Suggest a major/career field for this student

[fourisenough]

My DD17 has said she wanted to be a nurse since she was 10 or 11. She has stuck with this plan (after camps, career exploration events, and many hours volunteering at a hospital) and is thrilled to be heading off to college this fall as a nursing major.

 

So, naturally it is time to start helping DD15 begin to navigate the same decisions. I know she doesn't have to know what she wants to do now (or even as a high school senior or college freshman), but humor me. It really helps me to have an end-goal in mind when advising her on high school course selection, part-time job seeking, community service, etc.

 

You can see below the classes she is taking currently as a sophomore and what she's planning to take as a junior. She has a 3.9 GPA and performed well on the PSAT she took last fall as a sophomore (90th percentile overall, I believe). She especially enjoys her Algebra 2, chemistry, and Spanish 3 classes this year. She told me recently that she likes Spanish "because it is just like math." I think SO differently than her that I really cannot even make sense of this comment. I could be wrong, but I suspect she would NOT do well with blood and guts, so nursing and medicine are probably out for her. She is a very strong athlete, somewhat introverted, and a super hard worker. She writes well, but isn't an avid reader. She claims she has no idea what interests her or what she'd like to study in college.

 

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have. Fire away...

[Lawyer&Mom]

Likes math and foreign languages.... Logical thinker. Programming? Has she done any?

[elegantlion]

International studies?

[retiredHSmom]

Computer Science or Math

[fourisenough]

Likes math and foreign languages.... Logical thinker. Programming? Has she done any?

None. I'll do some digging to see what her school offers. If nothing, do you have any suggestions of where we could look? Anything online?

[Bootsie]

Economics or finance.  She may be seeing some logic and patterns in math and language study.   These same skills would come in handy studying economics. 

[Crimson Wife]

Maybe take one of those occupational interest inventories?

[Guest MarieNabors]

I suggest Pharmacy. It is one of the fastest growing fields, especially for women. It is listed as one of the top paid jobs for women entering the workforce. Also, with Pharmacy, you've got to be extremely diligent, so being introverted is a strength in this way. Obviously, it is a heavy math and science field, so if those are where her interests lie, then it could be a match. Plus, since big sis is into nursing, then it's a way of being involved in the same field as her sister, so the two can relate in some ways and share ideas about handling patients, etc. as they grow up in experience. Pharmacy requires a 4 year degree plus a 2 year program for Pharm D, plus passing extra certification exams. Learning Spanish will always be a bonus; especially for anyone living in the southern half of the U.S. I live in Orlando, and people who speak Spanish are in very high demand. I think the language-math connection she is making probably refers to the rules of language having parallels to the rules of math. Best of luck!

 

[TechWife]

Maybe take one of those occupational interest inventories?

 

I agree. California Career Zone is a great resource. There are several interest inventories and the results link to potential careers. 

[Frances]

I suggest Pharmacy. It is one of the fastest growing fields, especially for women. It is listed as one of the top paid jobs for women entering the workforce. Also, with Pharmacy, you've got to be extremely diligent, so being introverted is a strength in this way. Obviously, it is a heavy math and science field, so if those are where her interests lie, then it could be a match. Plus, since big sis is into nursing, then it's a way of being involved in the same field as her sister, so the two can relate in some ways and share ideas about handling patients, etc. as they grow up in experience. Pharmacy requires a 4 year degree plus a 2 year program for Pharm D, plus passing extra certification exams. Learning Spanish will always be a bonus; especially for anyone living in the southern half of the U.S. I live in Orlando, and people who speak Spanish are in very high demand. I think the language-math connection she is making probably refers to the rules of language having parallels to the rules of math. Best of luck!

I agree pharmacy could be a good choice, but just a warning that some PharmD programs take three or four years after a bachelor's degree. My husband's program was four years, and he already had a chemistry PhD. But the pay is very good and there are plenty of options for part-time and flexible schedule work if she ever wants to combine a family and a career.

[fourisenough]

I suggest Pharmacy. It is one of the fastest growing fields, especially for women. It is listed as one of the top paid jobs for women entering the workforce. Also, with Pharmacy, you've got to be extremely diligent, so being introverted is a strength in this way. Obviously, it is a heavy math and science field, so if those are where her interests lie, then it could be a match. Plus, since big sis is into nursing, then it's a way of being involved in the same field as her sister, so the two can relate in some ways and share ideas about handling patients, etc. as they grow up in experience. Pharmacy requires a 4 year degree plus a 2 year program for Pharm D, plus passing extra certification exams. Learning Spanish will always be a bonus; especially for anyone living in the southern half of the U.S. I live in Orlando, and people who speak Spanish are in very high demand. I think the language-math connection she is making probably refers to the rules of language having parallels to the rules of math. Best of luck!

I was wondering if anyone would suggest pharmacy! My sister is a Clinical Pharmacist; when I told her DD's comment re: Spanish being just like math, she smiled and said, "Face it! She's a Pharmacist!" I sort of suspected this would be a good fit for her, but wanted to hear the hive's thoughts, too. My sister did a 6-year combined BS/PharmD at my alma mater. It's a great program that I think DD would be successful in; only problem is that's it's at a VERY expensive LAC with notoriously minimal merit $.

[fourisenough]

Economics or finance. She may be seeing some logic and patterns in math and language study. These same skills would come in handy studying economics.

Interesting. She has just begun a 1 semester Econ class and likes it very much, so far.

[fourisenough]

So far, we have programming, computer science, math, international studies, economics, finance, and pharmacy. Good ideas, all. I'll discuss with her and see if I can find a career inventory tool to take from home. Thanks for your thoughts. Feel free to keep them coming.

[DebbS]

I suggest not suggesting anything. Just give her a bit of exposure to various things and let her figure it out.

 

I made the mistake of trying to figure out what my son was going to be and the stress of it turned him off to trying various things that I would introduce him to as possible career choices. He still explored his interests, but did so in secret rather than under my watchful eye. He learned to program on his own and then showed me afterwards what he'd done. Then he informed me, his systems analyst mother, that he didn't want to do that as a job.  He's now in college and absolutely loves the Interior Architecture major that he's chosen. He was introduced to that idea while working construction during his gap year.  I would have never thought of that.

[Harriet Vane]

Whatever she decides, pursue her interest in Spanish as well. Fluency in Spanish is something many employers definitely look for and value.

[Emerald Stoker]

Kinesiology?

[Heather in VA]

I was going to suggest Pharmacy as well but another option might be physical therapy. I know a lot of athletes appreciate that kind of field. 

[Mama Geek]

Chemical Engineering or Chemist...Process engineers which usually have degrees in chem engineering can make lots of money.

[3XBlessed]

Computational linguistics?

[Bluegoat]

Geomatics, or meterology, might appeal to her.

[fourisenough]

Computational linguistics?

Off to google...I have no idea what that is! Thanks for suggesting it.

[Bristayl]

Someone who says that Spanish is like math is a natural linguist. Linguistics is basically math with words.

[3XBlessed]

Check out the website for the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. If she likes math and languages, she might have fun with the sample puzzles there. I think NACLO is trying to encourage potential linguistics students.

[FaithManor]

I think Pharmacy would be a great major for her.

[FaithManor]

Also, if she loves medicine but not the patient care end of it due to body fluids and what not, possibly bio-medical engineering. I know a guy who designs prosthetics and another that designs wheelchairs. Both love their work.