“So what are you going to do with that major again?”
More often than not, I hear this question being asked to people like myself that steered clear of the medical or law profession. Why you may ask? It seems like there is this common misconception if you are not going down one of these paths, your degree is deemed worthless. Many people I know studying a career in the medical or law field, have been heavily influenced by what their parent’s dreams are for their children. Studying in both of these fields is not easy, it takes many hours in the library to achieve decent and competitive grades to go on to medical or law school. So for the students who are pursuing their parents dreams and not their own you can see how miserable they truly are. My own parents had a hard time accepting that their oldest daughter did not want to be a doctor or a lawyer. But they have accepted my career choice through me vocalizing that my passion for journalism is more important to me than having “Dr.” in front of my name.
My biggest advice to students in this situation is to go for your passions in life, you are the one who has to get up every morning and do that job, not your parents, not your friends and certainly not your critics. This sometimes can be easier said than done when people around you try to bring you down. Many people within my family are supportive, however there are some that are not as caring. Just a few weeks ago, a relative of mine who is a respected medical professional threw a few daggers at my career choice. As my sister sat in a chair, in his all white office and glanced up at the TV she was faced with the awkward situation of defending my career choice to a man who was too arrogant to realize life is not all about making money. When my sister told him that she was pursing a degree in the medical field he responded by saying, “finally a smart one, that is a lot better than journalism or communication or whatever your sister is doing.” Instantly, my sister snaps back at him and said, “She is chasing what her passions are in life, how can you not respect that?” His response was that it is not going to make any money at the end of the day. When my sister repeated their conversation to me I laughed out loud. See when you chase an opportunity in life for all the wrong reasons such as money alone (like this relative did) you end up miserable and finding reasons to rain on other people’s parades.
Chase your dreams whether it is to be a doctor, a journalist, a professor or an entrepreneur, just make sure you are doing it for yourself and no one else. Some of your biggest critics will be the people closest to you, take that criticism and allow it to light a fire in you that is so bright that nothing and no one can put it out.
