<p>How many of us love our job so much that we hope our kids will get the same job after college?</p>
<p>I know it’s up to them, but do you really hope they’ll follow your footsteps? We often hear people say that go get a good education and become a “xxxx”. Very often we ourselves are not “xxxx”, and those who are “xxxx” don’t say that to their own kids.</p>
<p>How many careers are out there that you would encourage your kids to get into? If you don’t, maybe you know someone who does.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t direct my kids toward my career field or any other specific field, any more than I would tell them that they should wear size 10 1/2 D shoes since I find them so comfortable.</p>
<p>I do. My husband and I are teachers. My youngest is planning on becoming a teacher, but not the same subjects as we teach. He sees first-hand how much we enjoy our jobs (he goes to the school where we teach), and he wants in on it! Our other son, not so much. He plans on becoming rich and famous…</p>
<p>(I understand what you are saying, gadad, but I think it’s OK to let the kid know that the UGGS themselves are very comfortable, no matter the size!)</p>
<p>I love my job, but my kids would hate it. My older son is brilliant, but completely unsuited to the work I do. My younger son has helped me out and shows no interest in it. He’d probably be a good architect if he wanted to be, but he’s more interested in other things. So I don’t hope they will follow in my footsteps at all.</p>
<p>We love our jobs- as professors in a professional field (so in other words, lots of jobs after PhD, great salary). Would be delighted if our kids went down this road too as its the ridiculously best job in the world for the right people. But only time will tell as its impossible for HS kids to possibly know if they would love this or not at their age…and it’s not the kind of thing you can excel at unless you love it.</p>
<p>In my case, I don’t have to worry about that, S is hook, line and sinker into music, I don’t think an elephant could get him away from being in that/around that. </p>
<p>I also think that kids need to find their own path, that if they find they like the career that one or both parents has, that is great, but I also see a lot of negative parental pressure to do the same thing, and that isn’t healthy (not aiming that at anyone on this board who has posted, this is totally IRL experience). Parents who love their jobs kind of forget that is them (or that they didn’t go into what their parent did), or see it as a ‘secure and lucrative future’ and such, and forget kids are going to find their own path. In terms of my own profession, while I do enjoy it, been doing it for many years now, I wouldn’t encourage my son into going into it. With outsourcing and insourcing (read: huge pools of cheap labor) it is very hard to find jobs that pay that well any more, and to actually get ahead and make a career is not only difficult, but the rewards don’t come in line with the amount of work either. Unless he was totally passionate about it, I would tell him to find something different.</p>
<p>I don’t care what field my kids enter, so long as they are happy. H is a physician and he wouldn’t necessarily encourage them towards medicine, but if they really wanted to be in the field he would support it.</p>
<p>Excellent responses! But, now I realize that it’s hard to say anything here without revealing too much about ourselves. I don’t even know how to respond myself (though I enjoy my work).</p>
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<p>I think that’s true for any kind of job. The best teachers that I know of are those who really love leaching/research (pre-K to Univ). The same thing for other types.</p>
<p>Why did I start this thread if everyone should do what they truly love? Well, it’s hard to know if you love something unless you know it well. If something that parents do and hope their kids do that too, it could be a good job to consider.</p>
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<p>It’s also hard for a kid to know if they even want to explore a field or if they would do well in it if it’s far outside their parents’ or parent’s friends’ experience. (did I get those plurals and possesives right?)<br>
Few kids who have never met an engineer even consider the fied. If your family doesn’t know anyone in research all scientists are wierd old white guys in lab coats doing evil. My kids asked us what business majors do - my lame answer “Well, like own businesses and work for banks and stuff”. Of course none of them went into business. I can imagine the same conversation if a kid asked what a physics major did in the household where parents were in finance.</p>
<p>^ This is soooo true and I wish people could say it out loud more often.</p>
<p>I think it’s why kids change majors so often, but also why people too often find themselves in jobs they dislike or jobs they aren’t their best in. Its why adults are often not working in a career related to their major, and why likely our kids will have multiple different careers in their lifetime. </p>
<p>I’m not sure of the solution. But I’m a gigantic fan of letting kids follow what they are most excited about now…and continue the jagged paths that most excite them as new paths are revealed over time. This approach creates tension for many of us parents (who want the certainty of a predictable career path or guaranteed means of independence), but I think it’s important (especially as we can not fathom the careers of tomorrow).</p>
<p>We have never wanted our children to follow our paths, even though we have loved our careers. However, our eldest is on the path to follow his Dad’s footsteps. We actually were concerned he was electing this route for the wrong reasons (to make the folks proud). After a long conversation we realized he was doing it for the exact same reasons Bullet did it and our fears were removed.</p>
<p>Sometimes kids opt to go the route of the parents because they actually have the same passions, but as parents we need to make sure it is not because it is safe, or they think they will have the same success as parents, but for their own personal drive.</p>
<p>Our friends son for many yrs wanted to b a commercial airline pilot because Dad makes a good buck, when he realized how much he had to do to get there, he quickly changed his mind.</p>
<p>“The grass is greener on the other side” may be loosely applied to finding a job or a partner. For whatever reasons, one fits only to certain jobs and partners, only if we know what/who they are. Trying out a bit is fine, but searching all time may mean we have no clue.</p>
<p>I enjoy my work. If my kids want to do the same thing, they need to have a certain aptitude AND I can suggest what additional training they should get. I don’t think I can say much about other career paths, though I’m fairly familiar with a few other things.</p>
<p>College admission is important, so is major(s)/field(s) selection.</p>
<p>Loved my old job/ career (organic chemistry, pharma research), but I’m afraid it may be disappearing, at least in this country. DD saw how my old job imploded - research site closed and thousands left without work - and wants no part of that!</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s not enough to “love your job.”</p>
<p>I sincerely hope with all my heart that my children enjoy the <em>career</em> that I love with every fiber of my being…parent. :)</p>
<p>Many years ago,S1 announced that he would never want to have a boring job like Dad’s.</p>
<p>Our son is a lot smarter than I am and he may well do something related but he could have a lot of fun taking far more risks than I can at my age. I’m looking for things that our daughter can go into - I don’t think that she has the technical ability to do what I’m doing; I’d be happy to be proven wrong though.</p>
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<p>As a parent you wish you could point to something that may suit him well. Unfortunately, most of us can’t say much about other professions. But we know very well about our kids and should be able to guide them a little.</p>
<p>Regarding the comments previously about how kids may not know about careers because they haven’t been exposed to them. I think every kid in eleventh grade should take a whole semester course on career exploration. The class should give kids aptitude tests, have speakers from various careers, and provide the kids with the opportunity to shadow people in various professions for a day. Kids should do research on careers that interest them, too. Local businesses should work with schools on this initiative. Junior year is far enough along for kids to start having a flavor for what they like/don’t like, but early enough to change their education path if necessary (a kid who screwed off too much can still recover with a couple of years at a community college).</p>
<p>I also think kids should have a semester of personal finance training as well, but that is a whole different thread :)</p>
<p>^^^
Excellent idea, intparent. I’d propose something along that line - “Five minutes about your profession”.</p>
<p>Anyone can summarize his/her profession in 5 minutes, either in person or in video, about its pluses and minuses, and what it takes to be successful. It’ll show that it’s not for everyone.</p>
<p>Can someone make a website for it or are there something like that on Youtube?</p>
<p>Anything related to medicine / health care will be much more secure than anything else. I have lost my job 8 times, I do not wish it to anybody, although it has been very exciting and fresh because of learning new staff at every new place.</p>