re: If you have kids starting to search for college/career... what is left worth pursuing?

The network you meet is what you're really paying for.

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I'm a physical therapist and people will always get hurt! Don't see automation taking my job anytime soon either. Gotta have people skills and know anatomy and physiology like the back of your hand. It is a lot of schooling though.

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Govt going to dictate how much y’all can make in the not too distant future

Can’t go wrong with Business or Marketing

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My oldest is leaning toward Engineering or Law, maybe both.

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I don't think anyone has any idea where the human job market is going.

Law is interesting because outside of politicians it is the only job that has some protection is the Constitution.

Law plus STEM can be lucrative but to get the most benefit out of both you are in a pretty niche field. I have known one engineer turned attorney and a couple of MDs who went to law school and they all did well but it limits your area of practice but that was their intent from the outset of going back to law school.

Law is an odd field when it comes to compensation because it may be the white collar/terminal degree job that varies most in compensation. You have lawyers making a very modest living and you have some with 8 figure comp packages.

Biglaw is the most direct path to high salaries in the field but in general it requires a T14 education and being in the upper part of your class. Craveth scale firms start 1st years at $245,000 and by the 6th or 7th year when they should be hoping/expecting to make the cut for partner they will be making $495k/535k on the 2024 pay scale. The grind of associate life in Biglaw is not for everyone.

Engineering + Law probably works best in the patent law and products liability fields. Even if it is never used specifically the engineering degree would be good to have in one's pocket. The only thing I would point out is they need to take electives outside of STEM that have heavy writing requirements like English and History because law school is almost exclusively exams with long-form answers and even if you know every answer if you can't communicate it clearly and quickly you aren't any better off than the person that doesn't know the answers.

One good thing about law is if you burn out but don't hate law as such you can always move to a small down, hang out your own shingle, poach a good secretary/paralegal from a town or two over, do a little advertising and glad-handing and live the life of a small town general practice attorney. I have a friend who did exactly that and he and his wife love the life, she was a paralegal in the same firm and now they work together.

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My son is a straight A student but wants to be a plumber. I want him to get a degree in something but he's dead set against going to college.

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He can do both. No law against a plumber having a college education

Not engineering or STEM, in my opinion. AI will make human engineers, accountants, stock traders, etc. obsolete.

I would say anything that requires the social intelligence of a human brain, the dexterity of a human body or the ability to analyze without a sensor. Things like sales, positions requiring strong communication skills, trades, song writer, musician, etc.

If you sit behind a computer all day long, you will be out of a job very soon. If you can talk, are a performer or are rock mason; you will be highly valued in the future.

Lastly, politics will continue to be where the real money is.

Ours is senior in HS. Applied to 14 schools. Plans to major in Gender Studies.

Engineering, accounting, nursing will always be in demand.
Trades are a good choice now too. I have a son working as a contractor just out of high school making just as much money as an engineer with a four year degree. Plumbing, electrician, HVAC, line crew contractors are all in demand right now. Because of the government trying to make everything electric, (cars, heating, ovens etc), line crew contractors will be in demand for the long haul.

Supply chain in Business school.
Not to hard and come out with many job offers starting $60- 65k