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.

The best thing I would say is to go for two careers. You want to be a footballer/ballet dancer/whatever. Great. But what are you going to do after 35? If you work in your career from 25-67+ you are going to want to change. Gone are the days when you have ‘a job’. Not many can do teaching/nursing/hairdresing/plumbing for all that time. There was any workplace development or a ‘job for life’ like there was. Better to find out what they like.

I’m glad you have found a nice department @Whalewatchers . Which is?!

Having worked in both private sector and in civil service, I was appalled at the low standards of behaviour in my civil service department. In particular colleagues coming in late, then sloping off for long coffee breaks, then leaving early, etc. The most bitchy two-faced colleagues I’ve ever met were civil service. And the management structure and lack of accountability was a nightmare, noone ever seemed to have the power to just get stuff done. Morale was nonexistent.

As for fair pay and fair progression in civil service - ahahahahaha. Never seen a role created by a manager that had such a narrow job spec it only fits one candidate, who just happens to be the manager’s old friend?

I would actively discourage mine from teaching (not that they would ever want to, they both say they hate my job because of how many hours I work) and law. My friends in law are for the most at the top of their game (mid forties), financially stable but physically and mentally burnt out.
I’d love my kids to study a trade, builder/ mechanic/ electrician, people will always pay for those services . At the moment, one wants to be a therapist and one a pilot. I’d be over the moon with any of those.

Maybe things are just done differently over here in Ireland :o)

Totally agree. DH retired from the police about 8 years ago and I thank God every day that he is no longer in the police.

yes to tech sector - software engineering, data scientist, tech ba etc. Good pay and job security, not stressful, good career progression and flexibility.

I have actively discouraged my children from medicine. Not that they took much discouraging as having grown up with a Mum who was a Consultant in an acute, hard pressed, on call heavy specialty they already had a fairly dim view of the profession. Maybe if I'd been something like a dematologist they'd have felt differently, I don't know.
Two out of the three are following their Dad into engineering, albeit not exactly the same type, and I think they have been influenced by how much DH still loves his job even though he has never earned as much as me.

Following

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If you don’t mind the nature of the job it looks like a great deal to me.

I would actively discourage:

• Sex work (any type)
• Fighting (any, including armed services)

As for the rest - it's hard to know what industries will be lucrative and relatively secure in the future. Imo it's crucial to like your work and, preferably, love it. I'd say it's more important than big money, so I'd encourage young people to explore as many different avenues as I could make available to them. Once they know where their enthusiasms & talents lie, they'll find opportunities.

Rather than discouraging them from certain sectors, and actively encouraging them into others (waste management?! Are you even sure what you’d be recommending? Council bin collector or Environment Minister?!) I think we should be helping our children to understand their strengths and passions and gauge how strong their particular dreams might be. Pursue those to all ends first, while making it clear that success is not guaranteed. Meanwhile be helping them to learn that passions can be fulfilled outside work instead, and that it’s an important life skill to be able to “work to live, don’t live to work”

Show them how to separate their self worth from money or career, how to cut their cloth according to their means, and how to keep all oaths open and recognise transferable skills so that they never feel stuck on a certain career path that they might end up regretting.

We can only show them the options in the world, and teach them the skills to navigate it. I don’t think you should be closing any doors to them, or pushing them through others.

Discourage: teaching, medicine
Encourage: tech, finance, engineering

Loved my job - teacher for many years but now I'm counting down the months to retirement.

Teaching has changed so much over the 28 years of my career.

The government have a lot to answer for, plus a vast majority of parents and subsequently their children are so entitled, have little respect and think the job is just childcare that anyone can do.

Just because I would like ot would like to do something doesn't make me the same as my child

So sure I would not encourage being a YouTuber or professional gambler as such but if they havea genuine interest in something I wouldn't discourage

Are you a dentist?

I’m amazed by the number of people recommending Dentistry! It’s nearly impossible to get in these days- only a string of As will do. It’s a 5 year full time degree - there’s no time for a part time job, so lots of student debt.
It’s really stressful and patients can be very demanding. You live in constant fear of the GDC and litigation.
You only have to read the dental threads on here to see what the public actually think of us. Accused of overcharging and malpractice at every turn.

That comes across as a bit condescending. As you work your way up in the ranks the pay gets better. Then there are the waste plant managers etc who earn better again.

Granted it's not top money but it pays a decent hourly rate and you can live well on it. They pay well as not many people want to do it and in most councils you can be very selective about days you work etc.

I think my son is leaning towards something outdoorsy but I have no idea what an agricultural surveyor is. What do they do?

I think very few people end up doing the career they dream of. Just because its a bit smelly and dirty doesn't automatically exclude it from being a good career option.

A good friend of mine dreamt of having a stables and riding school and ended up in pest control and absolutely loves it. What suits us best isnt always the options that first springs to mind.

I would disagree - I spent about three days at an abbatoir, ten years ago, and I’ve not had to dabble in the meat industry since!

I think ‘animal lover’ is a good place to start for vets, and obviously sort of essential if you want to get fulfilment out of doing the job, but you’ve also got to enjoy constant fast paced problem solving, unpredictability, and have an incredibly thick skin and ability to compartmentalise. Dealing with humans is a bigger, and more challenging part of the job than you would think.

My friends who are human doctors earn 2-3x what I do, but they have much less variety and autonomy at work.

I'd avoid any public service role too stressful. Also Council, local authority or NHS all typically underpaid and overworked.

It depends on your child and their talents and interests. Private companies can be lucrative but so can skilled labour- electrician, builder etc. Science and innovation. Law can be strong careers.,

Police- my DH has been one for over 10yrs- there is absolutely no way I will be letting either of my kids become one, or marry one for that matter- it's no life.

When my DD was choosing her GCSEs a teacher suggested ‘social care’ or something like that. I told her outright she was NOT doing that. Having been in social care for 20 years I will be steering my kids away from this Or any public services.

Our social and health and education services are so fucked now and in the future. If something is not done we’re all going to pay, as there is no avoiding contact with them at some stage in your lifetime.

Ds is applying for fast track in the civil service - the recruitment process gives some insight into how inefficient and process-driven the organisation is. If he gets in I've advised him to get out within 3 years, I don't want him to become institutionalised and the pay is shit compared to private companies - the last person I recruited into our company from the Dept got a 80% pay rise - I'm hoping the training is broad and he can figure out who he is and what he wants to do before hopping over to the private sector to be properly rewarded.
My friend is a Professor in a science field, at a well regarded Uni - they invited the PhD grads who had gone out into industry back to the Uni for some information sharing - he said the biggest shock was how valued the grads felt - they had heard so many stories about cut-throat private companies, I'm not sure what they expected but the reality was that the grads were very happy to escape academia.

I do not recommend anything to do with animals - low pay. Teaching. Armed forces. Retail.

I told my kids when they were little to choose working with their heads or hands and youngest was planning on being a thatcher but studied childcare. After uni he is an economic development officer which has good prospects for work and wages.

I work in the NHS and love it but I am in a good profession in mental health. Niche professions offer good opportunities but I would recommend psychiatrist because they work as consultant with mucho money.

I'm not a teacher but 3 family members and 2 of my closest friends are and I've worked closely with schools in my role. They enjoy it. They work fewer hours than I do as a civil servant for similar money and regular increments. I do think it depends on where and what you teach. It's a vocation much like my role so tbh if he continues to want to do it I'm happy to support. It also allows development of lots of transferable skills. I totally get the challenges and that it really isn't for everyone but its still a good option.