text: Poor advice, Mr. Carrick:  a bean counter's perspective, and people are not beans.  Becoming educated cannot be equated with seeking a job.  A student should do a program in which he or she is interested, and even more or less passionate about.  Parents who tell their children otherwise risk bad results at university, drug-taking, depression, and dropping out.  How could that be a good investment?  I'm a university professor with 30 years experience, and I've seen all this many, many times.  Like the student whose parents forced him into law school and he became an alcoholic and dropped out after the first year.  (Which ended his alcoholism.)  The route to a rewarding and satisfying career is often not a straight or direct line.  I've seen that many times too.  People need to be given space and time to develop in accord with their actual natures and interests.