Family & My Career Choice?

Question

My family is constantly expecting me to end up being a successful doctor/dentist/someone who makes a lotttt of money. I tell them that I want to be a doctor, but I really want to look into fashion & designing...I know that if I tell them this, they will be disappointed, especially since my older sister is majoring in biology in college and is pursuing her career of becoming a general surgeon. What should I do? Should I agree with my parents and become a doctor, or should I tell them what I want to be? I don't want them to completely give up on me or anything...

Answer 1

It isn't easy when you're in your position, but if you think further down the road, it's a pretty clear choice. You should follow your heart. In the end, you're the one who has to live with your choices.

Look at it this way. Is it better to face your family's disappointment now or to face your own disappointment with your own life after spending years doing something you never really wanted to do in the first place?

Besides, you'll be much more successful doing something you love than doing something to please someone else. Who says successful fashion designers don't make a lotttt of money? You may have to excel at what you do to make it, but IF you love it that much, then you're motivated to do what it takes to excel, aren't you?

Answer 2

Your family wants something good for you, but they probably don't know as much about how things really are in the world today. We have friends in our church who are doctors--their wives have to work and they are very worried about the possibility of socialized medicine.

If you ask most people about free health care they'll say it's a great idea. But do you want to go to expensive schools for YEARS to be able to give other people free health care and you not make much money?

Your school probably has guidance/counseling--ask them to let you take tests which show what kind of career you would be good at. Then you can show your parents you would make a lousy doctor, and probably get sued! (you may also find you would make a lousy fashion designer too! This would be a really good thing to know before you get set either way.)

Answer 3

That is a tough one. It's hard to be the oddball, the lowball who has disappointed his or her parents. But --- your parents really have NO right to voice major or chronic disapproval / disappointment over a responsible career choice that fits your gifts and personality. There's not much worse than dragging yourself to a job you detest -- and have heavily invested time and $$ into -- for the rest of your life.

Still, there is no reason to be drawing any lines in the sand yet. Tell them that while you are still interested in (choice of highpaying profession), you are also drawn to (lower paying artistic profession), and that you realize that now is the time to try out a bit of each of them.