Doctor? Lawyer? IT Professional? Starving Artist?
September 27, 2007
Fascinating conversation going on over at this article. The author questions whether he is a bad parent about the career advice he’s giving his son.
My son is a high school senior with an A-minus average who takes mostly advance placement and honors courses. He loves the challenge of math, and aced a calculus AP exam, scoring a 5, the top grade. Yet, his true passion is composing classical music, and all of the colleges he’s considering offer strong programs in classical music composition.
While many parents steer their kids toward college programs, including those in IT management and computer sciences, that promise relatively steady and lucrative careers, my wife and I have been my son’s biggest champions in his pursuit of his passion, though we know that few people earn a good living composing classical music.
I have to admit, my instinct is to be practical and recommend getting a ‘decent’ paying job with some relative job stability. There’s nothing fun about being a starving artist. Maybe that’s nice for your twenties, but you’ve got to think long term.
Most of us don’t have obscenely wealthy parents. As a single income household with kids and increasing demands, my focus has to be on income/stability, not passion. (In my beat down humble opinion.)
What do you think? Please answer the poll below:
Also, please leave a comment. But please no angry/accusing rants. Just share what your situation is and what you think is realistic. This is an important issue.
Thanks!
-BD
In the specific case that was quoted, there are lots of options open to that student to combine his interests. His interest in music and composition, if he continues his study in addition to his scientific and mathematical pursuits, could take him far. He could study computer programming with a specialty in audio systems. Audio programmers are highly desired in the video game industry. He could study electrical engineering to design and develop new audio processing algorithms for hardware systems. Music technology is a rapidly expanding field with new career niches opening up all the time as technology changes. I’m a composer and a sound designer for children’s interactive multimedia. I studied music primarily and picked up the rest on my own. My path was the ’starving artist’ one at first and I wouldn’t wish it on any decent person. But with a lot of hard work, I’ve made my fair share of success. It’s not really as black and white as music = poor, engineer = rich.
Dr. Rosen, you raise a very good point. As a parent, I need to break out of the outmoded catch-all labels for various professions. There are so many new careers and niches emerging.
I’ve worked in Internet Marketing for ten years — that didn’t exist twelve years ago when I was working on Direct Mail campaigns, nor twenty years ago when I started my original professional career in Market Research. Before that, I entered college intending a dual-major in Advertising and Computer Information Systems.
Seems that the challenge for a supportive parent must be to be very proactive in helping the young adult uncover his/her consistent interests and explore niches. Like the ones you cited, undoubtedly more are in a nascent stage.
Right now, I’m caught up in the mode of just trying to survive. But it wont be long before my sons will need to seriously thinking about establishing a path.
Thank you for your comment.
Not a lawyer! Not a lawyer! Save yourself while you still can.
Follow your dreams. Develop a set of skills that allow you to be mobile so if you find out that your dream job isn’t quite the dream you had in mind, you can move to something you like better.
I left HS with no diploma, worked 4 years, got a GED, went to college, studied music, learned computers and leadership, became an educational administrator, and worked my way into 6 figure jobs.
Okay. Unemployed now, but still…
I’ve done both. Followed the passion and the money. You know what? Following the money never made me quite as happy, and thus I was never really staying that long, Eventually the security and money eats at you, and you either have a crisis or do something stupid to screw it up.
In the Venn of this quandry, there is a middle ground where both can exist, especially today in a high tech world. Seek that.
He should do what he enjoys (and watching TV all day doesn’t count)
I work in a field with plenty of working-artist types who went to school for what they were passionate about (including musicians.)
My advice would be - go to college for what he’s into, but minor (or have a back-up plan) for the “what-if’s”
let him go to school for what he enjoys but remind him that he needs to pay the bills. teach him how to balance the two… the most successful people are those who have both traits.
Poll results:
46% (5) Pursue that starving artist dream job!
27% (3) Be realistic and go for a good salary so you can stay ahead of debt.
27% (3) Other — find a niche that let’s you pursue a passion but you’re one step ahead of living in a cardboard box.
Thanks everyone for commenting!