Also, it is possible to get into a college of your choice, specialize in a field you like, and still screw up if your priorities change (or, similarly, if your & your parents’ priorities used to align well enough up until you graduate). I was hurried into applying for a PhD because ‘let’s face it, botanists are no good for much else and you will lose all qualification if you don’t get in THIS YEAR’. And so I did not choose my topic carefully, and now I am married and have a kid and still stuck in this program. Ahem. The point was, maybe teenagers should already negotiate with their folks what support they can expect if their first choice doesn’t immediately set them on a career path?
Good point about not being wedded to priorities. That’s one reason I suggest that people re-evaluate their priorities every 3 months and not get attached to them. However, I hear the broader point you make about path dependence, namely being stuck in something and realizing you would not have chosen this course looking back at things. Definitely will include that message in future blog posts.
Also, it is possible to get into a college of your choice, specialize in a field you like, and still screw up if your priorities change (or, similarly, if your & your parents’ priorities used to align well enough up until you graduate). I was hurried into applying for a PhD because ‘let’s face it, botanists are no good for much else and you will lose all qualification if you don’t get in THIS YEAR’. And so I did not choose my topic carefully, and now I am married and have a kid and still stuck in this program. Ahem. The point was, maybe teenagers should already negotiate with their folks what support they can expect if their first choice doesn’t immediately set them on a career path?
Good point about not being wedded to priorities. That’s one reason I suggest that people re-evaluate their priorities every 3 months and not get attached to them. However, I hear the broader point you make about path dependence, namely being stuck in something and realizing you would not have chosen this course looking back at things. Definitely will include that message in future blog posts.