The speaker asserts that students should base their choice of a field of study on the availability of jobs in that field. This advice is flawed for several reasons. Firstly, it assumes that students interested in a career should abandon other interests in favor of pursuing a profession that has a high earning potential. In addition, it does not take into account the fact that many fields have increasing or decreasing job availability depending on the economic climate. These factors must be considered before choosing a career path, especially at the beginning of one’s education

The speaker’s advice assumes that students should abandon other interests in favor of pursuing a field that has a high earning potential. The problem with this piece of advice is that many students have interests that they cannot pursue without a college degree. For instance, many students have a desire to become teachers. However, to enter the teaching field, a student must earn a teacher’s certification. To obtain this certification, the student must enroll in a program with a pre-professional track. These programs often take four years to complete; thus, even students with excellent academic records would find it difficult to dedicate themselves to a teacher’s program without giving up other interests. Furthermore, becoming a teacher requires students to acquire additional skills, such as the ability to articulate and defend a position on controversial topics. Since students are not usually required to take these courses in college, many would be unable to develop these skills without enrolling in a teacher’s certification program. Thus, adhering to the advice of the speaker would be extremely difficult for many students

Another issue with accepting the speaker’s advice is that the number of jobs in a number of fields has decreased or is otherwise uncertain. For example, the manufacturing industry has traditionally provided a large number of jobs to college graduates. However, in recent years, many manufacturers have moved production to overseas locations. As a result, many factory jobs have been outsourced, and factory workers have lost their jobs. Since jobs in fields such as those of manufacturing and construction are declining, students may want to choose a field that is available. Yet, once students enter a degree program, the degree itself does not guarantee a job. Instead, students will need to market themselves aggressively in order to gain employment. It is unreasonable to expect students to enter a degree program without this information, thus resulting in many students enrolling in fields that may not offer jobs in the future

In addition to the number of jobs available in a particular field, the economic climate may also influence a student’s decision. For instance, if the economy is strong, it may be more difficult for students to find employment in their field of choice. But, students in this situation may be better off choosing fields that are likely to grow in the future. For instance, if computer programming skills prove to be in demand, students may want to consider majoring in computer science. However, because the demand for computer programmers is likely to increase in the future, students should balance career growth and job security when choosing a field of study. For these reasons, the speaker’s advice is flawed

Students should base their decision on a field of study on the availability of jobs, as well as other factors. Students should consider how their interests may affect their ability to complete a degree in their chosen field, as well as the future availability of jobs in that field. Students should also choose a field of study that is likely to offer employment opportunities to graduates.