Sunday, September 19, 2010

Kids and Career Choices

One of my sons, at age 11, has settled on a career path: He’s joining the Coast Guard. He’s doing so in part because the Coast Guard is a cool organization, but also because he knows that I, a Coast Guard retiree, get a guaranteed monthly retirement check. He’s very aware that many of his friends’ parents, since the recession started, have lost jobs or taken pay cuts.

He thought about becoming a photojournalist, like my husband, but we told him that photojournalism is a highly competitive field that doesn’t pay much. As a pragmatic child who likes his creature comforts, he’s opted (for now) for the more financially secure choice.

The recession, I believe, has made kids think about career choices in a more practical way. I don’t think kids should limit themselves, but the bottom line is important for everyone to consider. The  Bureau of Labor Statistics has a lot of good information on that aspect, for career-changers as well as for those just starting out.

There’s a great site for kids that answers these questions on 60 different occupations:


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