How much did parents influence your choice of career?

Vince S. · #1 12-29-2007, 11:08 PM

Did your parents have any influence in what you chose as a career? For example, did you follow in a father or mother's footsteps in career choice? Did you go into a career that they disapproved of? Were you "steered" into a career?

I hope to become a Paramedic after college (already am an active EMT). I know the job is rough and doesn't pay the best, but it's what I would love to do. My parents have told me to NOT go into the field because it's not prestigious and would rather me become a doctor, lawyer, or corporate executive. Since I am still living with them, I comply (their house, their rules). However, I plan on going the Paramedic path after graduation. However, this would greatly infuriate them and it may go as far as having me disowned. I come from a very traditional Chinese family (parents were immigrants), so going against the parents wishes and letting them down is very, very bad news.

Your thoughts?

IconBasser · #2 12-29-2007, 11:10 PM

not at all.

they actually want me to go to a music college.

I told em flat out "Hell no, the only thing I'd be able to do with a music degree is teach at a Jr. High or something, and i'd rather make more than 20 grand a year"

HollowBassman · #3 12-29-2007, 11:15 PM

My choice of "career", not at all. But I was pretty much forced into my current "job" when I turned 16.

Atoz · #4 12-29-2007, 11:22 PM

None. My father flipped out when I told him I was going into Chemistry. He told me he had already "selected" Computer Science for me

and I'd end up "working in a mineshaft" if I pursued what I wanted to do.

Did I mention that Dad and I didn't get along very well when I was younger?

PSPookie · #5 12-29-2007, 11:23 PM

They had a significant influence in my career choice. Both of my parents are accountants and growing up with those two made me certain that I did not want to be an accountant

A9X · #6 12-29-2007, 11:29 PM

I was always gonna be an engineer of some sort. I was born with a pocket protector.

bongomania · #7 12-29-2007, 11:32 PM

Initially I had the same aspirations my parents did when they were younger. They were artists, and I wanted to be an artist too. After a while their art careers went down the tubes, and I saw how very few people ever "make it" as an artist, so I no longer think of it as a career option.

iamlowsound · #8 12-29-2007, 11:39 PM

My dad is a pastor, I am a youth pastor at his church. You could say that they had a bit of an influence on my choice, but in reality, I made the choice because it is what I want to do.

lowsound

Vince S. · #9 12-29-2007, 11:39 PM

I'm sort of derailing my own thread, but I need to get this off my chest.

I've been home from college for winter vacation, and my parents claim that I've been spending far too much time volunteering on the ambulance. I go to school more than two hours away, so I can only come back to ride shifts during vacations. I've been doing between 12-18 hours per week, usually a 6 hour block on Fridays, and a 12 hour block on Saturday mornings/afternoons. I've been an EMT since I was a senior in high school, and back then, my parents would severely limit my time spent volunteering for fear of my grades dropping (which I agreed with and was a good reason). However, now that I am in college and am out of school on vacation, it seems like they're really trying hard to come up with an excuse. ("Your grades will drop"--semester is over and I got a 3.3GPA, there is no homework during college vacation because classes are over, "you don't spend enough time with the family"--I hardly consider 12-18 hrs. per week out of the house to be 'abandoning' my family, especially since I am also only allowed to visit with friends twice a week at maximum, and truth be told, I've only seen one friend so far).

I figured most parents would be proud that their son is an EMT and volunteers in the community instead of binge drinking and a lot of other stuff that my peers do.

I think this is just getting to me more now because back in high school I would just comply and do what they ordered me to do, but after being "cut loose" in college it's hard to come back home and be "back on the leash" so to speak.

Ericman197 · #10 12-29-2007, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vince S.

Did your parents have any influence in what you chose as a career? For example, did you follow in a father or mother's footsteps in career choice? Did you go into a career that they disapproved of? Were you "steered" into a career?

I hope to become a Paramedic after college (already am an active EMT). I know the job is rough and doesn't pay the best, but it's what I would love to do. My parents have told me to NOT go into the field because it's not prestigious and would rather me become a doctor, lawyer, or corporate executive. Since I am still living with them, I comply (their house, their rules). However, I plan on going the Paramedic path after graduation. However, this would greatly infuriate them and it may go as far as having me disowned. I come from a very traditional Chinese family (parents were immigrants), so going against the parents wishes and letting them down is very, very bad news.

Your thoughts?

Actually, I would say the opposite for being a paramedic: the money/effort isn't the best, but people absolutely do it for the prestige. A lot of the EMT type kids at my school are all gung ho about it, wearing their jackets/shirts to class etc. So I think there is a strong element of pride, even if you aren't going to get the same respect as a doctor.

Still, if you can manage a 3.5+ GPA and above a 30 on the MCAT you might as well go to med school. Once you get in, you'll feel like the man.

