Career Advice Which way is more promising/reliable/rational?

[stomachacid]

I have 2 possible paths, which one should i choose?

1) Best uni of my country(im from Kazakhstan) - NU, that placed 401-500 on THE(yeah, i know, it's really pity position for considering best, but it rose by 100 places in 1 year, which is quite good, uni administration has taken up reforms recently). I even dont know which major to chose, the most interesting major for me is seems to be economics. But im worried about about AI, this industry developed from gpt3.5(which felt like a toy) to claude mythos(like 50-60% of AGI - human level intellegence , it's more intelligent than most of the humans tho), and im thinking about how it will change in 4 years. It seems like entry-level white collar jobs will be replaced by AI, which will be me in 4 years without experience. The advantages of this opyion is that tuition will be free with a scholarship, but it's miserable. So i have to find part time job. But the biggest advantage of the university is the networking, isnt it? I think during my time at university ill make connections that could be useful in the future, as well as ambitious friends.(i have a lot of thoughts about this, but i think you get the gist/ Im writing as briefly as possible because i dont have much time right now). Disadvantages: risk of ai and have to work half-time while studying in a hard program.
2) Apprentice of aircraft mechanic/engineer. This program is run by the best airline in the country. This program immediatly gets me a job of Junior Mechanic where they give me a salary slightly below average at the start(and also bonuses include free housing for first 3 years, medical insurance, transportation and etc). One of the advantages here is that they will teach for free for an prestigious license EASA part 66 A,B1,B2 at the same time. So i definitely wont be left without job(even could get at the any country if i want). But i will be tied to this job for at least 8 years(that's the contract). As i said,stating salary is below average( what do you expect for 0exp hiring), but salary will increase after 3,5,7 years up to 5000-7000$.I am sure that wages and working conditions will only improve over time, there are many reasons for this. Advantages: early financial independence, confidience in the future, and easy mobility( yeah, i will not die in the war if this happens). Disadvanteges: lack of benefits that university provides.

Also my hobby is coding, i recently started getting into it, i think i can monetize a good idea if it appears. And im not going to CS or any related majors because it dead because of AI.


Any thoughts?

 

[tomkyle]

Imo an apprenticeship is way better but if going into economics or IT is what interests you, you should follow your heart

 

[Pavel Durov]

очень сложный выбор...
честно я бы на твоем месте выбрала бы первый вариант , все таки условия второго варианта мне кажутся слишком рискованными.... 8 лет отрабатывать ради потенциальной высокооплачиваемой работы оч рискованно, но например ты говоришь что твоё хобби программирование и если ты поступишь на факультет экономики, то может быть в будущем заведя знакомства в унике, ты сможешь как-нибудь связать свое хобби и экономику, ты понимаешь к чему я клоню? в общем быть самому себе боссом а не работать на кого-то, кажется у тебя есть потенциал монетизировать свое хобби и самому стать себе боссом

 

[The WifeThe Wife is verified member.]

I have 2 possible paths, which one should i choose?

1) Best uni of my country(im from Kazakhstan) - NU, that placed 401-500 on THE(yeah, i know, it's really pity position for considering best, but it rose by 100 places in 1 year, which is quite good, uni administration has taken up reforms recently). I even dont know which major to chose, the most interesting major for me is seems to be economics. But im worried about about AI, this industry developed from gpt3.5(which felt like a toy) to claude mythos(like 50-60% of AGI - human level intellegence , it's more intelligent than most of the humans tho), and im thinking about how it will change in 4 years. It seems like entry-level white collar jobs will be replaced by AI, which will be me in 4 years without experience. The advantages of this opyion is that tuition will be free with a scholarship, but it's miserable. So i have to find part time job. But the biggest advantage of the university is the networking, isnt it? I think during my time at university ill make connections that could be useful in the future, as well as ambitious friends.(i have a lot of thoughts about this, but i think you get the gist/ Im writing as briefly as possible because i dont have much time right now). Disadvantages: risk of ai and have to work half-time while studying in a hard program.
2) Apprentice of aircraft mechanic/engineer. This program is run by the best airline in the country. This program immediatly gets me a job of Junior Mechanic where they give me a salary slightly below average at the start(and also bonuses include free housing for first 3 years, medical insurance, transportation and etc). One of the advantages here is that they will teach for free for an prestigious license EASA part 66 A,B1,B2 at the same time. So i definitely wont be left without job(even could get at the any country if i want). But i will be tied to this job for at least 8 years(that's the contract). As i said,stating salary is below average( what do you expect for 0exp hiring), but salary will increase after 3,5,7 years up to 5000-7000$.I am sure that wages and working conditions will only improve over time, there are many reasons for this. Advantages: early financial independence, confidience in the future, and easy mobility( yeah, i will not die in the war if this happens). Disadvanteges: lack of benefits that university provides.

Also my hobby is coding, i recently started getting into it, i think i can monetize a good idea if it appears. And im not going to CS or any related majors because it dead because of AI.


Any thoughts?

Regarding this line: "But the biggest advantage of the university is the networking, isnt it?", this is very true, but with some things to be aware of ahead of time. University isn't going to magically put you in a room with people who will impact your career. Attending will give you the opportunity to request entering these spaces, but it guarantees nothing. Your classes will have likeminded people who you can make friends with that you may one day work alongside (or potentially compete against for positions), but attending class doesn't contribute to the networking you're likely imagining.

If you're wanting to go to university to make these connections, you need to plan for that and focus that as a goal. An employer is not going to walk into your class on a random Tuesday. But going to a career fair that happens to be on your campus can get you in somewhere where you could meet someone to start an important relationship.

Tldr most networking (at least from my perspective in the states) happens at worksites, not the classroom. But going to college can help you get your foot into these worksites much more efficiently than emailing a resume