I want to be an author and I come across the same kind of thing, I'm doing A-levels at the minute, but I always find time to write some of a story, my friends often as what I want to do when I'm older as they don't think writing is a proper job, but writing stories is my dream, and they always say, but you might not earn a lot of money, it's not going to be like JK Rowling, I know that and it's going to be a lot of hard work but it's what I want to do with my life and it doesn't affect them in any way. Many of my experiences of my friends putting me down often sparks me to write with a good idea as I put the emotions I feel into it. :)

It's funny that this was brought up. I am currently in the middle of changing my path of career/study right now. I first chose graphic design simply because it was a steady career and I knew that I could get a job. I've now discovered that I don't love it as much as I thought. I haven't performed in over a year and it truly feels like a big part of me is missing. So that's what I'm going to do. I need to be doing this, I am so aware of everything that can and will go wrong, but I just know I will do almost anything it takes. But there is a part of me that does feel bad. I feel like I'm letting my entire extended family down because they believe I have so much more potential, solely based on test scores. They want me to be a scientist, writer, doctor or whatever but I know in my heart that I can't do those things. I know my mom and dad want me to make money and be able to live comfortably but money doesn't really affect me that much. I would rather pursue my dreams & live at home or in a crappy apartment then live in a nice house with nice things doing a job that I can't stand.

I'm studying Drama and I'm pretty sure my Dad disapproves. For years I kind of wanted to be an Archaeologist, but Drama was always more prominent, but when my Dad was asked he'd always say I was going to study archaeology. The same way he desperately wanted me to apply to Cambridge to study English Lit. As much as I love my Father I think I have to ignore him on this. Theatre is the love of my life.

I'd never thought of it like that before. People guilt trip me because I want to do so many different things with my life, and they don't think any of them contribute to the world. But I won't feel bad any more, because this quote makes so much sense to me. Thank you for sharing!

*But

Wow, I love that quote. Especially now, as I'm getting ready to go to college and I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life.

Dealing with guilty feelings for doing something that makes me happy has been huge for me, since I love the arts, and my dad loves.. the sciences, and other things. All throughout high school, I've spent so much time on the stage and behind a canvas, and I constantly dealt with my dad telling me that I'm wasting my time, and that I need to focus more on my studies and "my future" (which to him, is becoming a doctor). And now, to make him happy, I'm about to embark on a journey of trying to gain a degree in Biology.
I haven't really gotten to the point of "dealing with it" yet.. but I'm getting there. And you guys are helping me do it! Maybe one day I'll be able to confront my dad about what I really want to do with my life, and what really makes me happy.

Thank you guys for being such an inspiration!

Ever since I was little, I have been interetsed in politics. Now that I am older I want to pursue a job in the European Parliment, I have had horrible comments in my career choice, even from family. But now that my school has cut all modern lanuages, my dream job is getting further and further away. It now looks like I have to find a different career choice.

When people ask me what I want to be when i grow up, I always say i want to be a female version of ethier Simon Cowell or Ryan Seacrest. They then give me a look and go "really.. no seriously what are you going to do with your life?, or if they know me, go "arent you going to take over the family business" But ive learnt to ignore those comments, I know what i want and im never going to let people stop me from doing what i want. As im learning now, you have got to fight to achieve your dream and never give up. Sometimes I feel guilty for trying to follow my dreams but I always think back to what my psychology teacher once said to me " Dont do what everyone else expects you to do, do what YOU want to do, otherwise you will never be happy"

This is an amazing quote; thank you so much for posting. I have been struggling for a long time to find a career that I want to go into, but I keep coming back to music. Everyone tells me that I need to find something more practical, and I've tried but there's just nothing else that interests me. Thank you so much for helping realise that it doesn't have to be practical, I just have to do what makes me come alive!

Wow, Lauren! That post was perfect. Judgmental comments are something any performer knows about. I've been thinking about this for a while now, trying to figure out why people keep trying to make us feel guilty about it. The only thing I can come up with is either 1) because they never went after their dreams they don't think it's fair that we should get too, or 2) they honestly care about us and don't want our lives to be difficult so they tell us to go after a more secure future.

Either way, it still gets very discouraging when people are constantly telling you to stop and that you have no chance of having a big impact on he world. So thank you, Lauren, from the bottom of my heart for sharing that quote and reminding me that if I'm doing what I love than my happiness WILL impact he world. Joy is a powerful force.