As far as my own career choices, I've absolutely been influenced to pursue medicine, because it combines great money, useful real-world skills and the ability to do a whole range of things (academic, surgery, medicine etc). However I see myself going into plastics rather than ortho/neuro, and definitely not doing any academic work on the side.

bongomania · #11 12-30-2007, 08:32 AM

Broad stereotype: Doctors and lawyers are greedy leeches, EMT workers are heroes.

Obviously like any broad stereotype it's usually "wrong" when you look at the real individual people. But when I read your dilemma of "doctor/lawyer vs. EMT" that stereotype was the first thing that popped into my mind.

stratovani · #12 12-30-2007, 08:45 AM

I really didn't have much career choices. when I was in high school my guidance counsellor was nothing but a pot-smoking hippie (this was back in the late '60s) who really didn't care about me. Later I was thinking about becoming a mental-aid counsellor, but my dad thought I'd go nuts at that job! So no career for this boy, thanks to all the help (NOT!) I got when I was young. That's why I'm always very encouraging of my own three children's aspirations, no matter what they are, as long as they're legal!

mike_v_s · #13 12-30-2007, 08:46 AM

My major and career choice are totally unrelated, but my parents didn't influence either. I majored in political science and I'm now a landman.

Mike

Ericman197 · #14 12-30-2007, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Broad stereotype: Doctors and lawyers are greedy leeches, EMT workers are heroes.

Obviously like any broad stereotype it's usually "wrong" when you look at the real individual people. But when I read your dilemma of "doctor/lawyer vs. EMT" that stereotype was the first thing that popped into my mind.

I'm not sure whether your post refers to his parents or me, but in my case money is absolutely a factor. Most pre-med and med students wouldn't be subjecting themselves to all the years of studying, hard work and tuition bills if there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel. People who do the EMT thing instead want to help people just the same, but those that I know are doing it because they can't do the MD thing (bad grades or not enough drive). On the flip side some people do EMT work to help get into med school, a tactic which I'm not too keen on. If you got the greedy impression because I said I want to go into plastics, then that is a common misconception. About a third of plastic surgery is reconstructive, which is what I'm really interested in (although most plastic surgeons do a mix of both recon and cosmetic).

All stereotypes aside, from his post it really sounds like his family is academically driven. They want him to have a higher degree, and to be able to provide better opportunities for their future grandchildren. As they most likely see it, EMT work is not the best way to achieve this end. Maybe they want him getting better grades, doing research, or something else academic. I don't think there's anything wrong with what they're telling him to do. You can always go pre-med and become an EMT, but if you let your grades slip you will never be able to get into med school. Hence, more opportunity.

CrazyArcher · #15 12-30-2007, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A9X

I was born with a pocket protector.

All my parents wanted from me is to recieve education that will provide a job that pays. Well, I'm studying industrial engineering now, and they are cool with it.

spade2you · #16 12-30-2007, 09:22 AM

My parents wanted me to finish school and get be able to get a decent job that pays the bills. My mom is a teacher and my dad is a pharmacist. I enjoyed chemistry, so I picked pharmacy. I thought about med school, but my focus was entirely too much on drinking in undergrad and I didn't like the idea of being on call all the time.

mike_v_s · #17 12-30-2007, 09:57 AM

Vince: you wanna be an EMT? Be an EMT. Few people are fortunate enough to know what plausible career path they want to take at your age. I have friends in the field. They find it to be very rewarding and exciting. You should stick with it.

Do not ever let money cloud your judgment when it comes to a career. Period. I've taken a job for the money. The sheen comes off the purchasing power after about 3-6 months and you realize you're knee deep in a ****** job and forced to make a bad decision. I walked out of my situation and it nearly ruined me financially but saved my marriage. Hooray for money.

I walked out of that job and into framing houses. I went from an executive position to construction and loved it. The ONLY reason I left framing was a predicted job shortage i couldn't afford to weather. I'm now in a field that I thoroughly enjoy and has the added benefit of good pay. So that's life. Screw other's opinions of a "good" situation and do what you want.

Mike

**Mark Wilson** · #18 12-30-2007, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IconBasser

not at all.

they actually want me to go to a music college.

I told em flat out "Hell no, the only thing I'd be able to do with a music degree is teach at a Jr. High or something, and i'd rather make more than 20 grand a year"

I don't know about America, but my Mom teaches music and makes 58k a year.

Jared Lash · #19 12-30-2007, 11:55 AM

I never felt pressured, but certainly my parents influenced my career path. Or at least my father. And his father before him. And his father before him. There is a long legacy in our family that I didn't want to break.

And that's how I became a gigolo.

hbarcat · #20 12-30-2007, 12:16 PM

You may want to consider the option of also becoming a firefighter as well as a paramedic. Many people I know (I was an EMT) do BOTH and they are usually happy with the "prestige" and the pay is pretty good (depending on whom you work for). There are also many opportunities for advancement in both fire science and EMS outside of the actual firefighting and EMT'ing should you choose to be more ambitious as you gain work experience.