I don't Understand

College Majors
1

<p>So, my dad had (he’s passed now) a chemical engineering degree from WUSTL–a very good engineering school.</p>

<p>However, after working as a chemical engineer for five years, my dad went back to school and got a degree in Chemistry to work as a medical technologist. He said (this was about ten years ago) that work in the chemical engineering industry was too instable.</p>

<p>Till this day, I still can’t grasp his decision and think it was a complete waste of money. Chemical engineers make about $75K a year, while medical technologists only make about about $45K. Also, work in chemical engineering is/has always been in high demand. </p>

<p>(I keep thinking about how much better our lives would have been with that extra $30K.)</p>

<p>Could someone explain to me why someone would make such a decision.</p>

2

<p>My father left his career as an environmental engineer a few years back here because his job was unstable as well. When the time came that he got laid off for the 4th time or so in 3 years, he threw up his arms and said he wasn’t going back and decided to buy a franchise and went into business on his own. There are normally a lot of factors that can go into these kinds of decisions. </p>

<p>For one (probably the most important one), maybe your father didn’t want to uproot the family in the middle of your schooling? There is a misconception that if there is a great job outlook for someone with a particular degree, they can get a job anywhere. Well, thats just not the case. Most times you have to move for the job, which makes it very tricky if you have school-aged children. Many if not most parents want to keep their kids in the same schooling system for their primary and especially secondary education so they don’t have disruptions in their education and social life. </p>

<p>Also, what if he took a job somewhere else, just to get laid off in six months. The old saying goes, “Last hired, first fired”, so if something happened within the company the move could be a huge waste of money and stress. </p>

<p>Furthermore, it may have been difficult for him to find a new job if laid off. My father was turned down from many, many jobs because of having too much experience. Companies would hire him for the hard stuff, then in six months lay him off to hire two fresh college grads for the salary he was making. He told many companies he would take pay cuts so he could be employed and help his family, but nobody would allow for that to happen. This can not only make it harder to find a job locally, but also non-locally and increase the probability to get laid off.</p>

<p>His personal happiness has to be taken in account for as well. Maybe chemical engineering wasn’t doing it for him anymore and needed a change of pace to keep himself happy enough to keep on going? Since my father changed careers, though my family doesn’t have the money it used to (business start up costs almost bankrupt my parents), my father comes home happy everyday knowing he made a difference that can be seen immediately (and not have to wait until the clean-up, etc. was done as with environmental health and safety). </p>

<p>Also, does your mom work? If your mother has a very stable job in the area that may be hard to find elsewhere, it may be worthwhile to stay put and change careers so you can stay in the area. </p>

<p>Obviously there are a innumerable questions that adults must address when they are looking for a new job, these were just a few that my family had to address, your family may have had a different set of circumstances. Don’t worry, money means absolutely nothing when it comes to true happiness! My family hasn’t been happier since my father changed careers. Learn from your father and follow your heart, regardless of how much money you could potentially make.</p>

3

<p>Location is important. </p>

<p>Sometimes there is a lot of demand for fresh grads but not so much for individuals who have been out of school for a significant period of time. My father has over 25 years of marketing experience and has been laid off three times, all for the same reason - he was making too much money. The companies could hire someone fresh out of school for 1/3 to a 1/2 of what he was earning, and while the quality may not have been equal it was more cost-effective. After the last time, my dad started his own marketing firm rather than have a repeat of finding a new job, spending 5-7 years there before being told the same thing…</p>

<p>This may be one of those times that you’ll begin to realize how naive your parents kept you. I know I had times when I was pretty sure I had a good handle on what was going on, and only later, or in times of shocking neighborhood incidents did other facts come to light. When I was a HS senior the father of a kid in the neighborhood (who was a year younger than me, and had a little brother the same age as my own) committed suicide, and in about a two week period there were all sorts of stories that came out Desperate Housewives style.</p>

4

<p>You have two good responses here but think if you re-posted in the parents forum you would get to hear additional parent viewpoints.</p>

5

<p>^ agreed.</p>

<p>My father is a chemical engineer and owned a chemical company that resulted in his getting fed up with chemical engineering and choosing a different profession (ups and downs, etc. – instability).</p>