To wonder if there are any careers you discourage your kids from doing?

[malificent7]

Dd told my dad and i that she wanted to work in Harrods when she grows up... she is 8!
My dad told her she shouldnt work in a shop. She also wants to be a model, pop star, vet... the usual.
My parents basically wanted us to be doctors and duscouraged anytjing else.
I rebelled and did teaching am now a TA.

Aibu to ask how much you want to influence your kids career decisions.

Also aibu to think there is nowt wrong with working in Harrods!

[piginboots]

Hard work for crap pay I won't argue with that!

If you love your job it makes up for a lot of things though.

[MontePulciana]

I'd discourage nursing police teaching basically. Hard work for crap pay. My FIL started off in retail and became a CEO of a large chain. You can work up quickly in those jobs if you work hard apparently. I'd encourage engineering aviation IT and anything scientific really. Wish my parents had told me the truth about shit wages going into the travel industry when I was 17. They encouraged me to be a travel agent and my brother to be a scientist.

[piginboots]

I was surprised (and saddened) too, Louis. I gave up a potentially very well paid job in finance to join the police and am really pleased I did. It's always interesting, sometimes exciting, and it feels great to know that there is actually a point to going into work every day.

It is definitely not for everyone of course. You have to have a thick skin for abuse and insults, there will always be a certain amount of physical roughness and sometimes even serious danger. Tbh though I think the greatest risk to health for police officers is shift work which I understand takes years off a person's life expectancy. No different to many other jobs though, in that respect.

[KatharinaRosalie]

I wouldn't discourage them from anything when they're 8.

However, when it's time to actually consider future careers, I would discourage them from anything that does not pay at least decently. I don't want any of my children to be in a position where they have to stay in a relationship because they cannot otherwise manage. Like you unfortunately often read here on MN as well.

[Aroundtheworldandback]

Law as the hours are awful

[MrsMattBomer]

Louis2016

Because generally, most Bobbies on the Beat are arseholes who got bullied at school and then take it out on other people. I say this after DP was held for three hours because he was going 65mph in a 60 zone when he was rushing to our son in hospital who had been rushed there in an ambulance.

Every dealing I've had with the police has been awful. There are good people in there but they are few and far between.

[CheerfulMuddler]

To quote Spike from Press Gang:

"The world is a worse place than it was when we woke up. And for this we get paid?"

(Can't remember the exact quote.)
I'd be sorry if my children spent their working lives doing anything that fit that description (working for Wonga, Benson and Hedges, BAE Systems etc etc etc). And yes, I would discourage them.
Do agree that most of what seven-year-olds want to do is just playing though.

[Oblomov16]

Enjoying your job is very very important. You do it for 50 years. You spend more of your life doing it than almost anything else.
And yes, something at least quite well paid, helps.

[corythatwas]

Ds has talked of the police: I am rather encouraging. He's a decent level-headed person, which seems exactly the kind of thing a policeman ought to be.

Not sure why people in stressful and difficult jobs would be discouraging their children from follow suit- do we somehow think that our children are going to grow up less resourceful and capable than we are ourselves?

[TrueBlueYorkshire]

I would discourage them in this order:
1)Politician
2) Parking Inspector
3) Bouncer
4) Stripper

[skinnymalinkmalojin]

I'm a chef and would discourage my girls to follow in my footsteps. Both have an interest in cooking and baking, which is great. I love my job- working with food and I am a bit of a feeder. That's why I got into it- do what you love. In reality, professional kitchens are tough and the job is heavy, stressful, badly paid and not family friendly. I'm retraining this year

[Louis2016]

Why has everyone said the police?? My brother is in the police and is currently worked his way up to CID, specialising is rape crimes. He is great at his job and enjoys it. He says that it's very rewarding. It's also not bad pay! He gets £45,000 and has a fab pension. On here though, everyone seems to earn 100+... Having £45,000 to live off of when you're on your own, leaves loads spare. He enjoys his job. I don't know why you'd discourage it. If he worked his way up, some really high up rolls can get you 100+k a year.

[MrsMattBomer]

But we've never really actively discouraged them as they're generally pretty smart. For the longest time DS2 wanted to be King of England by day and a Neurosurgeon at night but he realised that might not be very achievable.

