5 ms·
Perhaps one way to help college-bound teenagers make these sorts of decisions is not by asking, "What careers most interest you?" but "What lifestyle do you wan
by jawns 7y ago
Perhaps one way to help college-bound teenagers make these sorts of decisions is not by asking, "What careers most interest you?" but "What lifestyle do you want to live as an adult?" and then work backward from there.
Teens who envision themselves living in a two-bedroom Manhattan apartment and dining out frequently could then be counseled to pursue jobs that earn enough to support that lifestyle.
And teens who would be OK living in a modest ranch home in a small midwestern town, driving a 10-year-old car, and making most of their meals at home could be counseled to pursue jobs that earn enough to support that lifestyle.
In other words, instead of saying, "Identify the jobs you would be interested in doing, then choose the one with the best earnings potential or work/life balance," parents should be saying, "Identify the lifestyle you would like to lead, then choose the job that is capable of supporting that lifestyle."
- pnathan 7y agoThis is a good approach for some. I am - and have always been - disinclined to do work I don't really enjoy. Some people - I have a good friend like this! - don't have that bit flipped in them, and for those people, your approach would be fantastic. but without a doubt, the material economic reality needs to be discussed early on in high school.
- oarabbus_ 7y ago>I am - and have always been - disinclined to do work I don't really enjoy. Sounds like you live a life of privilege then. Guess what, 99.9% of humans over the course of history have done work they didn't really enjoy. It's a good approach for everyone. When people can't afford rent suddenly "work you don't enjoy" isn't such a big deal anymore.
- asdff 7y agoInteresting angle to think about. A lot of high schoolers are applying to majors basically blind of what the job at the other end is like. Everyone wants to be a doctor or a lawyer until the slow realization of the realities of these career paths hit, and in a panic they change to business or econ, wrangle excel macros in a cubicle until 65, and wonder where it all went wrong.
- JamesBarney 7y agoWhich is different from the lawyers who know exactly where it went wrong.
- ThinkingGuy 7y agoAnother way to phrase this (which was put to me by my own parents): "What type of day do you want to typically have?" (ie., indoors vs. outdoors, meeting lots of people vs. solitary environment, strict routine vs unpredictable, etc)