I'm often asked, by students, for career advice. Some of them have no earthly idea what to do with themselves. My advice is simple: Ask yourself what you enjoy doing, and figure out a way to get paid for doing it. This is what I did. I went to law school after college not because I wanted to be a lawyer or thought that it would make me happy, but because it seemed (while I was in high school) like a respectable, exciting, and remunerative career. (High school is a terrible time to be making career decisions.) I clerked for a law firm during law school and later practiced law while attending graduate school (to pay the bills). It became clear to me early on that practicing law was not for me. First, I wouldn't have been good at it; and second, it would not have made me happy. Indeed, it would have made me unhappy.
What made me happy—what has always made me happy—was reading, writing, and thinking. I knew that professors did these things and got paid for it. Yes, they do other things as well, such as teaching and serving on committees. I enjoy teaching, but have no particular fondness (or aptitude) for committee work. I decided to become a professor. The only question was which discipline. I had fallen in love with philosophy as an undergraduate, so, while my major was political science and my minors economics and history, I decided to become a professor of philosophy. The rest, as they say, is history. Am I happy? You betcha. I can't imagine any other occupation (or discipline) that would make me as happy as I am, with the possible exception of Major League Baseball player. I thank my lucky stars that I didn't have to practice law for a living. This is not a slam against lawyers. Many lawyers enjoy practicing law and are good at it. Not everyone is cut out for all occupations.
Here is a New York Times story about a "hot" occupation. I would not recommend that someone major in statistics solely in order to get a high-paying job in that field (that is a recipe for disaster), but for those who already enjoy statistics, it's a perfect opportunity.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 