Help! I don’t want the career my parents want for me!
Do your parents want you to pursue a career you don't want? Discover how one Christian teen handled this situation.
Growing up, whenever adults would ask me the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I always knew the answer.
With a smile on my face and so much confidence, I would answer, “A doctor! Maybe a pediatrician, I really like kids.”
All throughout school, I decided to devote my time and attention to my science classes, making sure that I would excel in all of them for college.
I had a plan. I would major in either Pre-med or Nutrition & Dietetics in college and life would be oh so perfect.
This all sounded great… but a tiny part of my heart knew that I wasn’t meant to do this. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved reading and writing. I loved my English classes and secretly devoted more time to them than my science classes. Secretly, I knew that I wanted to be a magazine editor or a young adult fiction writer.
But to please my parents, and to follow the dream that I thought I wanted for myself, I decided to silence these thoughts instead.
My mom was a dentist and dad is a petroleum engineer and so I was always expected to go into the field of science. I knew that if I were to major in Journalism, they would be disappointed in me and would definitely not approve.
Making a change
I applied to university as a pre-med major but I remember never feeling at peace with my decision.
I kept looking at other majors and thought about majoring in Journalism for a very long time. I prayed for guidance from the Lord and for Him to lead me away from these thoughts. I wanted to please my parents and make them proud.
After weeks of uneasiness in my heart, I felt God telling me to talk to my parents about this uneasiness and dilemma.
When I did, they did not approve at first but by the end of our conversation, they finally said “Okay, Fiona. We just want you to be happy with what you’re doing and we trust you.” A big decision like this being met with my parents’ approval does not happen that often! Growing up in an Asian family definitely had its challenges and expectations.
So at that moment, I knew that this decision was purely a God thing. I am now a senior and I'm proud to say that this is all because of His grace. I am definitely happier with what I am studying and my parents are still proud of me.
Is this you?
if your parents want a different career path for you and you are currently feeling what I felt during my freshman year of college, ask for God's help and start the conversation with them.
But also keep in mind that God is more concerned with who you are than what you do. So honor your parents in your conversations, love them despite your differences, and trust God for your future.
Although you and your parents may not be on the same page right now, trust that the Lord knows what He is doing and that it will all make sense one day.
Pray and ask the Lord to do His will in your life. But most importantly, never lose faith in Him. I’d like to end with one of my favorite quotes, “God is never late and never early. He is always exactly right on time - His time.”
Written by Fiona from Biola University. Find out more about Biola today.
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