D1 did not even have a major; she had a “concentration,” which she designed herself. It was in visual arts, writing, and social change, and I can’t remember the exact title. She is a writer and hopes to someday actually make money doing so. Meanwhile, she’s supporting herself in New York City with serving jobs. I love telling people what she majored in and what she’s doing. I also love talking about D2, who majored in the easy-to-remember fields of economics and math and is working at a related job.
As a Recreational Therapist, I love my job! But it is part-time. However, I’ve had a lot of ups & downs throughout my career. What I envisioned doing while I was going to college was not what I ended up doing in the field - but I needed a job. I did enjoy working as an Activity Director in a Nursing center, but it was definitely not what I had envisioned myself doing (and burn-out is a real thing!). I had really hoped to work in an outdoor setting with youth! Fast forward many years, I am finally working in an outdoor setting with all ages, however there are no full time positions available in this area. Where I work, you have to work part-time for untold number of years before a full time position becomes available. And right now, we are downsizing, so who knows if any full time jobs will be available before I’m ready to retire!
So my advice is to really check out the job outlook in whatever area he might be interested in living after he graduates. Be prepared to work several part-time jobs and not in the concentration he may want.
@conmama Weighing in as another Occupational Therapist. I’ve been practicing for over 30 years and as said earlier in this thread , OT has become quite competitive to be accepted into accredited programs. These programs are heavily science based and very intensive. I commend your son for knowing his strengths and interests and feeling comfortable choosing a career which he will enjoy. There is a common misconception that health care professionals can make excellent incomes and for that reason, people should pursue these options. "Making good money " is not a reason to go into healthcare. The demands of the job can be very taxing physically and emotionally. Weekends and holidays are often required . The time that you believed would be spent “helping people” is diminished by the time documenting the necessity of your work to insurance companies looking for a reason to deny your services . As an Occupational Therapist, the job involves training in Activities of Daily Living including bathing , dressing, toileting . These tasks may be uncomfortable for a young male .
Does your son like children? If he does he may want to look into Child Life Specialist programs. Good luck to him. If it’s any consolation , when I chose Occupational Therapy over 30 years ago, very few people knew what OT was. I usually got " Why not go to PT school?"
Tell your son to go with his intuition. I did and never regretted it.