BA degree in history from a state school might be hired as a factory manager or some office job, not because the company has any use for his (more likely his than her in those days) knowledge of history, but the fact that he went to college and got a degree showed that he had intellect, work ethic, and more importantly, ability to learn. But since about 20 years ago history degrees are a dime a dozen. If I were a kid today, unless I get into an Ivy, I would NOT study history (or any humanities or social studies). Even at Ivys, have to make sure you do well and hopefully get into an Ivy or top ranked law school. My friend who graduated from Harvard Kennedy School of Govt in the late 80’s got his first job at BofA. He told me that he was lucky to live in a different era; nowadays banks are not willing to train even Ivy graduates from scratch unless they have a strong math background (regardless of major).

The history majors I know from my state university (gasp) are: 1) a lawyer; 2) a chief medical officer of a hospital; 3) a TV executive; 4) a social science researcher in the private sector; and 5) a high school teacher. It really isn't the death sentence you think it is.

Anonymous wrote:Why do highly credentialed HYPS grads accept crap jobs after graduation?

My neighbor’s son is a senior at a HYPS right now, and she told me that her son just accepted a job offer after graduation. When I asked her what the job is, she told me that her son is moving to Oregon to be a full-time whitewater kayaking instructor.

I was bewildered by this. With a math degree from HYPS, I would assume he’d get a great job offer at graduation.

Oh and for the record, it’s not like he is a rich kid who can rely on his parents — he is solidly middle class and went to his college on a good amount of financial aid.

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with a kayak instructor’s job. There is no such thing as a “crap” job. That said, choosing a major or field of study is more important than ever. Decades ago when fewer HS graduates went to college, someone with a BA degree in history from a state school might be hired as a factory manager or some office job, not because the company has any use for his (more likely his than her in those days) knowledge of history, but the fact that he went to college and got a degree showed that he had intellect, work ethic, and more importantly, ability to learn. But since about 20 years ago history degrees are a dime a dozen. If I were a kid today, unless I get into an Ivy, I would NOT study history (or any humanities or social studies). Even at Ivys, have to make sure you do well and hopefully get into an Ivy or top ranked law school. My friend who graduated from Harvard Kennedy School of Govt in the late 80’s got his first job at BofA. He told me that he was lucky to live in a different era; nowadays banks are not willing to train even Ivy graduates from scratch unless they have a strong math background (regardless of major).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kayaking instructor isn’t a “crap job” he had to take because IB didn’t want him. That’s something he pursued with intention. There are few times in your life when you can take a paying job doing EXACTLY what you want to do, but age 22 is one of those times. It sounds like a great plan to me and his math degree isn’t going anywhere.
FWIW my kid is at HYP and feeling the pressure to have some amazing career path right out of the gate in no small part because of the culture of the school. I’ve encouraged her to think of her 20s as really “hers” and a time when it’s ok if the path twists around a bit. We aren’t wealthy, she needs and wants to be a self sufficient adult, and the good news is there are so many ways to do that

You are wrong. Your twenties are the time to jump-start your career.

Both you and your DD need to read “The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay. Young adults in their twenties NEED to be gunners.

Nope the HYP DD already has a leg up and does not need to be a nonstop striver.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kayaking instructor isn’t a “crap job” he had to take because IB didn’t want him. That’s something he pursued with intention. There are few times in your life when you can take a paying job doing EXACTLY what you want to do, but age 22 is one of those times. It sounds like a great plan to me and his math degree isn’t going anywhere.
FWIW my kid is at HYP and feeling the pressure to have some amazing career path right out of the gate in no small part because of the culture of the school. I’ve encouraged her to think of her 20s as really “hers” and a time when it’s ok if the path twists around a bit. We aren’t wealthy, she needs and wants to be a self sufficient adult, and the good news is there are so many ways to do that

You are wrong. Your twenties are the time to jump-start your career.

Both you and your DD need to read “The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay. Young adults in their twenties NEED to be gunners.

Anonymous wrote:He probably wants to have fun for a while and then will go to grad school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you major in useless easy stuff

Now majoring in Math is a useless easy degree?