I guess father doesn’t always know best.
When my daughter, the recent university graduate, was considering colleges and degrees to pursue she originally wanted to get a degree in English. She was also considering graphic arts. But several of her high school teachers told me in meetings if she doesn’t follow a mathematics path she would be wasting a god-given talent. At the time I asked her if she wanted to become a English teacher, and she said no. So I then asked her if she wanted to write books or work for a publication and her response was also a no. So I then asked her if she goes after an English degree what would she do with it? She didn’t have a response. I also have two family members in the graphic arts business and know how tough the market is, especially finding decent paying jobs in our area.
She received several excellent scholarships and grants from colleges if she majored in mathematics, and I convinced (she says ‘forced’) her to major in math. But I told her if she had a passion for English and Art to fill up her electives with those classes as it would help if any opportunity arose in the future. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in mathematics with a concentration in biology and did fill up her electives in English and Art.
During college she participated in a research grant for the government dealing with climate change and wrote a paper on her findings, and also supplemented her income tutoring math and creating custom anime type characters for a website with her art skills.
At the end of her college adventure she thanked me for forcing her to major in math as she did enjoy the experience. But upon graduation she didn’t quite know what kind of job she wanted. She began studying for the actuarial program but after three months decided that is not what she wanted to do with her life. She thought teaching math at the postgraduate level might be something she would consider, but not for years down the road.
She then decided she would like go after a job dealing with scientific research using her biology and statistical skills. But she discovered there is not much demand for that kind of position without several years of experience.
But she needed a job. We discussed her getting a job, any job, in a pharmaceutical company that does scientific research and production, as there are several in the area. That way she could ‘work her way up’ within an organization.
The pharmaceutical companies in the area are growing and expanding and hiring. She had interviews at two different local companies but they were in production. She resolved herself to the idea she needed to start in production. At one of the companies she had interviews with three different personnel. A production manager, a HR person, and a tech person that she didn’t know why he was interviewing her at first. That guy told her he was interested in her writing and graphic skills on her resume and with the company's growth there would soon be an opening for a dedicated technical writer. He asked her to send him a sample of some technical writing she did in college. She sent it to him that evening and he seemed impressed. He then sent her an actual company challenge and asked her to write a technical operations pamphlet describing the proper processes. She got it back to him in a couple of hours and again he thought it was quite good. He said he would fight for her to get the production position to start in the company (as the new technical writing postion wasn't yet approved), but the production guy didn’t want her because she was overqualified and he thought she wouldn’t want to stay in operations. But the HR person really liked her and saw potential in her for more challenging positions within the company. It was two to one in her favor and she was offered a job in production. She called the Tech guy and he said she would eventually get the technical writing job but she needed to work the rest of the year in all the production rooms so she became familiar with operations as it would help her to create manuals.
She started with the company last Monday, which was orientation day. Tuesday she was trained in production. Wednesday she worked in production on her own. Thursday the supervisor had her training other new employees on machinery (that she only had one day experience on). On Friday the Tech guy pulled her into his office and said he received glowing reports on her and that her supervisor said after one day she researched why she was having arm twinges and reported back on the proper way to hold your arms using the machinery so it doesn’t develop into carpal tunnel issues. The supervisor immediately put what she reported into affect (after he looked up the articles she referenced). The tech guy said he talked to upper management about her and didn’t want the chance on her deciding to look for something else, so on Monday she will be starting the technical writing position. He still wants her to work in production half the time for now so she becomes familiar with operations. He said she would be limited in growth in production, but the technical writing position, along with her artistic skills that will allow her to create diagrams for the literature she produces, will give her a 'sky’s the limit' opportunity in the company.
So her math skills that I pushed her into taking in college will not be utilized much in her new chosen career path (she eventually does want to progress into research in the organization) but the two things she originally wanted to do, English and Art, is what got her a job she thinks will really interest her for now. Technical writing sounds boring to me but she’s kinda weird (aren't all grammar nazis?) and it sounds exciting and challenging to her.
She’ll be the first paid writer in the family.
