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Every child knows what things they like and are good at. It might not map exactly to a career path but it's not like career skills live in some sort of magical

Every child knows what things they like and are good at. It might not map exactly to a career path but it's not like career skills live in some sort of magical vacuum that you can never see until you try them.

setr 4y ago
Liking dinosaurs and Jurassic park is not the same as liking archeology, especially as a job. Most children have no idea what they’d be getting into, and if they like something, it probably has little to nothing to do with the actual work/job/goals.
- another2another 4y ago
  This is why the 'bring your child to work' days can be so great, they can get a sense of what a real workplace is like, other than some abstract place you go to when you finish education.
simiones 4y ago
How many children are aware that they would enjoy actuarial finance? How many are aware that they would be good at arguing patent law?
- horns4lyfe 4y ago
  Do they enjoy math? Are they good at persuading others to side with them in arguments? Those aren’t non-transferable skills.
  - simiones 4y ago
    So if they enjoy math, they are as likely to enjoy actuarial finance as they are to like research into category theory or machine learning? If they are good at persuading others to side with them in arguments, they are as likely to enjoy patent law, criminal law, marketing, or politics? There are some common skills, but all of these professions are extraordinarily different and require completely different aspects of those skills, and entirely different additional skills.
ilyt 4y ago
The problem starts when things you enjoy/do well don't fall into "pay well"
- imtringued 4y ago
  They don't pay well because everyone else enjoys them too.
- WalterBright 4y ago
  Yes, it is hard to have a career eating ice cream.
haswell 4y ago
This is highly dependent on upbringing. I grew up with extremely religious and controlling parents. I spent most of my childhood believing I’d go to hell if I didn’t dedicate my life to the god the church worshipped. This had a huge impact on what I believed about myself at that age, and I’m still actively working against the indoctrination in my 30s through therapy. I still wonder how things might have gone if I pursued some form of research. I have evidence now to believe I might have been good at it, but haven’t convinced myself the cost to pivot makes sense at this stage of my life. My story is not unique, and church/religion are just one implementation of a form of parenting that works hard against your claim.
FredPret 4y ago
I grew up loving engineering-related activities without knowing that "engineering" was a word, or even a profession

setr 4y ago

Liking dinosaurs and Jurassic park is not the same as liking archeology, especially as a job. Most children have no idea what they’d be getting into, and if they like something, it probably has little to nothing to do with the actual work/job/goals.

another2another 4y ago
This is why the 'bring your child to work' days can be so great, they can get a sense of what a real workplace is like, other than some abstract place you go to when you finish education.

simiones 4y ago

How many children are aware that they would enjoy actuarial finance? How many are aware that they would be good at arguing patent law?

horns4lyfe 4y ago
Do they enjoy math? Are they good at persuading others to side with them in arguments? Those aren’t non-transferable skills.
- simiones 4y ago
  So if they enjoy math, they are as likely to enjoy actuarial finance as they are to like research into category theory or machine learning? If they are good at persuading others to side with them in arguments, they are as likely to enjoy patent law, criminal law, marketing, or politics? There are some common skills, but all of these professions are extraordinarily different and require completely different aspects of those skills, and entirely different additional skills.

ilyt 4y ago

The problem starts when things you enjoy/do well don't fall into "pay well"

imtringued 4y ago
They don't pay well because everyone else enjoys them too.
WalterBright 4y ago
Yes, it is hard to have a career eating ice cream.

haswell 4y ago

This is highly dependent on upbringing. I grew up with extremely religious and controlling parents. I spent most of my childhood believing I’d go to hell if I didn’t dedicate my life to the god the church worshipped. This had a huge impact on what I believed about myself at that age, and I’m still actively working against the indoctrination in my 30s through therapy. I still wonder how things might have gone if I pursued some form of research. I have evidence now to believe I might have been good at it, but haven’t convinced myself the cost to pivot makes sense at this stage of my life. My story is not unique, and church/religion are just one implementation of a form of parenting that works hard against your claim.

FredPret 4y ago

I grew up loving engineering-related activities without knowing that "engineering" was a word, or even a profession