So, I'm a sophmore in highschool and thinking about college already....
especially since my parents always talk about what i should be when i graduate from college...
Yes, I have asian parents, so it's pretty normal for me to hear "go be a doctor, lawyer or nurse!"
but i hate being at the hospital and law is not my thing...
They said that i should choose a job that is easy and that i could earn lots
of money and respect. Because no one really respect our family.
but really, i think it's just pride that my parents want to protect...
And being a doctor and nurse is way too hard...

I want to be a photographer or an enterprenual... but my parents are so against it!
my older sister, who's in college, is learning to become a pharmacist,
of course, it was my parents idea also... and she's struggling with it...
because she also wanted to be a photographer...
SO WHAT DO I CHOOSE!?!!?!

personally (and only my opinion on wat i would choose if I was in ur shoes, and I hav asian parents also) I would choose wat u wanna do, I guess u can always say that many big companies (or businessmen) were entrepreneurs once, so it'll be good choice. And ye, if u're doing one of those health courses/degrees, then it reli is kinda hard wen u're not interested in it, so all in all, I'll choose entrepreneur (but I dont think u can do dat at college? I'm not sure)

asian parents all think alike, to be honest, choose what you want to do, eventually your parents have to accept that and maybe they'll even support you because if choose something that you don't like, you won't enjoy it and seriously, go for what you're interested in

What your parents have to understand is that you're a newer generation, a different generation from your parents. I can highly respect having family pride but there's also personal pride that's missing from the picture. Do what YOU want to do. Not what your parents want to do.

And I hear these kinds of stories all the time. Carrying the Family Name, right? We live in the 21st century. It's hardly about that anymore (At least in America). It's not about being a rebel but being independent. Don't let anyone, even your parents, control your life. But do not ignore them either! Follow who you want to be, not what your parents want you to be. And yeah, your parents may not like it at first but they'll come to realize that you've made the right choice and they'll support you cuz they're your parents.

thats strange my asian parents dont want me to be a lawyer haha.
anyways.
u should chose what u wanna do because if u dont like it u wont be motivated which means u wont work hard for it.
my dad wants me to be a pharmacy so he forced it on me. i majored in chem and it was just horrible i mean yea i passed but i just couldnt like it. it was easy but boring.
now im biology which i really like to a point where i wanna study.
thats how u should be u should love ur major not just do it cuz u feel like u have to.

but i have to warn u photography is one of those scary majors because its one of those majors that cant promise you a job after u get the degree. like art u cant just go into the world with an art major and expect good paid.
enterprenual. is pretty stable its not a scary major so that would work but u have to be ready to be competitive. its one of those jobs where u have to compete to get in and then keep competing to stay there. as compared to lets say doc u compete to get in but then thats it.

To me I consider success as relative and derived.

My parents will me to be a doctor not because of the money. They tell me if I want money just continue family business, and if I want money then go to a business school or study economics. I don't enjoy economics or business for the sake of wishing to earn "big bucks" though. I consider business and economics as boring, but the theory interesting. Theories such as opportunity cost; and supply and demand though logical is quite fascinating to me. Furthermore, I find "selling" - the literal communication of convincing someone to purchase something a delightful hobby. My parents want me to become a doctor because they want me to save lives. They consider being a doctor or someone in a medicine profession, as someone that should be highly thought of because of their duty to society in saving lives.

If you believe your parents want you to become a doctor because of money and status, let me tell you something. Have you heard of a play called Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller? In the play there is a tragic hero who is the protagonist named Willy. He constantly seeks gratification or hoping to seek gratification through what people think of him and through money. He does not realise people think of him by his ethical standards and not his social status.

Congruently, though social status plays a role in someone's "respectability", I firmly believe that one's own belief and one's morals play a greater aggregate in respectability.

Also, I digress being a doctor is easy money. Sure there are some people in the field of law who do make easy money. Do you think those who "cheat" people to make the easy money are "respected" or cursed behind their backs. Umm, have you seen the film IP man or Fearless? What makes those characters respected, analyse that and you will understand. Also being a doctor doesn't guarantee easy money, there are many doctors who are poor and who only strive in making a difference in helping people rather than for the salary.

For becoming a photographer or a entrepreneur you gotta consider two things. How much your mind would fluctuate by the time you make the choice of which career path you wish to follow. If you really like those two paths then consider how viable it is for you. Both of the choices you selected as a career is quite difficult, and in becoming an entrepreneur do you wish to manage other people's funds or start up your own business. There's a lot of capital and management skills needed in the entrepreneur side of things.

If you really like what you think are great professions. Then DO it. No matter what, who says you can't earn big bucks. It's better to do a job in what you enjoy rather than what benefits you can gain from the profession...

I would say...... choose what YOU want to do. And not what your parents want you to do. They are just playing safe, as careers like doctors, lawyers, accountants are the safest. They just want to assure that you are able to secure a job, get high pay, and live up to their family honor. But ask yourself a question, would you rather pursue something that you're forced to study or would you want to pursue something you like? There are many people I know who have gone through this stage, and that include myself. Eventually there will be some who would continue to do so even if they don't like it and maybe 'cos they don't have a choice; while there are some who would regret doing something that they have no interest in. Ultimately, it's still your choice to make. But of course, you can choose to follow your parents' wish if you like. However you have to remember that your future is forged by your own hands, while your parents are just there to give their advices. They would eventually stop taking care of your needs and soon, it would be your turn to take care of them.

For one, you need to convince your parents that you know what you're doing and that you're able to make a career out of it. I have a cousin who claims that he loves games design, he loves drumming, he loves music. But what has he been doing? Nothing. He's short attention span, and within a few weeks, he just stopped learning. On the other hand, I have friends who go against their parents' wish to pursue something that they love and you can see it with your own eyes whether they are really passionate about it.

