Hi everyone, my DD is now 16 and is seriously considering future career paths. I am struggling a bit with how to advise her so was hoping for some help.
She is a good student with a 92% average (so solid but not top of her class) who loves school and loves learning. She has really loved her Science classes over the last 2 years, particularly chemistry. She didn't care much for biology and didn't mind physics. She is also good in Math and has become even better this year (perfect marks in the last couple of tests). However, I have never been interested in the Science track so have never looked into it or checked out possible careers. DH is a nursing professor but she is not interested in becoming a nurse or a doctor. So REALLY looking for suggestions of possibilities in a STEM-related path.
Competing for her attention is her enjoyment of Media Arts. She has had a blast learning Photoshop, Illustrator, Animation, and video skills. My worry here is that she is good, but without a massive amount of native talent. Plus, I work in Marketing & Communications and I know firsthand what a challenging field it can be. Especially for designers who compete with those who have education and those who learn on their own. There are still lots of great jobs (like mine!) but they're not always easy to get. She's also not particularly interested in Marketing - preferring design. Plus, my DD likes to learn in a classroom-based setting (always happy to take extra classes) but has little drive in learning on her own initiative.
My preference is for her to go into a STEM field and keep up with her interest in design, videos, etc as that will come in handy in ANY job. I'm leaving the choice up to her (it's her life after all), but want to strongly encourage her to consider all the possibilities.
This discussion is coming to a head now as she wants to choose an animation course in favor of biology and I am worried this will affect any chances of getting accepted for a STEM course in university. Also, she is doing a co-op class next year and so far her co-op teacher has offered 2 options: a stint in a pharmacy (she does not like the sound of that) or a stint with a local video production company (she started looking up bus routes this morning lol!).
Part of the issue is that despite all the research she has done, neither of us have any concrete idea what can be done with a chemistry degree. We've only thought about things like lab work, pharmaceutical jobs, etc. None of these sound appealing to her. I am out of my depth here and my eyes glaze over when science is discussed lol! The other day, DD and I were reading some explanation of a chemical process and it all sounded like mumbo jumbo to me although it made perfect sense to her.
Chem PhD here.
-I'll to give a variety of information I wish I had known back in high school. Like DD (dear daughter?), chemistry always appealed to me. I like bio but couldn't handle the rote memorization. I liked physics, but math at the time came less naturally to me.
-previous poster is correct in that HS classes don't matter much; what you learn there will be dwarfed by what you learn in college. And if she goes to grad school, what she learns there will dwarf what she learned in college. The most important part is that she realizes she likes it.
-generally speaking, chemistry career potential is good, though not perfect. Depending on the specific subfield of chemistry, you may need a PhD or else you will be confined to lower level roles. And there is a glut of chem PhD's on the market, so there is a lot of competition. I have heard that it is even worse in biology, but not as bad in physics.
-chemistry has always been the field the links together other fields, and it continues to be that way. It will behoove your DD to embrace other disciplines as well so that she can work well at the interface.
-Academia (college level teaching or research) right now is not a great option; competition is quite fierce due to the glut of PhDs and the stagnant number of university positions. Not recommended unless it is her absolute passion. I have plenty of friends who had to be adjunct profs (non-tenure track) for years before they could land their ideal 'small liberal arts school' dream, and many don't make it. Chemistry profs (that will advice your DD) will often be unaware of the world outside of academia. However, most people don't go into academia. Therefore, the advice they give may not be relevant.
-Industry is a better option, but be wary of where the career-track will place you geographically. Chemical companies are often in the NJ corridor, or Houston, or mid-michigan. Not in typical Mustachian dream locations (Seattle, Portland, Colorado, etc...), though many of the locations are low-cost-of-living. My chemistry profs never instilled this idea to me when I was in college, so it was an unfortunate surprise.
-to be honest, monetarily speaking and job-oppprtunities-wise, it is more efficient to pursue an engineering degree rather than a science. If your DD is passionate about science and not engineering, then it is a moot point; better off going to the field she loves. But is she happens to do well in engineering, she is more likely to have an easier life. That said, a chemistry career is still a good one.
-ok, i just saw your line about her not being thrilled about a more traditional chemist role (lab research, pharma, etc...). In this case, she should definitely not go beyond a BS in chem (unless she wants to go into academia). There are options out there; consulting, analyst jobs for intelligence agencies, science reporting (e.g. news). I can't give a ton of info here as this was not the route I pursued.
There are exceptions to all of the things I noted above, but just wanted to give you a feel for what seems to be more common.
If she is passionate about chemistry, then I think your advice about going into that field and keeping her media-art skills going is a good idea. I thinking finding a hybrid job will be hard, though there are always exceptions. However, having good software/presentation/etc... skills will complement most any other type of job she can get.