And thank you, glow* girls!! Reading all your wonderful comments shows me I'm not the only one fighting for my dreams. We will all make it one day, of this I am absolutely certain. To quote a Starkid song: "We'll be a force they cannot ignore!!"

Keep glow*ing!

I don't think I have related this much to a post than I do to this one. Like Emelie, I'll be graduating with a degree in Communications-Radio/TV/Film.

I've always wanted to work in television as a producer or developer and honestly couldn't picture myself doing anything else. But from the beginning of my college career all I have felt is guilt for pursuing what I really wanted to do. My grandparents (who have paid for a lot of my schooling) are a constant source of guilt for me. Because I know, in the back of their minds, they wish I was pursuing a more stable and concrete field. Now I know it comes from worry and concern for my financial well-being, but all I've wanted (and still do) is for them to be proud of me and my choices. So it's been a constant struggle to be happy for myself even if I feel they aren't. I've had to come to the realization that as much as I want their approval, if I'm doing something I don't love, what will the approval really mean?

I've recently started working with a company that I love (and with one of my best friends in the entire world) & have been producing a lot of content for them and it has reignited my love for this field. I realize now that I am in charge of my own happiness and approval. If I'm happy and clearly loving what I'm doing with my life, then so will my family, and everything else will fall into place.

Aw, thank you! I love that balloon analogy, it is so true! We are put here for a reason. What else would that reason be, if not to live our fullest, happiest life? We aren't doing anyone any favors by being unhappy with a career or life choice.

That's so amazing that you're the first in your family to study! There should be no guilt associated with that, my friend, only pride! You're doing something great with your life and you and your family are going to be so proud :) I like to live in daydreams too, because they are much less scary and intimidating than real life. But if we put in the passion and hard work, can't our dreams turn into our reality? That's what we should all be striving for. As for finding a job, just remember that you are talented and have something unique to offer that someone else doesn't!

Thank you so much for writing this post just when I needed it. It's so good to know I'm not the only person who feels this way.

Granted, I'm still a high school student, so I have yet to make some of the bigger decisions concerning my life and my career, but with college coming up, it's been increasingly on my mind. I want to write, I want to try to learn about how to make the world a better place and decrease world suck, and I also just really want to dance. But I worry that dance is something that will make me feel guilty, that will make me feel like I'm not contributing all that I could to this world. It's been driving me crazy, so just, really thank you for this post. <3:)

This post is an amazing eye-opener. I've never had people really question what I wanted to do. Originally I wanted to be a teacher but it was in an area that schools tend to look for (math) and then I wanted to do engineering (that didn't last long. Physics is soooo not my thing!). Currently I am studying accounting and people always say "you'll have no problems finding a job" or even "you'd be really good at that" it's these comments that actually really scare me because what if I don't live up to those oh so optimistic people? I love what I'm doing and I think I'm pretty decent at it but I don't want to disappoint the people who think so positively of my future when I'm not as sure as they are about my success.

This post really hit home with me. I spent four years of undergrad work breaking my back trying to get into law school. I was trying to prove something to myself, to my family, and to my peers. I thought it would be a productive and prestigious path. I got my acceptance letter to a school in Boston and was one month away from graduating when I had an epiphany.
I was in the shower of all places, (ok come on, who else does their best thinking in the shower??) and it suddenly hit me: do I love law? Can I see myself doing this every day? I couldn't honestly say yes to that question. Instantly I panicked. I was so close to graduating and had already begun plans to move to Boston.
I forced myself to stop and think: if money, power, and prestige weren't what you were chasing...if you were just doing what you love, what would you do? Instantly I thought of my fifth grade teacher. I thought of how she inspired me as a student, writer, and human being.
Long, LONG story short I applied to an elementary education grad program and I am now in my 3rd year of teaching. I teach a kindergarten/first grade multiage class in a low income area. It is challenging work but it is so rewarding. There are times when people say things to me like, "Why would you want to teach kindergarten when you could have gone to law school?" It never gets me down because I know I'm doing what I love AND making a real impact every day.
To all the young people reading this site, take Lo's words to heart. You have to find what you love and let the criticisms roll off your back. You'll be much happier in the long run :)

We really are on the same page Addie! :) It may seem like it's daunting now while you're still in grad school, but trust me, you'll find a way to make it work.