They finish their GCSEs this year and at this moment in time DS1 wants to go into something sports and health related like physio. DS2 wants to do something with Maths. I'd be happy about them pursuing either of those things.

[MrsMattBomer]

Oh yes, I forgot Tory MP. Add that to the list too.

[alltouchedout]

I'd discourage them from joining the armed forces (any branch, any capacity) and would be leery of them wanting to join the police. Although if they were adamant, what am I going to do? Once they've decided and gone for it, surely it's my role to be there for them and wish them success and support them as much as I can.
That said, if they end up Tory MPs we are done.

[MrsMattBomer]

The only things I don't want my kids doing:

Debt Collectors/Bailiffs
Estate Agent
Police Officer

I'd be happy with literally anything else. Those three really irritate me and in my experience mostly consist of arseholes.

[tangerino]

(Haven't read the whole thread) I'd like them to do whatever they want. Having said that, I'd have to bite my lip if either of them wanted to go into the police and I'd actively discourage army/navy/RAF (only because I'd worry about them, selfishly). I'd also encourage them to consider the risks that automation might pose to their jobs (as time passes, this is going to affect far more areas than the service and manufacturing jobs already affected).

I'd encourage them to prioritise self-actualisation and the feeling of doing something interesting/important over money, and many of my own financial decisions are based around trying to allow them to do that.

[corythatwas]

"Happy and support themselves is the key isn't it ? School tell them
They can be whatever they want to be which is great but if my eldest goes down her chosen path I don't see how she'll be able to pay her rent. The school have then failed in my opinion, she could be a doctor but is being told to follow potentially unrealistic Dreams ... It's frustrating"

You don't actually know what any given career path would do for her, though. There are doctors who have breakdowns and end up unable to work, or who just find they hate the job; otoh there are actors who make a steady living, untroubled by either starvation or fame.

My FIL was devastated when his youngest wanted to become an archaeologist, and only reassured when he looked at his eldest who had a "proper" job with a large national firm. BIL, through no fault of his own, has been in and out of more jobs than I've had hot dinners; dh has been in steady employment for over 30 years. Yet I remember FIL pretty well apologising to my mother because her daughter was set to marry his feckless younger son who would never be in a position to support a family.

My dd has just got into drama school. She has spent the intervening time acquiring the kind of skills that will enable her to pick up part-time work wherever she goes, and she has a thoroughly realistic view of the level of flexibility and toughness that will be required of her. I think this is a better preparation for life in any career than just doing the training the adults tell you is guaranteed to give you a safe life. Ime nothing is guaranteed to give you a safe life.

[ElizabethBennettismybestfriend]

Teaching. Luckily my children agree.

[EnormousTiger]

For most teenagers the hardest thing is knowing what they want to do. In those cases (all my children right through to near the end of university) my advice was and remains get the very best GCSE and A level and university grades you can, go to the best and hardest to get into university you can which is highly regarded by all kinds of employers.
Then pick work which is very high paid and intellectually interesting and you will enjoy the rest of your life and finally where ultimately you could work for yourself as that is so satisfying and remunerative and powerful.

Mind you my son has been a postman since graduating so clearly my children probably wisely ignore me......

[SparkyStar84]

As long as the children are happy they can be bin attendants or anything they can realistically attain.

One thing I would say is when they reach adult age, if they have a dream chase it, but get experience doing P/T work. Like being an actor or a job that is hard to come by.

110% I would support them with their aspirations, but being realistic at the same time.

[Safetysam]

mudandmayhem I would not want my children to grow up to promote any religions and faiths.

If they want a faith that is one thing but I do not want them involved in a role that would manipulate, control or limit the lives of others by passing on their faith and beliefs.

[mudandmayhem01]

Job satisfaction is about so much more than choosing the right profession. The main advice I would give is don't settle for a job where colleagues or management bully or undermine you. I have done the same job in different schools for years ( non teaching) and I loved or hated it mainly because the people in my team. I had a poorly paid retail job in my early 20s which looking back I absolutely loved, most of the staff were young, lots of after work pub time, we were all really bonded and just laughed a lot and got up to a lot of silliness. I would hate it now, miserable old grump who hates socialising after work!

[hidingwithwine]

Teaching I'm a teacher