Go into law, er, ...engineering, medicine, anthing.

radhead · Jul 30, 2009

I've been watching the 1970's TV drama "Family." The father is a lawyer and his son is a recent high school dropout. But the son is very intelligent and dropped out because he didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer.

He wants to be a writer. He asks if he can go away for the summer to write, to see whether he has any talent. He and the father are having lunch talking about this and the son asks what his father wants him to do. The father says, "I want you to go back to school. Go into law, ...engineering, medicine, anything."

My question is this. Don't those things require a special "calling" of sorts? I mean, do you think that anyone can just go into those fields because they have the opportunity?

hikingchick77 · Jul 30, 2009

radhead said:
I've been watching the 1970's TV drama "Family." The father is a lawyer and his son is a recent high school dropout. But the son is very intelligent and dropped out because he didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer.

He wants to be a writer. He asks if he can go away for the summer to write, to see whether he has any talent. He and the father are having lunch talking about this and the son asks what his father wants him to do. The father says, "I want you to go back to school. Go into law, ...engineering, medicine, anything."

My question is this. Don't those things require a special "calling" of sorts? I mean, do you think that anyone can just go into those fields because they have the opportunity?

I think it requires a special calling, and a general sense of if you prefer to work with people, things, or ideas.

LoneSheep · Jul 30, 2009

I consider college to be a place to make intelligent people get a more applied education. I don't consider college to be a place to send the willing drop-outs to turn them into Einsteins, it doesn't work that way. You have to be ready mentally for college to do well there, it isn't "high school chapter 2".

radhead · Jul 30, 2009

LoneSheep said:
I consider college to be a place to make intelligent people get a more applied education. I don't consider college to be a place to send the willing drop-outs to turn them into Einsteins, it doesn't work that way. You have to be ready mentally for college to do well there, it isn't "high school chapter 2".

I understand, but in this case the son didn't want to go. The father was just saying what he wished his son had been willing to do.

My question is, does anyone with high intelligence have to ability to go into any of those various fields? Especially someone who might rather go into the arts (like a writer).

JonMiller · Jul 30, 2009

I think that generally people should go into education to be something. Going in and getting some english degree or psychology degree will leave you working in retail or the restaurant business.

I mean, any education can be valuable (if you aren't wasting your time), but financial wise it would be smarter to have not spent the money on an education that you aren't going to use.

It is true that writing can be good, but like musicians/etc, having an english degree says nothing about whether you will be a successful writer or not. It is generally true though that those who try to become a successful writer are more likely to become one than those who don't try.

By the way, I think that a good part of the reason why men make more than women is that women are more likely to go into degrees like english and psychology while men are more likely to go into degrees like engineering (Which is in demand, and the average person right out of school with an engineering degree makes like twice as much as someone with an english degree).

The professional degrees do very well, but because of other costs Doctors make less than you would think (They have insurance/etc). Also, only about 1/3 of lawyers are successful (And they do very well), the rest have just lost their time and money to barely scrape by.

JM

JonMiller · Jul 30, 2009

radhead said:
My question is, does anyone with high intelligence have to ability to go into any of those various fields? Especially someone who might rather go into the arts (like a writer).

I would obviously say yes, if it isn't clear from my post.

I think many women who could be successful engineers/etc go into other fields which they think might be more interesting but which don't pay so well.

JM

canehdianhotstuff · Jul 30, 2009

radhead said:
I've been watching the 1970's TV drama "Family." The father is a lawyer and his son is a recent high school dropout. But the son is very intelligent and dropped out because he didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer.

He wants to be a writer. He asks if he can go away for the summer to write, to see whether he has any talent. He and the father are having lunch talking about this and the son asks what his father wants him to do. The father says, "I want you to go back to school. Go into law, ...engineering, medicine, anything."

My question is this. Don't those things require a special "calling" of sorts? I mean, do you think that anyone can just go into those fields because they have the opportunity?

I randomly up and took Chemical Engineering Technology for the past 3 years mainly cause chemistry/science was the only thing I was any good at in highschool. Didn't really have a calling for it. Just had to do something with my life in terms of education. Probably continue through to my masters after a year off again...I was really starting to hate class again by the end of 3rd year lol.

canehdianhotstuff · Jul 30, 2009

Oh, and that was after being out of highschool 3 years, so I was ready for it, and attained all high marks.

JonMiller · Jul 30, 2009

Chemical engineering is a good example, the average starting salary after a BS was almost 60k!

By the way, I wouldn't recommend continuing on in school if you are hating it, better to get a job and make money.

Unless you need the advanced degree to get the job, a MS is worth only 2 years of experience and a PhD 5, and during that time you aren't making as much as you could be.

