My son wants me to help him choose: to be a doctor or chemical engineer?

Question

This is a boy who made an 'A' in mathematics and a long chain of 'B's at the West African Secondary School Certificate Exams. I want him to do something related to Computers, he wants to do either medicine or chemical engineering. I know doctors are hot cake in Ghana, but it is not easy entering the medical school. But as a chemical engineer, what are the prospects?

Answer 1

Tell him to take one as a minor and one as a major. Take all the courses he needs at first then go into whichever one he likes best.

Answer 2

Lets make it more simply. The answer is lying on what he loves to do, his biggest pleasure and what he is really capable to do. Assume that he, not you, wants either to be a doctor or chemical engineer.

Doctor : if he is really capable in the field I am sure he will entering the medical school.

Chemical Engineer: you need more information for yourself, mom. With all my respect, this could give him a great job too.

I think you are worried too much.

Answer 3

That's is something that he needs to choose for him self, you need to guide him to ask him self what does he likes doing better, what does he sees himself as, is been a doc. or engineer which ones makes him happier, which one makes him feel like he will get up every day of the rest of his life and go work without hesitation, something that he will do out of love or passion for. Once he has answer all this questions then he can make a decision. Also those are to very close areas of science, so he can do pre-med for 2 years an then decide is he wants to continue with it or change to chemical engineer, and also he can actually be both eventually if both things are what he loves doing.

Answer 4

Let's do this professionally!

Tell him to sit an hour alone in his room with a pen and lots of paper or with the computer, be a kid, and write out what his perfect life would look like. If he's not a writer, tell him to just think of key words and write down bullet points.

The next evening, take him out to a nice place for coffee or dinner where you can talk one on one uninterrupted and either read what he wrote together, or let him tell you what came out of his night alone in his room. Help him to eliminate the options until he ends up with ONE THING that he's more passionate about than anything else. It's best not to make plan B because that's setting him up for failure. But do give him the chance if he wants to explore one or two other options as well. After all, this is a life changing decision.But no more than three because that'll only confuse him and confused people end up nowhere.

BE IDEALISTIC--NOT REALISTIC. Let him fantasise the ideal life, and support him whatever he says because even if it's hard to believe because if you surrender to what makes him passionate, this will tune your brain into finding solutions for him.

TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL AND DON'T EVEN MENTION THOSE WHO FAILED. If he wants to be a doctor, resolve to find out what the successful candidates do to triumph in med school and DO IT. Likewise if he wants to be a chemical engineer. Don't think about career prospects and trends, think about what makes him happy. If it'll cost extra money or time to do that, find something that will solve the problem. Scholarships, business opportunities, investment plans, and extra work may solve the financial. Time concerns may be solved by hiring someone to do mundane chores that have little to do with pursuing his real calling, like laundry and housekeeping. That's what people do in Asia, I'm sure it's just as affordable in West Africa.

You don't have to come up with all answers in one sitting. If it's getting too tense, go home and continue the conversation within 24-72 hours. You may well come up with better and unexpected solutions in the meantime.

FIND OUT ABOUT 10 DOCTORS OR ENGINEERS or SENIOR STUDENTS (or whatever professional your son wishes to be) THAT YOUR SON COULD LOOK UP TO. Doesn't matter if you know them personally; if you have a name and he/she looks credible, find out their contact details. Offer to invite them for a one-on-one hour's interview about what their career and their college life has been like, and prepare a handful of careful questions to consider. Yes, also offer to pay for the interview. Chances are, out of those 10 you invited, 5 would reply, and you'd get an appointment with 2 or 3 of them. THIS IS A GREAT INVESTMENT THAT MIGHT CHANGE YOUR SON'S LIFE.

If you love your son as much as you say you do, you won't set him up to be average and live his life according to the majority's verdict; you'd drive many extra miles to help him be a winner and soar above the storms like an eagle. It's not about "we're working too hard" but "whatever it takes".

PS: don't forget to have fun! If your son loves music, buy him a CD with positive, fired up songs that would feed his passion. I personally like this American rock band called Jimmy Eat World.

Answer 5

I would say for him to be doctor. But if he wants to be a chemical engineer, then he can be.