What can I do to help my Yeshiva son choose a college degree

gggo

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 4:57 pm

Where do I start?

Boro Park type yeshiva high school. He will be graduating 12th grade this year. His Yeshiva gives regents.
He is a smart kid. He likes reading, cars & technology.

How can he figure out what he would be interested in?

Which degrees will give him the opportunity to earn $150,000 or more?

I called Brooklyn College for help but they said they will only assist current students not incoming freshman. They told me he should speak to his school counselor. Yeah right- What school counselor??!!

Any ideas?

Thank you so much

chaiz

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:00 pm

gggo wrote:

Which degrees will give him the opportunity to earn $150,000 or more?

I called Brooklyn College for help but they said they will only assist current students not incoming freshman. They told me he should speak to his school counselor. Yeah right- What school counselor??!!

Any ideas?

Not sure which degree will give him the opportunity to earn that much straight upon graduation. But you might want to check sites such as Glassdoor and BLS.gov to get accurate salary information.

He could start college without knowing exactly where he wants to end up as he most probably will need to do requirements for any degree. There are certain areas that need to be filled regardless if they are relevant to his major.

Dina_B613

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:02 pm

If he likes cars, what about becoming a mechanic? A lot of well-paying jobs are considered "blue collar" - like plumbers, electricians and the like - but they are always in high demand. What about inviting different people over for Shabbos meals/going to them who have careers that he thinks he might be interested, or having him take them out for a rugelach and coffee to ask them about their professions?

Encourage him, before enrolling in any program, to learn about what the profession is like, what the life is like, what the predictions about what said program are. It also depends on whether or not he is interested in staying in NY or BP in general to know whether or not there is a demand for a certain profession.

IMHO, The best way that you can encourage your son to pursue secular education is by telling him that you will not bankroll his life.

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:04 pm

ooc - are you planning on taking a kid from a typical Boro Park yeshiva and put him in Brooklyn College?

Why don't you ask HIM what he would like to go for? What type of job interests him... Reading, cars, and technology can translate into a car mechanic or some sort of engineer! I think Touro offers a competency test or something like that that measures your likes and interests and gives you a list of potential career options.

gggo

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:05 pm

Thank you Chaiz for Glassdoor and BLS.gov

I will check both sites.

I am against him starting college without any idea of what he wants to do. I do feel strongly that he must have a clear goal before he starts college. He is a fairly sheltered yeshiva boy & college will be an extreme culture shock. I think having a strong goal can help him stay grounded & focused on the end results.

mille

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:06 pm

$150,000 with a Bachelors, no graduate school? Probably not that many. He doesn't really need to know exactly what he wants to do yet unless he's doing something highly specialized (like nursing or music or something with more than 120 credits to graduate). His first semester he should take general eds, talk to the counselors, and work on making a decision.

Dina_B613's idea of learning a trade is an interesting idea. It can be quite lucrative.

chaiz

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:07 pm

gggo wrote:

I am against him starting college without any idea of what he wants to do. I do feel strongly that he must have a clear goal before he starts college. He is a fairly sheltered yeshiva boy & college will be an extreme culture shock. I think having a strong goal can help him stay grounded & focused on the end results.

Definitely hear that.

amother

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:08 pm

gggo wrote:

Im going to respectfully disagree with this outlook. If you want him to know before he attends, you're talking trade school and not college.

College is *where* you figure out what to do.

gggo

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:09 pm

He doesn't love cars to an extreme of enjoying being a mechanic. Just typical boy interest in cars & technology.

And this is why I am lost. Yes typical but not as sheltered BP type boy. There really isn't anyone who to ask.

I will be catching hell for this from family , yeshiva etc...

But I do not want him to repeat my life.

I really want to give him the opportunity to easily stand on his own feet.

amother

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:12 pm

iluvy wrote:

Computer science!

Not quite but starting salary is close to 100k in ny. You have to be very good at computers and math for this though.

gggo

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:13 pm

Thanks iluvy.

Computer science may be interesting.

How do I find out more about this field?

He'll need to figure out if he will have enough patience to do it day after day.

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:14 pm

There is a career counselor I have heard very good things about. I never used her, don't know what she does, if she's any good, how much she charges, etc... Someone Miles. Maybe he should meet with her? Or a different career counselor - not specifically her.

Does he not have an opinion on the matter?
I once asked a guy I was dating why he was going for the particular field he was pursuing. His answer: I don't know, that's what my father told me to do. To put it lightly, I was appalled!

chaiz

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:14 pm

amother wrote:

Not quite but starting salary is close to 100k in ny. You have to be very good at computers and math for this though.

It is dependent on a number of factors. Yes that is where many of the jobs are but does not mean it is easy or quick for everyone. That is why it is important to check out sites with accurate and real numbers.

mummiedearest

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:16 pm

computer science is a good field. however, op, you're going to have to let him figure out what he wants to do. college is where many people figure out what they want to do with their lives. give him some brochures, have him speak to professionals in different fields. he should definitely see the college's career counselor once he's there. but if you insist on his having a specific goal before starting, he may never start. especially if he comes from a non-college family. needing a goal makes this much harder.

chaiz

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:19 pm

gggo wrote:

Thanks iluvy.

Computer science may be interesting.

How do I find out more about this field?

He'll need to figure out if he will have enough patience to do it day after day.

He might want to check out sites such as Khan Academy and Edx.org to see if it might be for him.

gggo

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:24 pm

Career counselor sounds like a good plan.

Can anyone recommend one?

I googled miles but did not get any hits.

I am NOT looking to choose his career but because of his background he needs more hand holding than the average teen.

I DO want to help him find a career which HE will enjoy and which will help him support a family without a constant struggle

amother

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 5:33 pm

chaiz wrote:

It's what my dh does, that's how I know. He has an ma though, and I wouldn't say it's easy at all. Earning potential goes up he makes closer to 250k now.

Barbara

Thu, Aug 21 2014, 6:13 pm

What are his grades like?

Has he taken the SAT or ACT yet? What were his scores?

For engineering, for example, he will be expected to have completed 4 years of English, 3 years of social science, 2 years of algebra and one of geometry (and preferably some higher level math), and 3 years of science including courses in physical science, biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics. Better schools will require a GPA north of a 3.7, and SATs of at least 1900.

But here's the thing. You can't tell your kid what to do for a living. He's got to choose it himself, and he won't be able to do that until he sees what is out there.