Careers could be genetic

[acceber]

Hello

I saw this article in the Times yesterday and thought rootschatters might find this interesting!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-2240918,00.html

acceber

[Gadget]

Well it does mention one of my old mates as a researcher (as sceptical -and he's good  ).   If it were so, I'd be a coal miner, domestic servant, nurse or worse - a lady of the night 

Gadget

[kerryb]

And I'd be married with 17 kids!!!!

I think not!!!!

Kerry 

[Gadget]

An old colleague of mine has spent most of his career researching this topic  It really is to do with a whole range of factors - educational opportunity, industrial structure, inheritance of property - business, etc.

Gadget

[kerryb]

Yes in all seriousness, most of my family came from Sussex, where there has been pockets of industry such as weaving in 15th century and ironworking in various centuries.

Apart from that not much industry - no coal, etc so most poor families were into farming either, if they were rich enough had their own farms, or if poor worked on the land in a variety of ways.  Therefore 99% of my family were ag labs or farmers.

My guess is that dad would go out each day and do whatever his job was, winter - coppicing, or hedgelaying, cleaning ditches etc and in summer, the planting, weeding and ploughing etc.  As sons grew up they would go out and help dad and therefore learn skills and therefore take his place.

Kerry

[stockman fred]

They spent 15 years and millions of quid to discover that being a monk tends not to be hereditary.
 I discovered a couple of weeks ago that GGGdad died in 1867when he fell from a haystack he was building and "landed on his wimble." (Old family saying- a wimble was actually a thatching tool .)
At the time I discovered this, I was baling hay in the meadows by the river Avon, so  it certainly concentrated my mind on being more careful with the machinery just in case history repeats itself. (He was actually 12 miles up the river from here at the time)
Funnily enough about the same time I discovered ggggdad's name was J Case- the same as my tractor. I've been looking for him for ages and he was right in front of me all along-" A product of J.I.Case " on a big sign just 18inchesfrom my nose on the cab- I thought of levering off the label and sticking it on my forehead!
Funny old world, isn't it?

[suttontrust]

I think the conclusion must be that very few careers are actually  genetic" in the sense of people being genetically predisposed to a particular job.  If you're musical or artistic, say, that might follow.  But even there you're going to be encouraged by your parents.  For most people who follow the same careers as their parents, it's to do with what work is available and what's thought acceptable in your family.

[nutkin]

I think it is possibler as I am an Urban planner by trade.  I met a relative, we branch off about 6 generations ago, who is also an Urban planner.  My brother is an urban planner also.  Strange coincidence if you ask me.