The more things change the more they stay the same - education regrets & what we'd do differently:
Bottom Line: I remember during the recession that there were several ideas\concepts that I formulated to attempt to be helpful in the mist of the prolonged period of economic pain. One of those that proved true then and is even more evident today is being intentional with education. Education had become too expensive, and good career paths so specific, that the days of majoring in whatever you liked and having it all work out had passed. Study after study in recent years has pointed to that particular point time and again. We consistently see that most college grads would have chosen a different field of study in college if they had it to do over again. Gallup's the most recent. They found:
51% of college grads would make a major change with their educational path if they could
Of those changes:
#1 different major
#2 different school
#3 different degree type
Best to get it right when you can (and help your kids not repeat these types of mistakes). That leads to the next point. How college grads choose their educational paths in the first place.
55% primarily made decisions based on informal advice (family, friends)
44% primarily made decisions based on formal advise (educational advisers - in person and digitally)
The advice deemed least helpful with hindsight. High-school/college advisers/counselors. So, the expression measure twice and cut once comes to mind. I remember coining the phrase - major in what you want a career in and minor in what you like if you must. Way too many people have and continue to major in what they like only to enter the job market finding that everyone else did too.