High school and college students are always pressed for time – it’s part of their life. And they will soon come to realize that this lack of time doesn’t go away after graduation, it gets more intense. But the holiday season is a good time for most of them to stop and think about the ‘big picture’ of life. Things like:
- What am I going to do after I graduate?
- Have I chosen the right major to give me the best options for getting a job?
- Do I even know the implications of changing my major after I get to college?
Just yesterday the New York Times ran an article on college students who are homeless and living on the streets because they can’t find jobs that pay a decent wage after they graduate from college. The article states that young adults (age 18-24) have the highest unemployment rate of all adults, and it is rising significantly. While it is true that we are in the middle of a very tough economic cycle, it is also true that a lot of college students have graduated with degrees that make it difficult to find jobs.
I am not one to say, “Show me the money!” should be the only mantra when choosing a college and a major. In fact, I fall on the opposite end of that spectrum a lot of times because I believe how you are wired should drive the type of work you do. But it is not an either/or proposition: young people should do what they are wired for – and do it within the context of what types of jobs are available, and what majors it takes to get those jobs. Young adults need to do their research – on themselves and on the environment they will hopefully be working in someday – when making these lfe changing decisions.
And the holidays is a great time to give it some thought!
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great.” ~ Mark Twain