I was really hoping to experience the old “My parents were right all along” revelation that so much folk wisdom says is inevitable. Unfortunately, the older I get, the more experiences I have and the more perspective I gain… my parents really look worse and worse. I would rather it be the other way, and ultimately I am sadder for my younger self as I age.
My father’s career advise to my brother and me was “Make lots of money so I can come live with you when I get old.”
My brother didn’t like that advise so he did a bunch of research and asked a bunch of people about their careers. He got a masters in an Engineering field but hated working in that field. So he got another masters. He doesn’t use it for his career.
I studied Chemistry and left grad school to do software development with no degree in it (it was the 80s). I never used my degree either.
Confronting my dad about his bad career advise would have just gotten his Standard Response to Criticism™–But I’m lovable.
And no he never lived with either of us. But then he never go old.
What didn’t you like about the “make lots of money” advice? It doesn’t sound like you or your brother actually disagreed with it. Your post reads a lot more like your father said “go to college to make money”, but that’s not what you say he said.
That advice did age better with time. A lot of well paying jobs now require a BS for you to get in the door. I have a degree in Mathematics. Haven’t directly used it at all but it’s paid off
Only as a result of millions of kids being told that college was the only viable route to a successful career. It’s just yet another commoditized self-fulfilling prophecy.
I agree with you, but to me good theory and good advice can be different
Oof too real