I too love to write and am about 75% of the way through a novel and I do frequent personal narratives about my teaching experiences. I may not have time to work on my novel during the school year, but I make sure I am always writing SOMETHING. I read something once that said real writers write all the time. Even if it's lists, notes, poems, short stories, you always find a way to write something. If you look at it that way, you can always pursue other passions at the same time.

I ALSO love to perform and do some singing on the side. There's no reason why you have to choose when you have so many things that make you glow. It makes your potential to make a positive impact just that much bigger!

Then you're proving you can do it already :) Best of luck!

I hate all this negativity that has always been shoved upon me whenever there is something I really want to do. There aren't a lot of things that really make me feel alive, one of which is writing, another of which is acting, and another of which is fighting.
None of these are very approved of by ANY of my family. In fact, half of the time my parents try and deter me from doing what I want and attempt to make me do something else. My mum honestly spent half of last year in a permanent struggle in attempt to convince me to train as a doctor, completely ignoring the fact that I'm terrified witless of doctors and hospitals.
It's hard to keep ignoring them for so long though, and I'm scared that at some point I'll just end up being overpowered by their demands and I'll give in and get some boring old job that I don't want. And I don't want to be one of those people that perminantly regret not chasing their dream when they were younger.
I want to make an impact on the world, and a good one, and as the quote suggest, I'm not going to be able to do that stuffed up in an office doing I job I despise.

It's so weird that you posted about careers, I had a weird epiphany dream last night, which made me realise that I'm looking at the right career path for me. I was back in my year 2 (I think that's first grade? 6-7yrs old?) classroom, where I wrote my first stories & was first encouraged to write & told I was good at it, except I was the teacher, & I was teaching the kids how to write & be creative. Then I realised. I want to do that, I want to give kids the same experiences I had in that year, inspire them, encourage them. I had a bit of a rough period two years later (see hugely long comment on Denise's last post :P) so lost all of that confidence, but now its all come flooding back again a lot this year. I never would've found that I love writing without that teacher, nor would I have been told that I was good at it, despite my first story not really making much sense (a crocodile swallowed a chameleon & he started changing colour, then a girl made him swallow a thermometer & he got better) :P I would like to write on the side, but I don't think I could write to deadlines, and I don't think I'm quite there yet. Maybe some day. <3

Next year, I'm starting college as a Broadcasting major. My mom and many of my friends kept telling me that I was too smart for that and that I should be going into some kind of science or math, but I absolutely love creating and producing the news. Even now with only a few months left my mom questions if I made the right choice, but I know I did.

:)

*wonderful, not wonder

I am going to be perfectly honest here and say that I am usually on the other side of this situation, but it is usually toward business, mass comm, and other majors that aren't incredibly challenging. I am an engineering major, and as a student I have to work way harder than most people in college do if I want to pass. When I hear people in other majors complain about work load, I have urges to yell at them and tell them they don't know the definition of hard work and some other mean things.

Its not that I feel that artistic career paths are a joke, because I am a huge lover of the arts and all things creative. I know that people with creative majors need to work really hard to receive the training they want. This is actually true for any major, and the reason that I roll my eyes when someone tells me that they are a business major is that I often get a sense that the person is extremely lazy and has no drive or passion for what they are doing. College, no matter where you go, is what you make of it.

If you are going to major in something easy and just coast through school with out any passion, no, I don't have too much respect for you. I don't really respect people who aren't chasing their dreams. Passion should be what drives you for life. I surely wouldn't be putting myself through hell if it wasn't for the wonderful and rewarding feelings I get when I succeed in math, physics, and problem solving.

I do pity those with creative majors because I know how hard it is to be successful in it. Like engineering, you really have to love it because you will fail over, and over, and over ,and over, and over and over again. I know a lot of you do have dreams of artistic professions, and I really wish you all the best! If you are driven by passion, you will end up happy because you are willing to work extremely hard for what you want. I think we all know that now is a really great time for young artists with the internet connecting people all across the globe!

