Jane in NC....

[momof2boys]

I read your post in the thread about carreers for our kids. I just wanted to tell you that my 17 year old son is an avid history person. He does fine in all his classes but history is where he "shines". He wants to get a history degree also. I used to try to guide him more toward engineering or computers. But these are areas that absolutely have no interst what so ever for him. Now my husband and I encourage him to pursue the degree that he is most interested in. He wants to go to college and get histroy degree. He wants to get his Phd in history. You know he make not make a huge salary but at least he will be happy with his career. I have a nursing degree and guess what I can not stand to work as a nurse anymore. I went back to work for a year and a half and absolutely hated it.(2007-mid2008). I spent 4 years in college and feel that I wasted so much time. I am now back in college to get a different degree. We are teaching our boys how to live frugally so they can do what they love and be able to make it in the world.
I guess through all my rambling what I am trying to say is is your son wants a history degree then let him pursue it. Your right may change his mind once he gets into college who knows.

[MamaT]

I didn't read the original post from Jane in NC, but I do have a son in college pursuing his PhD in History. He is never going to be rich, but the way his face lights up when he is talking about history lets me know he will love what he does. That is more important to him - and me.

[momof2boys]

Tammy,
I so agree with you. For a long time my husband and tried to steer our son elsewhere and we just took the life out of him for lack of a better phrase. Now that we encourage him to pursue history his face lights up when he talks about it. so I know what you mean.

[Jane in NC]

We are like minded on this issue, I believe. So many in the rest of the culture place a strong emphasis on college as a job training ground--which is understandable given the massive expense involved.

My sister's husband has worked a job that has brought a comfortable lifestyle to his family, but he has not been happy there. Thus, he encouraged his kids to pursue fields which would make them happy--not necessarily wealthy. Perhaps it is those parents who struggle to make ends meet who try to nudge their kids into more financially lucrative fields, knowing how hard it is been to pinch those pennies.

Elizabeth on this board recently steered me to a novel by Bess Streeter Aldrich, A Lantern in Her Hand. I am now reading its sequel, A White Bird Flying, in which I stumbled across this line:

"But that was Eliose's philosophy: great wealth brought comfort and happiness. And having no great wealth, she resigned herself, perforce, to a state of no great comfort and no deep happiness."

This seems to be a not unususal (although admittedly illogical) philosophy. I, for one, vote for happiness.

Thanks to the other posters.
Jane

[Karin]

Pursue what you love. But if you change your mind later, that's okay. One of my cousins did his undergrad degree in history, changed his mind and did his masters in music composition. He makes a living on grants, commissions and some teaching. Rich? No. Happy? Yes.

I have one with a passion for history who might be like your ds when she's older. I have met a lot of nurses who get burned out or who have only managed to stay in it because they work part time.