Can parents affect a kids Career and goals ?

Question

I was forced to go to school and become an engineer. I didn't get time to develop my own skills or decide what I wanted to do . My mom wanted to become an engineer. Now that i think backwards ,i realize the amount of pressure i was under. I was scrutinized and my self esteem was shot down because my own parents didn't believe in me.

Do you think this could be a reason why i don't have any motivation to find a job in my field of engineering(elec and comp ) ?? actually i dn't mind working as an engineer for a while before starting to pursue my own DREAMS. but i can't even " do that " :(

P.S: i started working at this call center nd they pay 14 dollars per hour ..Is this good enough for me ?

Answer 1

I loved dinosaurs in school. I was so into them in a supremely educational way. My interest in them began in the 1st grade and went until the 7th grade. I wanted to be a paleontologist. Then my mother and father informed me that I would be a complete retard for trying this. They said that digging in the dirt was for babies and morons.
Later, I served in the military, went to auto/diesel school, now I'm a mechanic and part time bouncer.
Take advantage to do your career while you are younger. Not like me here. I'm 38 and have no drive to be a paleontologist anymore.
We strongly encourage our children to do what makes them happy in a job.

Answer 2

Parents definitely can cause harm by trying to live vicariously through their children. It's sad when parents send their child to a particular school, or pressure them to choose a particular major or career or extracurricular activity. And no, you shouldn't be an engineer just because your mom wanted to be one. It's unfortunate you were pressured like that.

Now that you're an adult, though, and have a good enough understanding of yourself to realize you're in the wrong career, it's time to figure out what your dream job is and pursue it. At this point, you're responsible for your own choices. Put aside blaming your parents (although it may be justified, it's not going to help anything at this point), and go find what job you want to be doing for the next four or five decades. I doubt that it's working at a call center. Do what it takes to be in a job you like or you will have a lot of unhappiness in those decades! It may be a hardship now to go back and get some training in what you really want to do (on top of working to pay expenses). But it will be worth it.

Answer 3

Although it is normal for parents to want their child to have a better career than they had/have, it is not always what is best for the child. Forcing them to do something just makes them more stubborn and they can sometimes refuse to realize their parent's dreams. I would love for my son to be a doctor, but it looks like he would rather have a career in music. Whatever makes the person happy is what they should be allowed to do. If you can live on $14 an hour and it makes you happy, go for it.