boots11234
Footballguy
College IMO is to prepare you for a well paying job or Career path. Not to waste time on art history or women’s studies.
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Joe Needs Help - Young People Career Guidance - Big Topic - Help? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Joe Bryant
- Start date
Sconch
Footballguy
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Punxsutawney Phil
Footballguy
This thread should draw attention two major issues,
-the economy still isn't as great as everyone thinks
-the recession has created a train pile up of debt saddled, inexperienced people. Every graduating class compounds this problem.
-the economy still isn't as great as everyone thinks
-the recession has created a train pile up of debt saddled, inexperienced people. Every graduating class compounds this problem.
bigbottom
Footballguy
We had our son undergo aptitude testing at a Johnson O’Connor research facility. The testing is for young adults and adults alike and is designed to reveal a person’s aptitudes to help match them to college majors or careers that capitalize on those aptitudes. The thought process is that people tend to be more successful and happier if they are doing something they are good at, something that taps into their natural abilities. This video provides a good explanation of the Johnson O’Connor process:
https://youtu.be/IhT1kFHyyiw
Our post-testing counseling session is this coming Monday, so I’ll have a better idea then whether it was worth the $750 we paid.
Edit: Looks like you’d need to make a trip as there are no locations in TN: https://jocrf.org/locations
https://youtu.be/IhT1kFHyyiw
Our post-testing counseling session is this coming Monday, so I’ll have a better idea then whether it was worth the $750 we paid.
Edit: Looks like you’d need to make a trip as there are no locations in TN: https://jocrf.org/locations
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Polish Hammer
made of glass
Lots of good info in this thread, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway.
Trades: lots of great advice here. Try to manufacture ways to expose your kids to this stuff while young. It they enjoy it and don't see it as something "other" from an early point, it becomes easier to commit time to it in high school when many college (or no college) decisions are being made. My younger son, who is 10, has expressed interest in woodworking. He saved money and bought a miter saw. My wife and I then got him a router and circular saw. He can't learn if he wants to do this stuff if he doesn't get to try it. My step family has electricians in it. Long story short, after growing up without much, my stepdad now owns a hugely successful electrical contracting company that has son runs and will inherit. They have beach houses and a drag racing team, to boot. It took years of hard work but paid off in multiple ways.
Professional social skills - agree so much with the comments stated here already. I've been in sales for 20 years and can't overstate that this stuff matters. In school, tell your kids to volunteer to be the presenter any time it's available - and start young. Get into competitions like DECA, Mock Trial, Oddyssey of the Mind, speech (prepared and extemporaneous), etc. Do choir or other singing groups, drama clubs, musicals, etc.
Non-school stuff - If possible, get your younger kids into Scouting. It is now open to boys and girls. To earn the badges they have to work hard, learn new skills, and interact with authority figures. As they advance they will be put into leadership positions. These are the hallmarks of successful young professionals.
Work - take on a part time job as soon as the kids can. Let them change jobs after they have tried something at least 6 months - a variety of work is good early on as they can see what they like. As they earn money help them learn to both budget and enjoy it. If possible work during college work part time and get internships.
Pathway - a good informal way to think of what a kid might pursue is through some basic questions. What problems do you see in the world? What problems do you like to work on our solve? What kind of work do you enjoy? What subjects do you enjoy? See where those things intersect and what jobs relate to those. This way you can try to find something that is in demand (will pay) and that won't be toiling/grinding while working.
Hope that helps!
Trades: lots of great advice here. Try to manufacture ways to expose your kids to this stuff while young. It they enjoy it and don't see it as something "other" from an early point, it becomes easier to commit time to it in high school when many college (or no college) decisions are being made. My younger son, who is 10, has expressed interest in woodworking. He saved money and bought a miter saw. My wife and I then got him a router and circular saw. He can't learn if he wants to do this stuff if he doesn't get to try it. My step family has electricians in it. Long story short, after growing up without much, my stepdad now owns a hugely successful electrical contracting company that has son runs and will inherit. They have beach houses and a drag racing team, to boot. It took years of hard work but paid off in multiple ways.
Professional social skills - agree so much with the comments stated here already. I've been in sales for 20 years and can't overstate that this stuff matters. In school, tell your kids to volunteer to be the presenter any time it's available - and start young. Get into competitions like DECA, Mock Trial, Oddyssey of the Mind, speech (prepared and extemporaneous), etc. Do choir or other singing groups, drama clubs, musicals, etc.
Non-school stuff - If possible, get your younger kids into Scouting. It is now open to boys and girls. To earn the badges they have to work hard, learn new skills, and interact with authority figures. As they advance they will be put into leadership positions. These are the hallmarks of successful young professionals.
Work - take on a part time job as soon as the kids can. Let them change jobs after they have tried something at least 6 months - a variety of work is good early on as they can see what they like. As they earn money help them learn to both budget and enjoy it. If possible work during college work part time and get internships.