I realise I'm really, really lucky, because the degree I'm studying for should allow me to find a job quite easily, and it wasn't a compromise or my parents' choice, it's what I really want to do.
I've seen so many people considering different careers, different courses at university because what they'd like to do is hard to achieve. Some of my high school friends went to the orientation event of the faculties they were interested in, and they told me that it was the teachers/students themselves to tell them not to choose that path, because it's gonna be almost impossible to find a decent job after graduation. That's what happens in a country where unemployment was a big problem even before the recent economical crisis... It didn't even surprise me too much, I'm used to these considerations.
So, on one hand I understand these concerns because I do know a lot of people who are still unemployed several years after their graduation, on the other hand I understand those who struggle to study what they want to, those who try to make their dreams come true, because I'm a dreamer myself and I couldn't stand studying something I don't like.
What I find really "dumb" is when people tell others not to go into performing arts, writing, foreign languages or education, because those actually affect everyone's lives. I mean, almost everybody listens to music, watches movies, reads books (perhaps written by a foreign author), and everybody went/goes to school and would complain if their, or their children's, teachers weren't good... don't we? So why should we all be doctors or engineers?
By the way, I've also heard people say someone shouldn't start a long university path if they're too old... this person is only two years older than the regular age you start university. That's even dumber.

I totally get what you mean Lauren! I'm a junior in high school, so our school counselors are pushing us to start looking a colleges, and start thinking about what we want to do. It's always been a given for me-I want to do something to do with music, probably a music teacher. But our school doesn't really recognize it as a good career choice. If you want to continue in band, it messes your schedule up, so it's hard to get all the other classes you are required to have to graduate. They've been hinting that we need to focus more on jobs in the math and science fields, because those will have a lot of job openings, unlike the music field.

I love this quote. People nowadays, settle for doing something they don't love, just because it is easier than following their dream, and is more practical. I know in my heart that this is what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to be doing something that makes me feel alive. If I didn't do something with music, I'd be selling myself short. And like the quote says- the world needs more people who are alive :)

Love you all, and your comments. I love coming here everyday and seeing everyone's posts. They really inspire me to glow* every single day :)

And as I finish writing this, "Status Quo" comes up on my iPod :) Perfect!

Hugs to you all, and keep glow*ing!

i want to be in a group like Team Starkid it will be hard but like Lolo said chase your dreams

A few years ago, I had the dream of going to Australia. It was all I thought about and even though I knew it would be an exorbitant amount of money, I thought it would be worth it in the end.

So I worked. A lot. I saved all the money I made from my 2 jobs to put it towards this fund. This meant a lot of sacrifice. My friends often questioned why I was putting so much work into only a three week trip. While I couldn't explain it, it was what I needed to do.

So I had to ignore the "this is a waste of time", "you will never get that much money", and "its not worth all this time"! But in reality, it was. While I had to sacrifice a lot, it was totally worth all the hard work (of three years) in the end. I had the best time and every minute spent down under was worth days of work here!

Ahh... I always get those comments. I'm in school for drama and english. I want to be an author or an actress. I always get those questions...

I always tell them that I'm doing the world good because it makes me happy. And I have a WONDERFUL temper... so when I'm unhappy, the world is unhappy. So really, my happiness does the world a favor.

Got all that?

No, but really, I don't think we should feel guilty for wanting to make ourselves happy. When we do something we enjoy and put 100% into it, whether by performing onstage, writing a novel or dancing on the streets, we are putting a smile on at least one persons face. So, if we can brighten at least one persons day with our passion and love, we're doing something good in the world.

And then I turn around and say, "How exactly does marine-biology benefit us?"

I love this quote, so so SO much. It's such a powerful thought, that if we simply do the things we love, everything will fall into place. It's so simple, yet so complicated. I came across this today on pinterest, and it kind of ties in with everything...it's just applicable to...life. Have a look :)
http://www.purposefairy.com/3308/15-things-you-should-give-up-in-order-to-be-happy/

I don't understand how people can think that going into the arts is selfish? or at least how it's a bad kind of selfish. Why wouldn't I make decisions that directly affect my life based on what makes me happy? How is that going to negatively affect someone. If anything, choosing something that I'm not passionate about would be more harmful to others, as my heart would not be in it. Could you trust an engineer or a doctor who wasn't 100% serious about what they do?

