Ph.D. and dream job at age 20

Another COSC graduate-

Ph.D. and dream job at age 20 - Carroll County Times: Local

 

One's dream job at age 20 is almost never going to be one's dream job at age 30. If it was, I'd be concerned.

Yes--there are exceptions, but they illustrate the rule.

 

I'm not sure I'm following you. Were you saying that you didn't think someone would want to be a labor economist / expert court witness unless they were 20? To me, that seems like a fine career goal at any age for someone who enjoys that sort of thing. Although, personally I try to avoid all things related to the study of economics and related to going to court.

 

What I am saying is that few people at age 20 know what genuinely interests them. This may be the dream job of his youth but it is unlikely to be his dream job when he turns 35. If he is like most PhD who get their PhDs before age 25, he'll probably be flipping burgers at age 35.

 

I get what you're saying. When I was a lad there was a physician in the town I grew up in that I saw on occasion for various ailments. The guy earned a PhD in physics from the University of Virginia, taught physics for a few years at some college, and then when back to school to earn his MD. I was seeing him as a patient one day and asked him why he changed careers after earning a Phd. His response? He said: "there wasn't much money in teaching."

People do change careers for various reasons...even those who land the "dream jobs" of their youth.

 

I knew, at 15, what I wanted to do for my "dream job." It took me until I was 32 before that goal was realized but I knew when I was 15.

 

I had a friend in high school who said he had a calling to become a pastor. Well, he completed a degree in health care management or something like that, is currently in pharmacy school, and will possibly join the Air Force when he's finished even though he once told me the Air Force is the most useless military branch.