Pathway - a good informal way to think of what a kid might pursue is through some basic questions. What problems do you see in the world? What problems do you like to work on our solve? What kind of work do you enjoy? What subjects do you enjoy? See where those things intersect and what jobs relate to those. This way you can try to find something that is in demand (will pay) and that won't be toiling/grinding while working.
Hope that helps!
Nathan R. Jessep
Footballguy
Great topic, Joe. This is something I have lamented over as well the last few years as my kids have gotten older. It's also the one complaint I had about my own parents. They didn't give me much direction. But perhaps it was because they didn't have the answer either. Being a single parent, I feel so much pressure on this topic, but I know for sure that I want to do better than my parents did with me on this.
Great responses thus far.
Great responses thus far.
mr roboto
Footballguy
As somebody that employees 22 to 25-year-olds frequently something I see the thinking that every job should completely fulfill them immediately. Now I’m hiring personal trainers and most of them are only going to make about $20 an hour. But many of them went to four years of college to study kinesiology and honestly the earnings potential in the fitness industry it’s pretty low unless you go on and get a masters in physical therapy or get into the business side. Somebody should’ve told them that becoming a personal trainer was not going to earn them more than 40,00” or $50,000 a year max
I can’t tell you how many 25-year-olds with college degrees have had seven or eight jobs after school and when I see that I never call them no matter how impressive their job skill background is because that’s the type of person who always thinks the grass is greener and tends to bail after a few months. Whatever job they take out of college (unless it’s a completely horrible work environment) I would encourage them to take a year or 2 and stick with it. A lot of small and medium sized businesses will promote quickly if they see someone who is talented and willing to learn the business and show initiative.
I can’t tell you how many 25-year-olds with college degrees have had seven or eight jobs after school and when I see that I never call them no matter how impressive their job skill background is because that’s the type of person who always thinks the grass is greener and tends to bail after a few months. Whatever job they take out of college (unless it’s a completely horrible work environment) I would encourage them to take a year or 2 and stick with it. A lot of small and medium sized businesses will promote quickly if they see someone who is talented and willing to learn the business and show initiative.
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
That kind of makes you a Richard. If your kid wants to be a journalist, filmmaker, dancer, teacher, librarian, or whatever, you've basically just told them they have no value. What a lovely message. What kid doesn't want to hear that? I'm sure they are very motivated for STEM classes now.
boots11234
Footballguy
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Ilov80s
Footballguy
I think that depends on a lot of factors. I doubt you honestly believe that nobody should go to college to learn about history or art or whatever?
2Young2BBald
Footbaldguy
My kids are soon to be 21 & 23. We too tried to convey things like a strong work ethic, solid communication skills and stressing to avoid drama if at all possible. One thing I haven't read in this thread that I feel my wife and I more or less got lucky with, versus having a real plan, was stressing with the kids that we don't know everything and they should find sponsors and mentors that they can rely on. Both kids are/were always comfortable going to teachers and coaches when they felt it was needed (for our daughter this included dance teachers too). While this hasn't fully led to full time employment, our daughter is very close to reaching a dream. She had several sponsors in the math department in college that, along with my wife and I, encouraged her to write her honors thesis statistical probability tied to MLB Home Runs, as she has always had a huge passion for baseball (versus something tied to the Actuarial Sciences). This snowballed in such an amazing way to finding a sponsor at SABR and a mentor at MLB Statcast who hired her as the Statcast Intern for last summer and she is now working as an Baseball Analytic Intern with the Detroit Tigers. She hopes this will be the resume builder that leads to full time work for a MLB club by the fall. What's interesting is that she started college and a music major and she has several instructors in the music department (that she trusted) that suggested that a Math Degree just might be a better path. Different, but with the same focus, our son graduated high school with less than stellar grades, but a real strong work ethic and a lot of desire to do well. We visited a ton of schools, some of them track and XC recruiting visits. He found a school that clicked because he felt this would give him the greatest access to Professors in smaller class settings. AND, he could have run but told my wife and I he'd rather focus on school (which, frankly, broke my heart but, looking back, was the absolute right move). He is doing way better than I would have expected (which is sad I didn't think he had it in him). He is actively interviewing for internships and has an Econ Prof and Mentor that he is heading to China with for a month this Spring.
Way longer than I expected this to be. Joe, my wife and I failed a ton and are still failing (as I have given the kids some rather lousy advice), but we've never stopped trying. Here is an exposing the kids to someone other than us example that is current to this week. Our son has an Internship phone interview on Wednesday. I've sent him about 75 behavioral based questions and we are going to BS over FaceTime later today. I've been on management for over 20 years and think I am pretty darn good at all of this. BUT, I am also 50 and out of touch, just a bit. So I have set up a call for my son with someone I know in HR who has a Master in Human Resources and is like 18 years younger than me (and someone I was a sponsor of sorts for in the past).
