My career advice is usually: 1

This is a good starting point. I suspect some of the disagreements in this comment section stem from the difference in mindset between people for whom classwork either directly applies to or closely resembles their intended career path, and others for whom a lot of classwork (like my statistics courses) appear simply as a rigid gate to gaining access to their best career. Perhaps a solution to the problem is better societal acceptance of trade schools, but at least in my area a university degree is a surer shot. Even if the degree is just a tool to then go do something completely different.

You might add a fourth circle for “what the world needs” (or, a more relaxed standard, “what is not actively harmful/promoting negative sum games”): https://themindfool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Ikigai_do...

I’d argue that this sort of career choice intersection is actually not helpful for most. Here’s why. For most people, there are plenty of things in this world that they’ve never tried that they’d enjoy the hell out of — especially if they get past an initial learning curve. There are plenty of things that they’ve never committed to long enough to know they have a serious aptitude for it (for example, it took me 5+ years of learning music to realise I’m a brilliant improviser, just because most early music training doesn’t even touch on it). In my opinion, if someone isn’t sure what career to choose, the solution actually is: go out and try more stuff. A lot more stuff. Do something long enough that you get past the initial learning curve. Once you’ve collected enough real world experience and data, then you can make an intersection of “what you’re good at”, “what you enjoy” and “what pay…

Sounds good in theory. For many, though, there won't be any intersection (which has any representation in job offerings). Only persistence and perseverance through failures builds the necessary skills and the right attitude for the thing you need to do. "Career" can be a secondary thing.

Hah! When I took the first steps on my career path I wasn’t good at anything , had no idea what I really liked because I hadn’t had the opportunity to try most stuff and the top paying jobs of today didn’t even exist. I know you are a smart person, but this advice will hold young people back. Try stuff. Don’t sweat it. You’ll fail and you’ll succeed and you won’t know which is which until years later when you tell a story about your life and force it into a narrative.

Very often, 1. and 3. overlap well. On the top of my head, the only thing for where there is almost no overlap for me is playing piano.

Problem is these circles are dynamic and often unknown. What you’re good at depends on how much you know, practice, and inherent talent. First two changes over time, third one is an unknown variable. You also don’t know when you should give up. Should Einstein have given up science after he couldn’t get a faculty job and had to work in the patent office? Things that pay well depends on economic situations that can change dramatically. See the cryptocurrency world. Things you enjoy doing also change. Many stories here show that making a career doing things you enjoy can suck the enjoyment out of it.

I don’t really enjoy coding, software engineering, or the bullshit work dynamics around it. But they keep paying me hundreds of thousands of dollars (sometimes more) every year - so I do it anyway.