I wanted to clarify – when I say, “I’ve commented on several of your articles but this is the first time my comment has been negative,” I am referring to Kerry Patterson articles specifically. I have saved, shared, and loved several of the heartwarming tales!

While my scientific education, including a Bachelors and a Masters degree from highly reputable universities, holds personal value, it has by no means been a road to a secure career or minimal financial security. I believe we must be more honest in our discussions, particularly with those making early choices regarding their careers, about the dirth of available jobs in many scientific and technical fields. There is simply a larger supply of educated and competent individuals than are positions available which value such expertise.

My expertise is as a biologist focusing in the environmental and marine sciences. However, in interacting with other scientists, I have found similar career difficulties faced by those in a wide array of fields. A recent opinion piece from a well regarded engineering organization highlighted some of these issues: “The STEM Crisis is a Myth” (http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth).

But then, not quite halfway through her first sophomore semester, Julienne shocked her mother, me, our family, and friends by announcing she wanted to pursue a career as a college professor in mathematics and applied physics! Julienne had been an honor student in high school, and we knew she had ability in math. She had tutored middle schoolers in math part-time while attending college in New York. What we didn’t know was that Julienne had met some math professors and students and on weekends was working on proofs with them at Carnegie Mellon in Washington, D.C. But we weren’t prepared for this drastic a switch, and grilled Julienne thoroughly to see how deeply she felt about this change and the challenges it posed.

During our conversations, Julienne confided that she found theatrical performing “too easy,” and despite the fiercely competitive nature of that business, she wanted something more personally challenging. She said that too many of her peers were looking for “the easiest, highest-paying job they could find.” Julienne found that work attitude reprehensible. What good would come of her, or her generation, if everyone took the easy way out? Didn’t this country become great because of people who took up the challenge of difficulty, or the unknown, and worked at it? She showed us a YouTube recording of a famous astrophysicist who gave a convincing case for math for all high school students, because of the problem-solving skills the discipline of math puts into the brain. He pointed out that those skills can be applied to any job, not just those of scientists and engineeers.

I was dumbfounded that this realization came from the mind and voice of our own one-time Broadway ingenue. Of course, to my wife and me as parents, the proof of the desire is in the doing, not just the speaking. But Julienne is now working hard, successfully meeting the challenges of the new path she has chosen. She is writing her own personal “proof.” She also has taken up mountaineering and photography, and even performs now and then. And her mother and I couldn’t be prouder.

Thank you, Trisha! I need that, too and will go look

Yes. I have four children and know all about the power of self discovery.

I agree that there is indeed a change coming and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that some people go too far in debt–a point I didn’t make and probably should have pointed out.

I couldn’t agree more–it is about the learning. I spent ten years in college and enjoyed every minute. I love to learn more than just about anything.