Do you know who guides our youth???

[Pippen]

Originally posted by powderburner
If you are that interested in Aerospace Engineering, go for it. You will need a strong interest in WHATEVER you do in order to endure the college, and to help motivate yourself on the job. Don't worry about the state of the industry in ten years because there will be a steady requirement for people.

Just a story from another perspective. I loved history and was very good at it in high school. That would have been my career choice had it not been for the fact that when I talked with my history teachers they both advised against it. The market for historians and history teachers was absolutely dismal then and they couldn't in good conscience steer students into putting all of the time and money college requires into a non-usable career.

Now it so happened that I came from a family that I needed to get away from ASAP and become independent from ASAP which all equated *employment*. Being the practical sort that wanted to be able to eat when I graduated, I went with my next favorite subject which was science and became a science teacher instead. It turned out I loved teaching science. Some years later I realized that it wasn't the science or history that was my passion; it was education itself and I could have been content teaching either. But I never regretted going with science instead of history. I loved the logical/sequential presentation of the subject matter. I loved helping kids make discoveries. But most of all I loved having a lab full of toys!

As for the job market, the history people did have a tough time of getting jobs through the time I went to college and a few years afterwards before it eased up. The science education grads I knew were able to be selective in accepting positions.

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone out there from following their dream. But in my case, the default turned out to be the perfect match for me.

 

[illini]

Originally posted by Pippen
I wouldn't want to discourage anyone out there from following their dream. But in my case, the default turned out to be the perfect match for me.

Good points. There's a fine line between pursuing a dream and being a fool! A little reality check here and there goes a long way. Pursuing a technical discipline that might not be in vogue doesn't really hurt you because your technical skills will likely find a home in another discipline. Although from my perspective and experience I think those who pursue aero engineering will find it tough to build a decent aero career, I don't find it necessary to discourage young kids from that path because their skills will be valued whether inside or outside the aero industry (as long as they heed my advice and keep their options open...I have spoken!! ). The same may not be true in other disciplines.

One other thought...it is one thing for a parent, teacher, or counselor advising a student to steer away from a discipline for valid reasons like lack of future. But it is quite another when those like John and I encountered tell young people that they just plain aren't good enough.

There is one side note I should add to my story. Even while the teachers I trusted most were telling me I wasn't good enough for my planned future, there was a group of local citizens in my town that had formed a foundation to award a small scholarship to 4 students in each graduating class that they deemed most capable of achieving significant goals. I remember interviewing with the committee - they were basically looking for those who had a clear goal in mind and the ability to achieve that goal. I was selected to received one of these scholarships. While my school and community may have let me down, it was *very* good to know that there was a small group of people back home who knew how important it was to provide some measure of encouragement.

 

[Ozymandias]

My father grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma at the height of the jim crow laws and de-jour racism. His guidance couselors and teachers suggested to him that he become a blue-collar worker. At the time, many people thought African-American youth couldn't do much more than that. My father went to college and obtained his doctorate degree in education. He became a successful educator and principal. The zenith of his career was the completion of King/Drew Medical Magnet in Watts, CA. King/Drew is a state-of-the-art high school the focuses on medicine and science. Although my father's life was cut short by cancer, he touched the lives of countless young people.