By parental advice I didn't mean "do what I did/what was the proper thing to do when I was your age" but "do some research, check what is in demand now, what do other people do, how it will all affect the future".
I'm 26 now, when I entered high school 10 years ago the whole sociology/political science/economy etc. boom started (at least in the part of Europe I was living in). Call me special but the fact that it was too popular made me think twice before entering a high school class profiled for that kind of studies (yes, we have profiles in HS in my country).
Also the fact that more and more people got accepted to universities made me realise that I either have to go to a lousy uni and work really hard on my own to be able to land a decent job or go to a top uni in the country (after entering one I realised that even with such a degree I need to find something I'm good at and do something in that direction, no one else will help me and only the degree won't mean that much).
Yes the system isn't without blame for talking crap, but let's be honest. The people in charge always were full of BS and that won't change.
Ah also, again, I didn't notice which unis those people graduated from. I'm pretty sure that a sociology degree from a top uni still holds some value.
As I said, if you want to do what you love, then go for it. But please don't whine and cry that no one wants to pay you for it if it's a skill that's not highly valued by the industry. As I said in society sometimes you need to clench you teeth and do what has to be done. Then in your spare time you can do what you love.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live in a world where everyone could do what they truly love but taking into account human nature I highly doubt such an utopia is possible.
People will lie to you, that's how people are. It's your parents'/family's role to guide you. Furthermore, as I took the article it's even the bright and "oh so special" younglings that cannot find a job. If they are so smart they should realise that something is wrong.
If you believe everything you're being told without thinking about it and/or making some research of your own then it's, again, your own fault.
I don't want to sound like a douche, but... I call bullshit! "[...] master’s degree in sociology" - I really wanted to stop reading after this line. There's a handful of jobs that require only sociological skill and in most cases they don't pay that much. Anyone who doesn't know that should blame only themselves, not the system or the employers. Go google "what can a sociology major do". Even Berkley's (which I find to be a decent school at least) sociology dept's website clearly states that sociology is only an addition to some other skills.
Not sure about other countries but in my homeland sociology studies are piss easy and that's why they are so popular. People just want to have it all with zero effort. To the really small % of people who study it because they truly love it: 1) you either have to be the best at it in that case 2) if you're not, then get a different job. Not everyone can make a living doing what they love the most. I love gaming but I doubt I could ever get to the point where I'd be able to make a living from it.
No jobs for people with a nursing degree, what?? All over Europe there's a shortage of nurses! I'd love to read the whole story of that person. What she tried, what she did, where did she apply etc. It's a hard job, that's why there are shortages, but if you decided to go into a nursing school I'd guess you know that.
No one will hire you only because you have a degree, geez don't people know that? Nowadays everyone can get a degree! Btw. why didn't they mention in the article any university names? Anyway even if you, somehow, graduate from a distinguished uni but did nothing extra, or did not find what you really want to to then again you should only blame yourself.
As a European who did an exchange in France I met many Italians and Spanish during my life. They were usually quite hard working, focused and new what they want from life. And according to them they were the exceptions. Apparently the majority people from those countries recently prefer to party than work hard.
Young people seriously should stop acting like princesses and princes, taking things for granted just because they are special and instead try to do something by themselves.
There's plenty of IT jobs (software/system engineering, admin work etc.) but you have to know something. I interviewed people for intern and junior programmer positions (mainly Java devs) and they had no idea what an interface is or why we would use it. Ha! They had no idea about basic CS concepts, how the computer works etc. Yet they wanted to work at a place with one of the highest wages in the area. Well...
I'm 26 now, when I entered high school 10 years ago the whole sociology/political science/economy etc. boom started (at least in the part of Europe I was living in). Call me special but the fact that it was too popular made me think twice before entering a high school class profiled for that kind of studies (yes, we have profiles in HS in my country).
Also the fact that more and more people got accepted to universities made me realise that I either have to go to a lousy uni and work really hard on my own to be able to land a decent job or go to a top uni in the country (after entering one I realised that even with such a degree I need to find something I'm good at and do something in that direction, no one else will help me and only the degree won't mean that much).
Yes the system isn't without blame for talking crap, but let's be honest. The people in charge always were full of BS and that won't change.
Ah also, again, I didn't notice which unis those people graduated from. I'm pretty sure that a sociology degree from a top uni still holds some value.