Making the leap to a career.

Byline: Alvin H. Weiss

COLUMN: Guest Column

Selecting a college major or a trade that will define a high school student's future career is a great problem, involving both the student and his or her parents. How is a young person to know what some of the careers out there really involve?

Suppose a wrong choice is made? No one wants to spend his or her whole working career in a job he or she really does not like. That would be a formula for mediocrity. Nobody wants to be second rate. So how can a choice be made without really knowing how to select a trade or profession?

The first thing both parents and students should realize is that there is no way to know. One must first be educated and then go to work in the trade or profession to begin to truly understand it. While at work, a person quickly sees if they like it enough to spend their life. My favorite nephew got both a bachelor's and a master's degree in mechanical engineering, took a job as a mechanical engineer and hated it. So he quit and went to medical school and became a really great and successful physician. See: The world does not end if a choice is made that is wrong.

I have another story. When I was teaching, I had a brilliant student, a young lady, who came from China, mastered English, and got her Ph.D. in chemical engineering. She did inventive research for 15 years in the photographic industry, then, she saw the company she worked for might go bankrupt because film was being replaced by digital photography.

No one could have predicted this invention when she started her education or even when she finished her doctorate. So, what did she do? She went back to school at night, got a master's degree in finance, then quit her doomed job for one doing research for the stock market (at twice the salary).

So, careers can be changed at any time. An initial choice is not really a commitment to a trade or profession, but rather, the start of an education. And a person benefits from whatever is learned as a student. How? Who knows? But it is necessary to pay attention to where the world is going, like my former student did.

Things change so rapidly in this 21st century that (usually) family members have no understanding of the new and unheard-of career options that are available now for a student on his way to college. Instead they advise based on their own experiences and aspirations, which, by definition, are at least a generation behind the young person. They want their children to earn a decent salary, have job security and maybe even prestige, so that they can be proud of them and also confident that they will have a good life.

So, now, let me speak to parents: You are lucky if your child is motivated by your dream of him or her going into your business or becoming a medical doctor. (If you are an MD, then the young person will know all about their future career.) But if your kid is not motivated so, don't press to do what you want. Encourage your child to be the something else that they want, even if it hurts to shatter your dreams and ideas for their futures.

And now to the high schoolers, the ones who really have the problem of choosing: What is the answer? What should a young person do to make the career choice that is needed for a happy and productive life? There is an infinite amount of information available from the Internet, as well as in both school and public libraries. There are even career counselors and psychologists who can pinpoint your aptitudes and interests. But, realize that you will never totally understand what field you want to be in until you actually reach your educational goal and go to work.

But, if you are still not certain, take a summer job (if you can get one) in your chosen field. You can even visit local colleges and talk to staff and professors in your dream field. They are there because they like and want to help young people and you will get good advice and information. Or, just start college or work in what you think interests you, and if it does not, switch to a different major or field.

And very important: You must never forget that your parents and family love you and only have your best interests at heart. So when they press for what you do not want, be very, very nice. Explain in detail your dreams and aspirations, why what they are suggesting is what you do not want or need to do. Remind them that, if you become something that is not of your heart's desire, you will at best end up with an unfulfilled life. And do this over and over, in the nicest way, explaining as best as you can what your choice is.

And the whole process is failsafe. Even if you do start college or go to work in one field, you can always change to another. And keep reinforcing your decisions to your parents, so that they become certain you are doing the right thing. Good luck.

And parents: Have confidence in your kids' judgments and decisions, even if they sound weird to you.

Alvin H. Weiss is a professor emeritus of chemical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is also a member of the Shrewsbury Senior Writers group that meets at the Shrewsbury Senior Center.