Jobs you would or wouldn't reccommend to your children

[Maine234]

My son is still young but is starting to think about what job he would like to have when he is older and it got me thinking about the types of jobs I would reccommend to him.

I dont have any experience with emergency services or teaching but as an outsider looking in, it seems to me that both areas are overworked, underpaid, understaffed, underappreciated and very stressful with a poor work life balance. So I would be telling my son to think very very carefully before going down these routes.
I would also advise against anything strongly reliant on tourism as that seems to be the first place people cut back when money is tight and every recession sees thousands of job losses in tourism.

If I had to reccommend some industries I would go for phamaceitucals, waste management or food producion. They are the first industries that spring to mind when I think about stability because people will always need medicine, food and a way to get rid of their rubbish.

Interested to hear what other jobs or Industries people would or wouldn't reccommend.

No to:

• Anything with low pay and brutal hours
• Criminal enterprises (looking at wannabe criminal mastermind DS)
• Prostitution
• Exploiting others

Yes to:

• Jobs/careers that pay enough to keep them from living in constant stress
• Jobs/careers where they can play to their strengths

I was worried when one of my DC decided to go into teaching, not least because of all I read on MN about teaching He was a high achiever and could have done anything. I was wrong. He absolutely lives his job and has the most job satisfaction of anyone I know.
DD earns more in a 9 to 5 tech job but doesn't have a fraction of the fulfilment.

My first piece of advice would be to pick a male dominated role and you will generally get paid better. It's sad but still true in 2023

No one famous seems to like it
Everyone I've ever met who has been in the armed forces is fucked up.
Not in the police. Toxic environment for women, gay people, anyone not white British so even if a straight male have to associate with cunts.
Other than that do.something you enjoy, can be more than one job ( I have two very different careers that I love). Do something that makes the world better not worse or else it will eat at your soul. As my dying grandad said you want to look back thinking your life made a positive difference (and his did!)

Anything in public services as the government make sure everything is underfunded but with unachievable targets

Anything public facing - retail, healthcare, whatever - as it's dealing with the awfulness of the general public that grinds you down

I don’t know. I’m interested in this too. I think my friends and I were told to “do something you love” and “follow your dreams” with the best of intentions, but it sort of gave us too high expectations of how much it was possible to enjoy our jobs, rather than focusing more practically on salary, working hours, job availability, progression, conditions.

I’ve never really met anyone who really
loves their job and would do it even if they weren’t getting paid. The best it gets is that they don’t hate it, it feels useful and purposeful, suits their personality and academic strengths, isn’t too stressful or too boring and offers a good rate of pay per hour of work required.

I know an awful lot of people who really hate their jobs.

”Do what you love” can end up in creative industries where success is harder to come by and the financial rewards vary wildly. Sometimes it’s better to keep what you love as a hobby and do something else to secure a lifestyle where you are able to enjoy that in your free time.

I’ll be trying to encourage my DC to be a bit more practical, but it is difficult. The main problem is balancing the stress v money conundrum I think.

I love my nhs job and am really proud of what I do (although according to mn my job is a waste of money… that was sad to read). I’d encourage dc to do something they enjoy over making lots of money. Life with £ but no soul sounds depressing to me.

dd2 wants to be a paramedic - I think she’d be great at it. (I do fear she’ll be messaging me to tell me she’s home safe at the end of every shift for her whole adult life).

I was a nurse and it wouldn’t have bothered me if one of them had gone into that . As it is the youngest is too ill to hold down a regular job and the oldest always wanted to teach and does that . I wouldn’t recommend anybody working with horses full time .

No to public facing.

DH and I are sciency types but took our sciency interests into health care/NHS.

I will be strongly encouraging my kids against any public facing role. Certainly any indiscriminate public facing, rather than working with specific clients in architecture, engineering etc.

Actuary. If he’s good at maths.

It’s a hard 5/6 years of exams to qualify but once you do you can have it pretty cushty - I worked in consultancy and wouldn’t recommend that but working for an insurer I have good WLB, good pay and good benefits.

Social worker - underpaid, stressful & thankless occupation. Speaking from experience.
Also childcare - poorly paid and long hours and care work - same re pay and hours. In most of these jobs there is a lack of serious lack of respect from the public.

Steer your son towards STEM subjects if possible.

Huh?
Top 30 by whose reckoning?
Live like a woman, work like a man?

So confusing

My DD (18) joined the Navy in May. She is loving every moment so far.
She wanted to do this from 12 years of age.

My brother in law seems to have a fab job , he did a history degree then MA in forestry management now works for a firm that handles forests as a commodity, so he is kind of a portfolio manager but for forests. He can work from home and always just works 9-4, then gets trips to woods all the time and gets paid very well.
He talks a lot about the lack of talent in his industry, I'm telling my children to do that when they r older.

In terms of growth industries, the main job in 20 years will be caring for all the old people in this country, so ...😐

From birth I've told mine you can be anything you like....but not a teacher.

Teacher, chef. doctor, nurse, paramedic, armed forces, police. Anything poorly paid or unstable income. Anything just because it's well-paid or highly regarded. I'd challenge them on these careers but if they could provide a defence on why they really wanted to, I'd say go for it.
DD wanted to be a chef - I challenged it and she agreed with me - she now does food science and is very happy with her choice.

interesting thread. Up until a few years ago I would have said that if I won the lottery i would still keep my job (creative industries). It’s badly paid but rewarding.

bur the last few years have been tough - Covid, cost of living, fear of the future. I fantasise about leaving all the stresses behind somehow and spending my life gazing at the sea. I wonder how many of us are feeling worn down with our situations, which is why there are so many negative responses here?

I don’t know if I would encourage my dc to do what I’ve done in my career (they don’t show any inclination to so it’s not currently an issue!) but I do think I’ve been very lucky to be able to pursue my interests in life. So, follow your dreams I suppose!

I think the Funeral business would be good to get into. It's one of those things that can't be outsourced to AI and people are always going to spend money on.

Teaching. Anyone who thinks it's a good option is several sandwiches short of a picnic.

Chef/kitchen manager - long days 12+ hours, unsocial hours, working most weekends, working every bank holiday, working Christmas Day. No perks from the job, no sick pay, get called in when others don't show up for work - the list goes on!

My husband started working in a kitchen aged 16, he 46 this year and had enough but it's all he's ever known. I work M-F 9-5 and we rarely get to do anything together.

Wouldn't like mine to go into police, probation, prison service, social work, counselling. Can really have an impact on mental health eg ptsd/vicarious trauma. Not for all, but extremely emotionally draining.

This, anything dealing with the public who think ' I pay your wages'!!

Nursing. Only get abuse and not see as a professional.

Definite no to teaching.

I wish in knew more about well paid jobs to advise as I tend to know more about vocational careers.

Tech seems well-paid and lots of flexibility but my kids don't live to code...