Only somewhat teaching related: My youngest son has a B. Acc (that's Bachelor's of accounting). Since he was 7 years old he decided he wanted to be an accountant, just like dad's best friend.
Conversation we had November, senior year in college:, "Mom, do you realize that if I stay with accounting I'll have to sit behind a desk all day?" Mom's response, "Uh, DUH! ... NOW, you figure that out!" College killed his interest in business. So he's working as a junior hockey ice hockey referee based out of St. Paul MN (never drove on snow until he moved there last winter to work--and drive thousands of miles a season in it) and loves it but will probably call it quits after this season. Long story. For anyone who thinks the odds of "making it" as a player are small, well, the odds of making it as an official are smaller. Highlight: he was the head ref at age 22 for the annual outdoors game held in the junior league level--last year in Fairbanks, Alaska in early March, at night. -5 degrees F at puck drop. Still, he loved it. Not bad for a so-cal kid. I watched it online. Next alternative: take his referee skills into the police force. Peace keep on streets instead of ice. Anything where he will not have to sit behind a desk, pushing a pencil all day. So, yes, the allure of a business degree and supposedly easy money may be there, but sometimes things other than money dominate what makes a person happy. I'm glad he figured it out before he's middle aged, with a mortgage, kids' college tuition on the horizon and feels stuck behind that desk. And I stand by my contention that students really do know that there is great money to be made in science fields and you can get there with a BA or BS. Most are too short-sighted to see the benefits of buckling down for four years in college relative to in the long term needing much more education in other fields in order to have the same financial comfort level. Maybe because I am a woman, and was a single parent for many years, but I find the practical side (read that as financial) of a future occupation to be very important. I always bring it up during advising discussions. Where are the jobs? Can you live on that? What will be your lifestyle and is that a way you can live for a lifetime? Science is a good route. And that's the relation of this post to teaching/advising. Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Professor, Psychological Sciences University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ From: Marc Carter [[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2011 6:51 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Does College Kill Interest in Science? I find it sad that so many students pursue a business degree thinking of big bucks when in fact the majority of them are going to wind up as office drones in a gray cubicle and making a merely decent living. Doing science is hard, but it's *interesting*, and studying it leads to some of the more high-paying jobs we have (they are, of course, outside the academy). I wish that we could get more students to realize that life isn't about money. But in contemporary America, the only values appear to be monetary. I despair sometimes… m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Behavioral and Health Sciences College of Arts & Sciences Baker University -- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2011 4:54 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Does College Kill Interest in Science? (I'm replying now with my signature line, which I usually delete, to see if that makes a difference in generating extra lines. I believe that the loss of formatting is more of a local problem, Bob). I think you are correct, Annette, and I wonder whether in addition to earning potential, students are also chosing subjects of study in terms of evolving norms of perceived career appeal. Relative to, say 20 years ago, do careers in STEM disciplines these days have the same general appeal as their business counterparts? My sense is that they do not and that for all of the current anti-corporate sentiment (e.g., OWS), the business path might be seen as a quicker, more efficient way to a comfortable and rewarding life. But, who knows? 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