I was talking to a co-worker who has 2 preschool children and I said

[raccoon]

IMO, the best option for people of those children's generation is to become a professional, such as a doctor, lawyer, etc. My co-worker said, but the competition for those jobs is going to be SOOOO fierce. I had to agree.

Of course, to try to project 25 years into the future is like crystal-ball gazing. Your thoughts?

[rox63]

1. There is a shortage of primary care & family practice doctors

Most US medical students end up as specialists, because they pay is better, and they've usually got a lot of student loan debt to pay off.

[knitter4democracy]

3. Huge shortage.

FPs aren't doing surgery as much anymore, and often not even delivering babies (too high an insurance), so the Med/Peds docs are doing well. We need more primary care docs, PAs, NPs, nurses (and more nurses to help train the next generation), and lab techs.

[rox63]

15. There is definitely a shortage of nurses

NP's and PA's are also in demand, because of the shortage of primary care doctors. I was in a CPR class over the weekend, and there were several folks in the class who were entering NP programs. There were also a couple of NP's who were just updating their CPR certification. They said there are a ton of jobs out there in their field right now.

[knitter4democracy]

25. I know there are in our area.

PAs and NPs help doctors tremendously. I know my husband, an internist, relies a lot on his office's PAs. It saves the more difficult and interesting cases for him, which he loves and was trained for, and gets patients in sooner.

[margotb822]

2. A college degree will no longer cut it

People will have to go beyond, but computers and technology is a consistently growing field. Also, green engineering is getting a big boost. So, there are other options besides doctor and lawyer, but they're going to take lots of education.

[gratuitous]

4. Plumbers

People will always need plumbers.

[dysfunctional press]

7. until there's a glut.

in this area, A LOT of the trades are being swamped with an influx of eastern europeans who work for a lot less, and do a damn good job.

[MiniMe]

28. and electricians

[dysfunctional press]

5. put musical instruments in their hands instead of video games...and as young as possible.

ultimately their careers are going to depend on what the kids becomes interested in.
not everyone can/should/wants to become a lawyer. thank god.

[phantom power]

6. Agriculture.

Or hunter-gatherer.

[SteelPenguin]

8. Hard to say really

I have two preschool children. When I was their age it was the mid 70's. Nobody in 1975 would have said "oh well obviously they should go into internet programming for the web". It just didn't exist. Software Engineers then were the geeks with slide rules. It just wasn't anything like it is today.

so who knows what it's going to be like in 25 years.

I plan on making sure education is important to my children, and that college is important to them. Other than that I'm just going to support them to find something that they love to do, while also being able to financially support them.

No idea what that will be. It could be a doctor, it could be something that doesn't even exist yet.

[sinkingfeeling]

12. I was not a geek with a slide rule in the mid 70's. We had hex calculators, thank you very much.

[tannybogus]

9. Head them into hydrology or some related field.

There are going to be massive problems with the supply of water just to name one problem area. A lot of people used to

become petroleum engineers, but the oil crisis is nothing compared to water. A Phd in hydrology will be a golden ticket.

I also advocate that everyone should learn a trade - plumber or electrician. You can help yourself, and there will always be a need.

[Warpy]

10. My crystal ball gets hazy after just a few years

Were they graduating high school now, I'd suggest they find a skilled trade and go to accounting classes in a 2 year school to prepare themselves to open their own shop.

That would get them great income and the possibility of independence.

Doctors always have work and great incomes, but as you pointed out, the competition to get into med school is fierce and unless something changes drastically, they will graduate with a crippling amount of debt. Law school also incurs debt but is easier to get into. Few graduates actually make a living practicing law, however.

The major difference between skilled trades and educated professionals is the perception of class. Someone with his own shop in a skilled trade might have an income exceeding that of any doctor or lawyer in town, but he is not perceived to be a gentleman worthy of the town's snob clubs.

