Life's Profession

I recently asked a question in a very large Facebook parenting group. "I am curious - What is your profession? Would you encourage/discourage your child from going into the same profession?" Over 1,100 people have responded so far. I have undoubtedly missed comments, but the ones I have read have been fascinating. Several themes emerge, including: 

- Not a single pharmacist would encourage someone to enter the field today. The market has become saturated - dozens of new pharmacy schools have opened, flooding the market with new entrants, in a time when opportunities are contracting. 

- Most K-12 teachers would not encourage their children to follow in their footsteps. Almost all spoke of loving teaching and loving their students, but the field has become significantly more stressful in a time when pay and respect are at an all-time low. 

- The vast majority of RNs (registered nurses) were happy with their career path and view it as still a very viable profession, with flexibility and the ability to make a difference at the top of the list.  

I want our children to follow their heart and choose a life's profession that brings them joy. I also want them to go into any profession with their eyes wide open. It is often easiest to see the many dimensions of your own career since you live it so intimately, including any drawbacks. 

Would I encourage or discourage our children from becoming college professors? It depends. I have the best job I could ever imagine. I am also in a field with high demand and many opportunities. I was lucky enough to get a job at the same university as my husband - where my sister also works. Such luck is rare. Many people study in poverty for years to earn their PhD, only to enter an over-saturated job market and struggle to find any employment at all, let alone a meaningful job in a certain geographic area. 

Watching our children try on different career ideas is invigorating and terrifying, especially if we know just enough to be dangerous. I have been lucky to have found a career that brings me joy, fulfillment, meaning, flexibility, autonomy. And I pray our children can find a similar path that also builds them up.