Since everything is upside down, what do you think will be careers for future generations that will endure? On the blue collar front, electricians, plumbers etc seem to be safe and on the white collar front I’m just not sure any longer. I want to say doctor, lawyer, psychologist, HR maybe?? etc but I am thinking the more human interaction and specialized the safer it might be. So possibly a physical therapist or a chiropractor or even possible a franchise owner. Any parents out there to young people about to graduate from college? How are your kids feeling? How about you? My son is still in 9th grade so he has some cushion to observe and pivot.
Doctors are always a safe bet, but not everyone is fit for it.
Trade school sure would save a lot on university tuition. Plumber, electrician, general contractor. It’s hard work though. Presumably OP you’re the kind of parent who thinks they can choose their kid’s career? And you’re a coder who is down on the future of coding?
Bingo on all fronts. Guess the OP ethnicity for a triple score
I’m a white woman from Chicago and am not an engineer. lol don’t assume. I just was looking for a meaningful dialogue around this topic as I think all parents should understand the world our children are inheriting.
Despite the introduction of Ai into the white collar sector, the top engineering students will still enjoy lucrative opportunities. Career techy coder types such as myself are going away quickly.
I'll be getting my kids into MIT to study engineering
I am not wanting to choose my child’s career. Far from that. I want them to make their own choices and to have a meaningful life. If my son wants to become a hairdresser I would support him. If he wants to become an artist I will support him. I simply want to educate and help him however I can to understand the world as it rapidly evolves.
People skills. Soft skills. Sales skills. The software I specialize in didn't exist 20 years ago. Probably won't exist 20 years from now. Focus on how to consume and use information and knowledge.
Sales is a good idea although I have seen firsthand even at PayPal where customer success was let go (ai efficiency etc) but maybe large equipment sales. I had a friend in college that sold these big lasers for 3M that required physically showing how the equipment worked. Or medical device sales people. I don’t think automation can replace humans there either. Thanks for weighing in.
Thanks for bringing up the topic. My kids love sports and good at competitive level. One is really good in maths and can tell you everything about football and basketball going back to 70s. I think he is going down the path of sports statistics. Other one wants to be a veterinarian. I think both would be safe bets for the future.
Interesting and good input
No one mentioned social media influencer. Those guys are earning like crazy with stupid videos. Just teach your child to be stupid and brazen.
Such a broad topic to make comments , but I like what few mentioned . Anything to do with clean energy might become big , mental health care , and as people become more and more aspirational , consumption of luxury will become more and more common . Just my 2 cents.
PhD, academia, government, policy, etc
I don't recommend PhD. They're giving out STEM PhDs to just anyone nowadays (this includes me), and the value is gonna drop a lot in the next few couple of decades. It's already hard enough to find a job with one, the YoE from working is way more valuable. It used to be the case that a PhD alone got you places, but now you need to be a superstar/standout (top 5% of PhD students, who are already top 3% or so compared to general population) to get anywhere meaningful, since it's a winners-take-all world.
PhD for academia (the starting salary for a prof is ~200k and after tenure goes to ~350k) plus lots of free time and setting your own schedule (with little to no oversight) salaries are public for UC schools profs and other public state schools