Of course, it all depends on what people the kids grow up to be and what they want out of life. Parents really don't get to decide, you know, and if they try to, they produce miserable children.

[raccoon]

35. Yes--that happened to my own father.

"Parents really don't get to decide, you know, and if they try to, they produce miserable children."

[Recursion]

11. Learn to farm, or to fix telecomm infrastructure

Or both.

[depakid]

13. Mechanical and electrical engineering

along with hands on skills.

[Oregone]

14. I have friends who are now finally ready to start practicing medically...

Some are still working on it....

I was able to enter the work force 6-7 years ago. Some of my friends entered the workforce in trades 8-9+ years ago (mechanics, welding, plumbing), who could make as much as me potentially.

But for the people in medicine, who aren't "started" yet, they describe themselves as being "a house" in debt.

I'm sure with just a BS I will make less money in life. But I have no debt and a house and a child already. I can live anywhere and am not forced to live in the most high-cost areas that some professionals would need.

By the time they pay off their house of debt, buy another house, finally pen in having children, and build up an equivalent savings, their youth will be all but gone. Pile a load of stress on top of that with some extreme working conditions....

And maybe they'll be able to take loans for fancier homes and cars, and live a fancier lifestyle based on projected income...but that'll all have to be paid of eventually....

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. My advice: you should tell your co-worker to encourage your kids to do what they think will make them happy.

If they dream of skipping college and being a tradesman, well they can still get paid a ton, have a decade of additional income, have a decade of less debt, and raise children/buy home in a lower-inflation period, and have a more laid back lifestyle.

[knitter4democracy]

27. Yep, a house of debt just for med school.

When Hubby got done with residency, he owed $175K just for med school. We're now paying that off, but we also have the two kids (got married after his first year of med school, had the first at the beginning of his fourth year, had the second at the beginning of his second year of residency) and the house (that's worth less than the debt--on purpose, but it's Michigan, and housing's cheaper here). We don't have the fancy cars (unless you count used Ford cars as fancy, which I do ;) ), and probably never will, what with kids and med school debt and the house and all.

The people who come out of med school without debt either have family who paid for it or got into a program like Case Western's MD/Ph.D program (tuition's free, but it takes many years longer). Kids from the middle class have lots of debt.

[FSogol]

16. Mechanical, Electrical, or Structural Engineering or Environmental Science. n/t

[BonnieJW]

17. I work for a mission-critical company.

There is a terrible shortage for facility people in the service sector (air conditioning, electrical, electrical engineering, construction). We can't find these people.

[Posteritatis]

18. My thought is that it's a bit early to plan some toddlers' careers. (nt)

[Ezlivin]

19. Run a liquor store

Or sell drugs.

It seems like those two never go out of style or become too expensive to afford regardless of income level.

And perhaps mortuary science is a good field as well.

But then again I never had children and my two cats already have their careers.

[On the Road]

20. It is Definitely the Best Option to Become a Professional

what type of professional is another matter.

If you have an MD, I would be willing to bet job opportunities will continue to stay great. That may not always be in the form of a practicing MD with a practice. You can work for government, research, or a corporation (pharma, biotech, medical equipment, etc), especially if you have other skills in addition.

Same with lawyers -- if you have a law degree from a good school, there will probably continue to be various options. It is probably less competitive with foreign talent because you need to know US law and have need excellent English language skills.

Some professions may not fare so well. For example, I understand there's an oversupply of architects simply because so many students like design work and a lot of it can be done overseas.

There are a lot of other options for professional careers in science, business, health care, engineering, etc. Students who pick a subject that they have a natural aptitude and look for a specialty that uses those skills may do best. Often, complimentary skills are needed or help to get the best jobs.

Once you define an area, there are all kinds of rewarding careers you've probably never heard about until you look. For example, a law student who has an aptitude for science and math could become a patent attorney. Or take enivronmental health (in manufacturers), which is a mixture of science, medicine, law, chemistry and industrial processes. There's always something if you start early, have realistic goals, and look around for the right fit.

