The World Owes Me a Living

[Bestwifeever]

That last sentence is what one of my nieces said of her degree in Dance from the University of MD, College Park. She wanted to be a Rockette. Never made it, but she did get a job with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for several years and traveled the world that way, was an entertainment director on a cruise ship for a while, and a bunch of other oddjob entertainment type gigs over the years. She never did make it to NYC and be a Rockette.

She is now in her mid to late 50's and works as an underemployed and flat broke process server in Las Vegas. If she ever stops working she will subsist on SS and whatever other public benefits she may qualify for.

But she will never wonder "What if". Now she knows.

Okay, we’ll tell my nephew (who has his eyes wide open) to come home immediately and learn how to write code. But I bet your niece is still glad she went for it.

 

[Clone]

About 20 years ago we were at a competition and met a high school kid and his dad. Kid ended up going to MIT for engineering, but dropped out.Wanted to hang out with a couple of his internet friends. They sold their company for ~500 million. Started another company with a friend, they sold that company for close to a billion.


I wonder if I screwed up by sticking it out and suffering through all of that calculus, thermodynamics, fluid flow, strength of materials... In hind sight, I should of spent more time hanging out with that kid!

 

[NW-Bound]

I worked in Aerospace early in my career and we had physics majors with just a BS degree working in our department. The projects we worked on were laser/optics systems, I would think there's still a need for someone with a similar education background today.

I was an EE working in aerospace most of my career. Much of my work in R&D could be done by a math major, or a physics major who was interested enough to learn about the fields. The stuff I worked on was not taught in school anyway. All the course works including graduate school were merely preparatory material to enable me to learn more once I started working.

Only some of my work required knowledge of electronic circuit design, and that can be learned by a science major too.

 

[Amethyst]

Something is missing from the story, I'd say. Being a cruise ship entertainment director strikes me as quite demanding, with organizational and interpersonal skills that would transfer to other administrative, sales, and management jobs.

Some people simply aren't very good at anything; could that have been the case with this poor lady? I mean, it sounds like she could've been a washout as a STEM major too.

T was an entertainment director on a cruise ship for a while, ....

She is now in her mid to late 50's and works as an underemployed and flat broke process server in Las Vegas. If she ever stops working she will subsist on SS and whatever other public benefits she may qualify for.

But she will never wonder "What if". Now she knows.

 

[brett]

Twenty years from now I expect my son to be working in an occupation/industry/specialty that does not even exist today.

 

[ncbill]

I knew my youngest was never going to be a STEM major.

They're now at a private university paid for via an AROTC scholarship.

Our oldest started at uni also via the above, then re-applied and moved on to their service academy.

After doing this with both kids its clear there's lots of money courtesy of Uncle Sam (ROTC scholarships, GI Bill, Guard/Reserve educational benefits) out there to help pay for college.

 

[Walt34]

Twenty years from now I expect my son to be working in an occupation/industry/specialty that does not even exist today.

That is quite likely. I started out as a police patrol officer and finished up as a computer forensic examiner, a job that of course did not exist, and few could have foreseen, in 1973.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Not everyone loves math and science. I think you need a balance between do what you love and the money will follow and doing something you hate. My engineer DH with a BA always made more money than I did with 2 masters and a PhD all in human services. When I worked helping people with disabilities return to work they would ask why we wouldn’t pay for any type of degree. Because you have to have a reasonable expectation of finding a job. We can’t waste the taxpayers money. We would try to help them find a balance.

 

[Caskem]

It's a new world and not necessarily a better one in my opinion. And I often marvel at how there is always money for the "dole," but Social Security is going into the red. I won't paint all young people with the same brush though. I know several who are serious investors, good solid citizens, and genuinely good people. Which starts another discussion...is this sense of entitlement instilled by bad parenting, idiot college professors, government?

 

[Amethyst]

Takers have always been out there, but before social media, they could only sound off to their immediate family and acquaintances.

Social media allow those kinds of people to feel like they are part of a huge affinity group, and therefore must have right on their side.

Iis this sense of entitlement instilled by bad parenting, idiot college professors, government?

 

[Music Lover]

Which starts another discussion...is this sense of entitlement instilled by bad parenting, idiot college professors, government?

Bad parents and government have always been around, but now university students think it's okay to be a victim and to silence differing opinions rather than debate as was welcome in the past.

 

[joeea]

I often marvel at how there is always money for the "dole," but Social Security is going into the red.

You are confused. Social Security is not "going into the red".

 

[HFWR]

Rash generalizations are both rash and general...

 

[ncbill]

Rash generalizations are both rash and general...

And generally give me a rash...

 

[DFDubb]

A classmate of my then 17 year old niece, told her I'm picking that school because they have a sport media/journalism degree and I want to be an anchor for ESPN...good luck with that one buddy...

Oddly enough, I have a cousin that is a well known, national sports anchor who is living the dream life. He knew what he wanted to do from an early age and made it happen. I also have a HS classmate that went for the same thing and has made it up through a regional level so far. Both knew what they wanted to do before college and went for it.

Of the only 2 people I've ever known pursue this field, both seem to have made it work so I'd say that it might not be that far fetched.