Shaping the future of teenage son in time of uncertainty

I spent my teenage years in eighties. I was asked do graduation in a subject on which I was not good and didn't have any inclinations. My guardians made that choice for me because there were more jobs studying chemistry to be able to at least have a job and survive. I found magic in chemistry over time and have done not excellently but reasonably well in life. Some due to the hard work I put in but more due to providence.

Our son got the opportunity to study in one of the best schools in Manila, Bangkok and Mumbai. As he was completing his high school, he showed inclinations for humanities but have not been able to decide on a subject to study in his college and a career he would like to pursue. He showed he was reasonably good in science and decent enough in mathematics.

My experience is Asian. We don't live in countries which have a safety net of social securities. The difference between living in a house and on road is really a steady job. I have been a student of changes that would be on us in 10,20,30 years in societies. The situation got more complicated with the pandemic, as some of the potential changes got accelerated and others receded a bit. Though a firm believer that we need to live in here and now and that future is not for ours to see, I also believe in preparing today so can face tomorrow with confidence and prayer.

I know our children are the sons and daughters of the world and that they will find their destiny. But I also feel that we make our destiny. The future is full of possibilities and one of the possible futures become our destiny depending on what path we choose to walk.

Our insecurities dictates the steps we take. I come from a middle class family who have been exceptionally lucky to have got a job that is relatively secure in an industry relatively immune to economic downturns.

From my two decades of experience working in Asia, I have come to the conclusion that there are jobs like marketing, finance and IT that are more secure and more plentiful. Well doctors are always needed but its not for everyone. Digitalization was always going to happen but the pandemic accelerated it.

I have seen our son to be good in many different subjects. Like any child, he was not fond of science subjects but could managed. It was the arts subjects which has been his passion and where he excelled. However, being an engineer, I always felt that it is the analytical abilities that one need to acquire to be successful in life. One can be a journalist studying english and polical science but then what is their fate? Write about the world based on the views belched out by some of the so called experts without knowing what is right or wrong? How can even one write about the implications of financial malpractices and peril of nuclear proliferation with an education in arts which robs one of any analytical skills?

What are the jobs that pays well? What does a son raised in a family that has been expat for more than 7 years and have been raised in relative luxury, where he has not been required to wait for anything and by the age of 17, have travelled to more than 10 countries do to earn enough to have a life where not too many choices have to be made about spending?

As the world is becoming digitalized, doesn't it make sense to learn computer science which should enhance the possibilities to having a job and job security?

So, I encouraged him to do undergrad studies in Computer science. He doesn't like it too much. He would have been happier doing political science, languages or history or international relations. But he trusts and understands.

I hope we are making the right decision for him. Parenthood is difficult. We hope, we pray hard.