[Nay]

21. First, teach them how to make, build, fix, and design things, physical things.

Car repair, sewing,gardening, book writing, electrical wiring, etc. Get them off the darn TV and have them DO things.

[bemildred]

22. Being able to feed and take care of yourself is probably going ot be a postive trait.

As it always has been.

[carlyhippy]

23. when I was at my kid's university at orientation day

each department at the university was separated into booths, and the business, education, science, booths were nearly empty, and the law and medicine booths had lines of prospective students nearly to the end of the building, so it was pretty clear to see what the freshmen kids were vying for degree-wise.
Carly

[Thothmes]

24. Recon there will be a need

for officers in the U.S.Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp and the Coast Guard.

[LiberalEsto]

26. Don't let them major in journalism

That's a total dead end

[comtec]

32. you mean zie fuhror's propaganda?

I swear Gerbils would be so proud!

Science, chemistry, engineering, but none of it will matter if the kids don't have the natural gray matter.
it's a mean thing to say, but if they aren't WICKED smart, they can NOT be either doctors OR lawyers.
The sciences, while still requiring great intelligence, can get away with somewhat lower IQ's than really good doctors.
Programming, any idiot who can sling together a coherent thought can do.
The basics are always in demand:
mechanic, plumber, architect (housing), legal assistant (hell of a lot easier/cheaper) or a good old fashioned cable monkey (pulling and ending cables).

In the end they only have two limitations: natural talent, and their personal interests.

Yes, I'm saying they have to be SMART to do SMART work, you CAN NOT educate someone PAST their IQ!
To that end, I would recommend taking a page from the Scandinavians book, and don't let them even TOUCH a computer/thingie till after 7, before then give them wooden blocks, crayons, clay, things that encourage THINKING and CREATIVITY... that's how you stretch their minds to the very edges.

but in the end, you can't make them do something they simply don't have the IQ for. Best to find that out early, and direct them to what interests them AND what they can achieve. Set high, but realistic goals. There are too many people out there who simply don't have what it takes, and are too committed to quit!

[LiberalEsto]

34. The programming jobs have gone overseas

or people on H1-B visas have been brought in to fill the programming jobs.
American kids can forget about finding jobs in computer programming.

[AngryAmish]

29. Material science

[noel711]

30. Oh my... parents deciding what the kids will grow up to be?

Did I stumble into a republican board?
Especially if the topic is urging little Johnny/Joanie to be a doctor or lawyer?
Did You follow the direct path your parents laid out for you?
If I did what my parents wanted for me, I'd be a housewife in the suburbs...
oh, that's a load of shit.

If your goal is to program your kids to be what we consider top earners,
and respected professional, you're looking backward. What is considered
'top drawer' by some today may mean nothing in the future.

The best we can for our kids is to love them, provide for them the best
education and best environment we can afford, share with them the many experiences
of life that we value; many of these experiences cost next to nothing.
Surround them with a loving community of good people with various backgrounds
and ethnicities. If you can afford to, travel....

But the notion that advanced education insures a financially secure future
is outdated, and bogus. Between my husband, my daughter and I, we have
8 advanced degrees.. ARe we rich? Are you kidding? We are in so much debt
its laughable... we drive cars that are at least 10 years old, wear old clothes,
and have few advantages... partly because we refuse to buy into the demands
of the corporate ladder, and partly because we choose not to play the
advancement game. But then we're crazy lefties..

[freesqueeze]

31. domestic help

with the growing gap between haves and have nots, there will always be jobs out there for those who will wash the feet of the ultra-rich.

[DailyGrind51]

33. Whatever they do, it would be far better for them to select a career

that is not dependent on an employer and permits them the autonomy to move around and "hang their shingle" anyplace they choose to live and still enjoy a positive cash flow. Family practice is one of those professions.