Contrarian Career Nuggets

I’m teaching a graduate course in career counseling. When I was a student, having remembered little from the mountains I was expected to read, I’m ruthlessly curating what I’m having my students read. For example, I'll be handing out a collection of contrarian ideas that have most helped my clients. It's my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Contrarian Career Advice: Forget Engineering

College-bound students, especially girls, are often encouraged to consider a career in engineering or computer science.

I think that's very risky. How long can we expect that American companies will be willing to pay U.S. prices for engineers and computer professionals when China and India have so many more engineers and computer professionals willing to work for less than half of what U.S. workers are? And when ever more work product can be sent over the Internet.

The rationale usually offered is that American workers are more innovative. That advantage is rapidly evaporating as Chinese and Indian universities have been revamping their curriculum to encourage innovative thinking.

From where I sit, unless you have unusually strong potential to be an engineer or computer programmer, it's wiser to learn how to be an entrepreneur. That can never be offshored. Also, it's more learnable than the advanced math and high-level reasoning required in engineering and computer science.

I am not a huge fan of the generic business major, but many students might be wise to consider a major or masters degree in entrepreneurship--as long as the faculty is dominated by successful entrepreneurs, not theoreticians. Here's Entrepreneur magazine's list of top undergraduate and graduate programs.