What career's on the cards for your DC?

[TenSheds]

Friday question: do your DC have career plans/aspirations, and where do you think they'll actually end up?

Apart from the obviously vocational (med/vet) sphere, the majority of young people DD knows don't really know what they want to do, yet educational choices seem to want to set them on a path from a fairly early stage. She herself has no idea, but she's very academic and outgoing. I think she'll go into either academia/teaching, or research/popular broadcasting, in a Horrible Histories or QI Elves style.

There are lots of MN discussions about the merits of the educational system and various degrees, and where non-specific courses can take you (law, business, finance), but what do you actually think will happen, all things being equal?

Please don't let this thread develop into debate - it's just a bit of fun!

DS20 is working as a porter in a hospital, due to start a Radiology Apprenticeship in September or January. So hopefully in 4 years he'll be working in Radiology, no debt and 4+ years work experience in the area 👍👍👍

DD1 works as a midwife. In France at the moment. She trained in Denmark for her BA and has travelled and worked a lot in Europe.
In september she will study at a university which offers a higher degree in Midwifery.

DS studies medicine at university in England. He wants to become at GP in the highlands. Most likely he will.
He has studied church music and works around local churches taking jobs as a music director. He likes that.

Dd2 attends 5th grade and "wants to work with windmills" and to be an a citizen of a German speaking country.
Nothing would surprise me with DD2. At all. She is the most outgoing of the 3.

DS, 15, GCSEs next year, wants to be a Biomedical scientist. Has identified potential uni and appropriate a levels.

DD, 12, has genuinely wanted to be an astronaut since she was tiny, but on the off chance of that not working out, she wants to use maths to become rich. She is very numerate.

Hopefully architecture. She’s done her degree. Managed to get one of a handful of Part 1 jobs and has been accepted into uni for her Masters. But it seems an awful sector with barely any jobs.

Eldest is in recruiting in Dubai

Middle one wants to be a teacher

Third will most likely be a gang leader in jail

Dd, 17, has nearly completed the first year of a mechanics apprenticeship. It's a 3 year course that will see her with a level 3 autotechnician qualification. Another two years after that will see her qualified as a master technician.
School tried to push her into renewable energy as they're trying to get more girls into STEM.
She stood her ground. Pays well and she's keen to be treated as an equal to the lads.

My eldest son wanted to be a professional rugby player. He actually used to worry if he would represent Ireland or England on the world stage! Then he wanted to be a personal Trainer.

Now he's 27, is an accountant for a large retail group in another country.

Daughter wanted to be a sound engineer. Then wanted to play in a jazz band.

Now she's 24 and teaching IT in a secondary school.

Things will turn out as they should. Both my kids really happy.

@Hugosmaid I hear ya! My youngest will likely lead the opposition gang.

Hugo 🤣
DD always wanted to do something sciencey but turns out remote teaching of science during COVID completely did not work for her, so science is off the table completely. She is just completing arts a levels and having a gap year. "Probably Tesco or something"is the short term plan, hopefully followed by "maybe something creative".

@rocketblocks

Eldest (engineering degree) DC chose not to chase the money (despite DH’s encouragement as that had been his career) and chose something he found interesting, and fingers crossed that’s working out OK financially too.

Youngest DC has fortunately lucked out with something that he loves doing, is good at and could be very lucrative.

One has just finished a degree in genetics and genomics and has been offered a PhD but is waiting for funding. Dd is doing a degree in Art and Design. They each followed their bent. My only directive was to make sure they get paid for the hours they do as I am a teacher and have been exploited all my working life.

DD, 12, has genuinely wanted to be an astronaut since she was tiny, but on the off chance of that not working out, she wants to use maths to become rich. She is very numerate.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads

Is she naturally numerate? My son is 13 this year, as I said upthread he really would like like to work in forensic science! However, as good as he is at everything else particularly Science & English he just does not 'get' maths, and already he is worrying about A Levels because to get into Science higher education he believes he must take the Maths A Level! I'm just wondering if she is naturally numerate or if she/you have any tips! I don't want him to struggle!

@sandorschicken

My youngest DC’s experience is that maths didn’t really click until he was about Yr 10, and then it took off and he surprised us all.

I think he watched a lot of sciencey YouTube videos that explained the basic concepts.

My son is autistic and has ADHD and has struggled at school. He has some mild learning difficulties but does apply himself and works hard. He has a very "engineery" brain and his special interest is trains. His knowledge on the subject is mindblowing.

Therefore I was delighted to see that apprenticeships are being offered to train to be a driver. Also a very inclusive path. So that's where we are heading. He's only 13 at the moment but he's very clear that that is what he wants to do. It may change of course but I would be delighted if this works out for him.

Hmmm. This has been the worrying issue for my DD. She is going to start at Durham for Sociology, and she goes from thinking she'll work at a charity promoting access to education, to adding a second degree (joint honours if possible ) and doing something archeological! She's very interested in politics but not sure she's interested in that as a career. She likes the idea of being part of a team and producing something tangible. It is rather tearing her up inside. Sociology as a degree is quite broad so likely to get a masters.
What do I see her doing? She's a very good writer and enjoys it, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't stay in academia writing papers.
My son would be a great teacher or physiotherapist. But he didn't succeed academically. He is 20 and works full time at a fairly niche men's shop and has a part time job in a gym as a fitness instructor (he trained as a PT and fitness instructor). I talked to my doctor sister and she said it's a shame they have made some health related professions so academic. There are loads of people with great people skills who could do the job but couldn't hack all the academic degree level exams - which are unnecessary in her opinion. Covid zapped his confidence he's slowly getting it back.
I think he'd be a great sports coach. He is very motivational. Not having a degree or the aptitude for one is the issue. He wants to make money though - maybe he will end up managing or even owning a gym?

Dis studying History and ultimately wants to be a teacher.

@HashBrownandBeans that's because most people don't aspire to be collecting trolleys, even if that what they do for a while! I worked at Harvey Nicks for several months after I got my degree before I landed a design job.
I did think it telling when we visited Bristol open day and we stopped in a café and the young woman asked my DD if that was why she was there, and I asked her if she was a current student. The answer was no but that she had graduated last year. Degree in Psychology.

Thank you! Hopefully he is the same! I feel terrible because I try to help him but it's my weakest subject too and I'm more of a hindrance than a help!

DD wants to make theatrical costumes. Pat of me thinks worries that she'll struggle to make a living, but she has several relatives are who are very successful in what sound like wildly impractical artistic careers, and she's hard-working and practical so I think she'll do just fine.

DS is younger and doesn't really have any career plans yet. He's quite interested in how the design of urban environments affects people so I can see him studying something related to that and maybe going into policy research, but he's also interested in law. He hasn't even started his GCSEs yet, so who knows.

@sandorschicken

I know DC liked the Mark Rober YouTube channel, and that probably springboarded him off into other things?

@Ws2210 great that you love your job and hope you get a break before the change of government. DD is at the end of a years social research placement. Hopes to get a deferred job offer. If that doesn't happen she'll apply to the various schemes for next year. Would even consider working for a MP.

My middle one is very money driven (has been since school eg ran a wee business undercutting the school vending machines. His strategy for job hunting was ordering by salary/prospective salary and then picking those that looked most interesting and were likely to have him. With a big global that is somewhat ruthless (up or out). He and I (pharma) are not going to get any prizes on the "honourable" job front.

Mine have no idea and I don’t expect them to! I have never had any plans with my career, I’ve just done jobs I liked.