Way longer than I expected this to be. Joe, my wife and I failed a ton and are still failing (as I have given the kids some rather lousy advice), but we've never stopped trying. Here is an exposing the kids to someone other than us example that is current to this week. Our son has an Internship phone interview on Wednesday. I've sent him about 75 behavioral based questions and we are going to BS over FaceTime later today. I've been on management for over 20 years and think I am pretty darn good at all of this. BUT, I am also 50 and out of touch, just a bit. So I have set up a call for my son with someone I know in HR who has a Master in Human Resources and is like 18 years younger than me (and someone I was a sponsor of sorts for in the past).
Spin
Footballguy
I really feel like each kid needs to become comfortable with technology and learn how to code, or at the least, a good basic understanding. As technology continues to advance as rapidly as it is, it will only become more and more important in every field.
For me personally, I was EE, did a year coop, hated it, changed to a math degree, took the P1 actuary exam, and got a job at an insurance company. Quickly switched into IT within the company, and am now considered a Cloud-Engineer/Software Developer.
For me personally, I was EE, did a year coop, hated it, changed to a math degree, took the P1 actuary exam, and got a job at an insurance company. Quickly switched into IT within the company, and am now considered a Cloud-Engineer/Software Developer.
TripItUp
Footballguy
Some thoughts based on 20 years in corporate America and experience across multiple verticals and some trades. I’m currently a partner for one of the cybersecurity consulting firms In California. (Just context, not look at me)
1. In undergrad I worked in a hospital as part of my pre-med program and realized there is no way I would want to become a doctor. What you think you want to do and what you actually want when you are young can be two very different things. Put time into exploring what you can handle as a profession. See the number of people that graduate from law school that regret ever going to law school...the number is staggering.
2. If you care about money, don’t get a worthless degree.
3. If you care about money don’t go to a school that doesn’t lend itself to a job. For profit schools like Devry or University of Phoenix are notorious for racking up student debt with no realistic job prospects past college. There have been a number of articles written on the subject.
4. When you are young It’s okay to go into a field that you don’t love like accounting or Information technology. If you have aptitudes for these fields they will lead to other opportunities. There is no such thing as a perfect job when you are young, if there was everybody would do it.
5. Job prospects vary greatly from state to state or even city to city. Take this into account when putting a plan together. Moving to San Francisco put my career on a meteoric rise. That would never happen in almost any other city.
6. Be weary of degrees that seem good, but aren’t. Example, aerospace engineering or architecture etc etc. There are more degrees in these fields than actual jobs. You’ll be stuck with a lot of debt and no job prospects if you’re a middle of the pack student.
7. Trade schools are a great idea, but they come with their fare share of risk. Before spending tens of thousands on a school, ask for verifiable information on job placement. Some of these schools are as bad as the for profit schools.
8. Don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills. These aren’t taught in schools for the most part and are mostly learned from parents. “How to make friends and influence people” is the book I buy for every person that I get a graduation announcement from. I also make it mandatory for all of our new consultants. A good salesperson is never out of work.
9. Your career aspirations will evolve. I have friends that were attorneys leave law. Friends that are pharmacists trying to escape pharmacy. Teachers leaving education after 20 years. For most people finding a profession and doing it for the rest of your life is unrealistic.
1. In undergrad I worked in a hospital as part of my pre-med program and realized there is no way I would want to become a doctor. What you think you want to do and what you actually want when you are young can be two very different things. Put time into exploring what you can handle as a profession. See the number of people that graduate from law school that regret ever going to law school...the number is staggering.
2. If you care about money, don’t get a worthless degree.
3. If you care about money don’t go to a school that doesn’t lend itself to a job. For profit schools like Devry or University of Phoenix are notorious for racking up student debt with no realistic job prospects past college. There have been a number of articles written on the subject.
4. When you are young It’s okay to go into a field that you don’t love like accounting or Information technology. If you have aptitudes for these fields they will lead to other opportunities. There is no such thing as a perfect job when you are young, if there was everybody would do it.
5. Job prospects vary greatly from state to state or even city to city. Take this into account when putting a plan together. Moving to San Francisco put my career on a meteoric rise. That would never happen in almost any other city.
6. Be weary of degrees that seem good, but aren’t. Example, aerospace engineering or architecture etc etc. There are more degrees in these fields than actual jobs. You’ll be stuck with a lot of debt and no job prospects if you’re a middle of the pack student.
7. Trade schools are a great idea, but they come with their fare share of risk. Before spending tens of thousands on a school, ask for verifiable information on job placement. Some of these schools are as bad as the for profit schools.
8. Don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills. These aren’t taught in schools for the most part and are mostly learned from parents. “How to make friends and influence people” is the book I buy for every person that I get a graduation announcement from. I also make it mandatory for all of our new consultants. A good salesperson is never out of work.
9. Your career aspirations will evolve. I have friends that were attorneys leave law. Friends that are pharmacists trying to escape pharmacy. Teachers leaving education after 20 years. For most people finding a profession and doing it for the rest of your life is unrealistic.
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proteus126
Footballguy
Nothing worse in engineering than working with young people who have meh STEM aptitude but were pushed that way by parents / society. It is a miserable tooth-pulling grind for both sides.