At the end of the day, it all depends on you.

*Claps* That line deserves applause.

Well if your going to hate it then it's definitely going to be hard for you to learn/study for it. Would you really want to spend the rest of your life doing work that you hate?

But from my experience, what you enjoy learning in high school might change once you hit university. I used to really like Chemistry in high school but after going to university I don't like it anymore. And I think alot of people change their minds too.

Maybe you can take some photography classes and science classes and some other classes, then see which you like more. But there are other things to consider to like how likely you are able to get a job afterwards and such.

And maybe you should find a career counselor at your school and get more info. There might be some other jobs you never thought about which might spark your interest as well.

Despite the fact that you have Asian parents, I still stand by the opinion that you should always do what feels most fulfilling for yourself. What I would suggest is take your family and their issues out of the equation. If you were alone in the world with no one else s expectations resting on your shoulders, what would your choice be? If the answer is an Entrepreneur or Photographer, then you owe it to yourself to follow your heart and stay true to your own goals in life.

Of course your parents are going to disapprove, because that's not what they planned, but the fact is that it's not their life, it's yours, and their desires need to fit into YOUR plans, not the other way around. Any honor and respect or lack thereof that your family has is due to the choices they made in life, good or bad, and it shouldn't be up to you to fix their messes for them. As long as you stand firm on your opinion, I'm sure they'll eventually have to come around.

A career is a very important thing to think about. Chances are you'll probably be doing the same monotonous thing for a good chunk of your adult life, and to go through that day in and day out in a job you don't even like is an incredible burden to put upon yourself. A career should be fun, enjoyable and fulfilling, and you certainly aren't going to get that following your parents wishes. Sure, you might make a lot of money, but it can't buy happiness. Even though your chosen career path might not make as much money, it makes up for that in the fulfillment you get from doping something you like, and as long as you're making enough to pay the bills and live off of comfortably, then that's all that really matters.

I think sometimes, when you are that young, sometimes you don't even know what you want to do yourself. I too, thought I did, and now that I'm older, my interests and my passion lies in something that I was never interested before.

I do think however, if you follow your parents wishes that no matter what age, you become very resentful because you hate it so much. So I do think that you should go for your interests, but be more realistic about them. Being a photographer is tough. You need lots of start up money and time. So I say, go to college to do something entreprenural...like accounting..or finance, to show that you could "earn lotsa money" (although tweak about it being easy...because lets face it...there is no job out there that can let you earn lots of money and while sitting on your arse), and then do photography as a side then. Then when you've earned enough cash saved up, and enough reputation behind your photography name, then do it full time

I agree with what you have to say. I thought I was interested in history when I was a hs sophmore, but the courses that I will have to take scared me out of it, not because it was tough, but because I thought it would be boring. Realistically, I thought I could be a scientist, since that it what I wanted to be when I was a kid (ironically). My parents' biggest concern was being able to find a job after graduation, so I think that's partly why they tried to talk me into becoming a doctor. I talked them into an alternative: pharmacy. I honestly have no opinion on doctors, so if we were financially well, I just might have tried it; but if you are so against it, I think you should convince them why your choice is better.

Since money is a big issues nowadays, it's easier to convince them that you want to be an entrepreneur, if you really think that you can do this as a career. I stress that because you do not want to be one of those college students who have to spend extra money for an extra year because you want to change your major midway through.. it will be more stressful for your parents' pocket -.-

I ended up majoring in the biosciences since my biology teacher got me very into the subject when I took her class senior year of hs.

Good Luck and wish you all the best in your choice of major/career.

ANYWAY

Last piece of advice... Your still in highschool, don't worry about anything but the marks. Its all that matters. Decide stuff when your finished high school, worry about the present not the future.

As a wise turtle once told a foolish and young Panda:
"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, Thats why it's called the Present"

Or as Alice Moorse Earle said, "The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."

Or what Emily Dickson wrote:

Yesterday is History,
'tis so far away --
yesterday is Poetry,
'tis Philosophy --

Yesterday is Mystery --
Where it is today --
While we shrewdly speculate
Flutter both away

=_+~-*
Don't worry about choices till its right in front of you. Worry not about the future, ponder little on the past. Concentrate on the present. If you succeed in this you will succeed in your career. If you can do this, then tell me how. It should be the one goal you always strive for in your life.

obviously photography since thats what you and your sister wanted to do

imagine this. get the doctors in the world and the artists/designers/film makers in the world to switch places, they'll both suck at their job, sick ppl will be given the wrong medicine/ not healed properly, operations gone wrong, etc..

the doctors bein artists will make crappy sculptures and stuff, design crap products/ house plans, movies would be crap, you wouldnt get inspiration to make better movies/products and stuff bcz everything is crap, so no inspiration, there'd b no development.

the world wud b a mess if ppl wernt good at wot they do, they would definitely not get any respect
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if there was a major disaster like the whole world was wiped out and ppl were living in a forest or sumthn and had to start from scratch/ had to rebuild society, and everyone was assigned jobs to do, what would you do to contribute?
you would have to use your talent/potential to contribute the most u can to society, and if you chose 2 b a doctor u may do a crap job of healing ppl and theyd get angry at u.

and talkn from a biological point of view, theres niches/jobs to be filled, and its survival of the fittest. there'll b competition and the best adapted will win. the ppl gud at bein doctors will get the job and the ones not adaptd, wont survive in those conditions.

theres no point in wasting money on taking a uni course for sumthn u dont like, plus u would b wasting ur potential- wot ur gud at. it wouldnt b fair if u didnt contribute as best u can 2 society would it? better 2 do sumthn ur gud at and b respected for it