JM
(I am taking over 7 for my PhD)

kevlite2020 · Jul 30, 2009

I'm a firm believer that anybody can do anything. That being said, some people may need more practice and work put in to be able to get the careers they want. If I wanted to go back to college right now, I guarantee you I could become a doctor, or a biologist, or even a mathmatician. I am horrible in all those subject areas, but if I had a real determination to do it, it's just a matter of putting in the work. Some people may more naturally take to those things and could work less, or advance further in the field, but anyone can get into those fields to begin with if they really put in the work.

Just, not many people want to put in extra work for something they aren't good at. I'm trying to teach english because I'm naturally a good teacher and I have a love for reading and writing. If I was no good at that kind of thing, but I still loved to do it, I could work at it and eventually get there, but it's easier to love the things you're good at I think.

canehdianhotstuff · Jul 30, 2009

No, I was only hating it just because it became information overload. I had class 8-5 most days plus my part-time job within the college labs and a technician for the 2nd year classes, and a peer tutor across all the Biosciences and Fluid Mechanics lol. I was pretty busy and just tired.

Now that I can specialize in a particular area of interest such as supercritical CO2 extraction of essential oils from plants, or some other type research positions I would enjoy it.

canehdianhotstuff · Jul 30, 2009

kevlite2020 said:
I'm a firm believer that anybody can do anything. That being said, some people may need more practice and work put in to be able to get the careers they want. If I wanted to go back to college right now, I guarantee you I could become a doctor, or a biologist, or even a mathmatician. I am horrible in all those subject areas, but if I had a real determination to do it, it's just a matter of putting in the work. Some people may more naturally take to those things and could work less, or advance further in the field, but anyone can get into those fields to begin with if they really put in the work.

Just, not many people want to put in extra work for something they aren't good at. I'm trying to teach english because I'm naturally a good teacher and I have a love for reading and writing. If I was no good at that kind of thing, but I still loved to do it, I could work at it and eventually get there, but it's easier to love the things you're good at I think.

Trust me, some people are just not cut out in some areas. I tutored some of the most horrible students at math and chem. that I thought couldnt even exist lol. I admire them for trying, and if they made it all the better, but some I really didnt think should be there.

My chem. class started out 10 people first year, and only 3 of us made it through.

JonMiller · Jul 30, 2009

Yeah, I disagree on the anyone can do anything bit.

I can never be a singer.

I know a lot of people who could never be a physicist.

But I also know a lot of people who do have the skills to be a mathy type person, but choose not to. And you should try to do something that makes you happy, but you should also try to do things that make financial sense and aren't wasting your talents.

God gives people talents, people shouldn't waste them doing something else just cause they consider it more fun.

JM

kevlite2020 · Jul 30, 2009

shawn101 said:
Trust me, some people are just not cut out in some areas. I tutored some of the most horrible students at math and chem. that I thought couldnt even exist lol. I admire them for trying, and if they made it all the better, but some I really didnt think should be there.

My chem. class started out 10 people first year, and only 3 of us made it through.

Yeah, but were they passionately interested in learning math and chem, or were they just trying to get by with decent grades? I had to pass a math class once in college just to fulfill the gen. ed. requirement... I got tutored and such and did just enough to end up with a C. I had to do a lot of work just to get that C, but if I really found a love for math and I got a passion for it, I know there's much more I could have done to do better than that.

smacarena · Jul 31, 2009

Knowing what I know now, I'd be forcing my kids to go into a high-paying field at gunpoint.

lostaquarium · Jul 31, 2009

radhead said:
My question is, does anyone with high intelligence have to ability to go into any of those various fields? Especially someone who might rather go into the arts (like a writer).

Yeah, I guess so. I'm in medicine right now, but at one point in high school I was torn between biology, physics, art, music and english (anything except modern languages, basically ). I'm still doing plenty of artsy things at university. The difference is that I have a passion for medicine, while the rest are just hobbies.

As for your question: Passion helps. But many people are excellent at their chosen careers, whether or not they feel particularly called to it. If they're prepared to work hard, any initial weaknesses will be evened out.

radhead · Jul 31, 2009

kevlite2020 said:
I'm a firm believer that anybody can do anything. That being said, some people may need more practice and work put in to be able to get the careers they want.

Do you think that just anyone could be an engineer?

kevlite2020 · Jul 31, 2009

radhead said:
Do you think that just anyone could be an engineer?

Absolutely. I know that some people have natural talent and it would be easier for them to get into something like that, but if someone was really passionate about engineering, and was really willing to do extra work all the time to train themselves and better themselves, they could make it just fine. That's just my opinion though

Niels · Jul 31, 2009

radhead said:
My question is this. Don't those things require a special "calling" of sorts? I mean, do you think that anyone can just go into those fields because they have the opportunity?

Possibly, but it helps to have the knack!

YouTube - Dilbert - The Knack

LoneSheep · Jul 31, 2009

Some people have a special calling as engineers......well as anti-engineers.

Go into law, er, ...engineering, medicine, anthing.

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