Life & Living:  Free Advice for the Next Generation

I’m  thinking out loud again.  This time about high school and college students trying to figure out what to study and what kind of life they want to build.

Recently, my daughter’s friend asked me what she thought her son — a high school junior — should major in.

That question sounds simple.  It isn’t.

What follows isn’t a prescription.  It’s how I think about the question.

Here’s my advice — with my underlying values and assumptions fully disclosed.  Please remember that my thoughts are based on my values (not yours) and my life experiences (not yours) … my assumptions about the future are not necessarily accurate … and that I almost certainly have blind spots.

 

1.) A value — Find work you love and believe matters.  

     Why?  

            First, you will spend a lot of your life at work, almost half of your waking hours for decades.  Loving what you do makes that part of your life enjoyable, fun, and not tedious or annoying.  (Except on the occasional “bad” day.)  Better to be smiling inside and looking forward to the next day at work rather than gritting your teeth and just getting through it.  

            Second, chances are that if you love your work, you will be good at it and reap the rewards of success.  Intellectually, emotionally, and financially.  

            Third, there will come a day when you look back on your work life and consider how it contributed to making the world a better place.  Maybe in a big way, maybe in a small way.  Whatever.  And you get to define “what making the world a better place” means.  “Important” is in your mind.  

            I always think of the story about 2 stone masons being asked what they were doing at work.  

            One said, “cutting stone.” 

      

            The other said, “building a cathedral.”  

            Every one of us can do something important, something that makes the world a better place.  Aim to be part of “building a cathedral,” however you choose to define it.

      How?  

            Sample a lot of stuff via part-time jobs, subjects at school, extracurricular activities, and talking to people who are in different careers.  Remember you are trying to discover something you love, something you believe matters.

            First, think about your reactions to your different experiences.  Perhaps you find you enjoy working with people or leading people … or you don’t.  Perhaps you find you like to create new stuff or refine old stuff … or you don’t. Perhaps you are comfortable taking risks … or you aren’t.  Perhaps you like chaos and uncertainty … or you like order and predictability.  There is no right or wrong here.  

            Second, reflect on what you hear from others.  Learning from others is a very time efficient way to get experiences. 

            Third, give new experiences a reasonable amount of time to play out.  But if you don’t at least like the experience, move on.  And, even if you do like it, don’t neglect opportunities to try something new that catches your eye.  What you like will probably change as you evolve and learn.

2.) Another value — Don’t let near term decisions limit your future choices.  Instead, maximize your future choices.  

      A relative was majoring in chemistry in college.  In her junior year, she was thinking of changing to Russian Studies and asked my advice. 

      I thought if she stuck with chemistry she would have a wider field of choices in the future.  She could do chemistry or something technical.  Or she could get an MBA … or go to law school or med school.  If she switched to Russian Studies, several future avenues would be more difficult … not impossible, but more difficult.   I asked her to consider that.

      Truth in advertising:  Well, she switched to Russian Studies anyway and became a local reporter for a small rural newspaper … and ended up as an award-winning investigative journalist at several prestigious newspapers.  That’s a good reminder that early choices matter — but so does staying open to unexpected paths.

3.) An assumption — I have a bias for technology.  I think all organizations and jobs depend on and use technology.  I expect the importance and use of technology will increase. 

4.) One more assumption — Artificial Intelligence will change our world in a big way.  More than any other technology in history.  It will amplify human intelligence and creativity … and human progress.  It will become woven into every seam of our work lives and our personal lives.  At the same time, interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence will be at a premium for work that does not get automated away by AI.

So, what I would do if I were going to college?

1.) Pair a STEM degree with a second one that is people-focused (e.g., psychology or marketing or human behavior).  

      You want both the knowledge and the credential.  

      I am thinking undergrad dual majors or an undergrad and grad degree. I’d probably try for dual majors to lower cost and student debt … and then maybe get a grad degree on my first employer’s nickel.

      Let your experience sampling and learning from others guide your specific initial choices, e.g., should I do computer or bio engineering … should I do psychology or marketing.  

      Don’t be afraid to switch majors as you learn what you love.  One more semester is a small cost if it enables a lifetime of joy and success.

2.) Become a power user of GenAI — starting today.

      This is surprisingly easy to do.  Take 1 or 2 free, short on-line courses and then just dive in.  Find others who are on the same path and learn from each other.

3.) Take one introductory accounting course.  

      I can’t think of a job where budgets and money aren’t a factor.  And you’ll be able to read the Wall Street Journal.  

I’m sure others see this differently — and I’m interested in those perspectives.  What advice would you give a high schooler trying to decide what to study today?  Why?