Next time someone tries to guilt trip you into thinking that artists can't do any good or make change, ask them who their all-time favourite musician, or actor, or author, or artist is, and then ask them if their life would be less happy if that person had been convinced that they were being selfish and took on a practical career instead. My life would be different if I had never heard my favourite songs or read my favourite books or watched my favourite movies, etc. All of these amazing works of art have made me who I am and shaped me as a person. They are the reason I have dreams, nightmares, friends, an imagination, good moods and bad moods, passion, everything. How can anybody say that that isn't making a difference?

All you wonderful and creative ladies who want to be artists and actors and singers and dancers and more, don't ever let people tell you that what you want to do doesn't matter. If you are truly passionate about it, your passion will spread to everyone who sees what you create and you will affect them just as others have surely been able to affect you. :)

As for me personally, I want to be a High school english teacher. Nobody has ever directly shot my career down, because anyone who knows me knows that that is obviously the only choice for me. But people do love to point out how difficult it will be. My dad likes to tell me that I'm going to have to go teach in Nunavut to find a job. :P I'm okay with that though (the difficult thing, not the Nunavut thing. No offense, Nunavut. You're awesome, but I need warmth and busy cities). The majority of people in my program want to teach English, and most of them are girls too, so I know I have a lot of competition. But I think I have the passion which sets me apart as well when I actually apply to my B.Ed, I'll have more experience because I'm taking some time of and maybe doing a masters first. I can live through all the comments about how difficult my life will be for a bit, because I know that I actually have their support and because I know that it will be worth it to one day be able to be truly happy with what I'm doing.

Keep on Glow*ing ladies! You have all affected my just by being yourselves on this page everyday, so there's no way you won't succeed if you're doing what truly makes you Glow* All my love. <3

Ironically, the guilty feeling that's nagging me is that of not chasing my dream. It's my dream to enter a law career but I ended up in Art.

I know it's not too late. It never is, but I know it would be so if I simply dwell on "what if"s. I honestly don't know what to do. There are no such thing as "what if"s there is only now and the time and effort wasted on dwelling on what could've been because no matter which side you go to, you'll always think of the "what if"s.

All I know is I've made my decision and there must be a reason for it and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to stand up for what I did.

I am one of these people who always want everyone to be happy. I work so hard for other people's happiness, for my friends, for my family. Sometimes I tend to forget about my own happiness and then find myself in a situation where I have to put my pieces together again.

I've sworn to myself to never let it happen again, at least not to the extent like it happened last winter. I've learned it on the hard way: My happiness is their happiness. If I am not happy, I can't help anyone. So Be Happy, Kristina and make others happy with your happiness.

As for the career discussion, my parents never really wanted me to become a teacher. I was one of the best students in my year, so I could have studied anything to earn loads and loads and loads of money. But I wanted to be a teacher, I've always wanted to become a teacher and I decided to go for it. If teaching young people is what really makes me happy, this is what I gotta do. Money doesn't make people happier. It just makes things easier. A passion, however, makes happy and teaching is my passion.

My entire life has been about trying to make a dent in this world. I try as hard as I can to be a selfless person because there have been so many people who have done good for me and I want to repay them anyway I could.
I've always counted on movies and books to keep me sane and to make me happy. That is why I wanted to become a screenwriter. I want to be able to help someone else with my creativity and create a world where people can escape to and feel safe in.
A lot of times I feel like saying that makes me look conceited. Who am I to say that my work can make that much a difference in someone's life?
But then there are times where I write something and I think to myself, 'If I had read this when I was going through something, I would feel so much better about myself' and that makes me feel amazing.

The best way to keep me motivated and working toward my dream is to come here and read all the amazing posts that people with dreams just like mine make. <3

[this turned into a stream of consciousness mess so disregard the lack of continuity]

First of all I love that quote. I once had an English paper about I don't remember what but I wrote it about the word "alive" and I used that quote. I want to go as far in the photography world as I possibly can and I constantly feel guilty. I feel like my parents tried so hard so us kids could succeed and I want to be able to do something to make them proud and feel like it was worth it. They have no problem with me doing what I love, my mom has been very adamant about following our bliss, but sometimes the though dawns on me that I could better show my appreciation by doing something business-y rather than become another starving artist. In moments like that I just remind myself this is what is going to make me most happy, this is what makes me come alive and if my parents are already supporting that dream then there is no reason to feel guilty.

I sometimes find it hard to chase dreams - as I learned that chasing dreams can cost a lot and it's better to see if the things you do are appreciated by the ppl close to you.

Yet, I never really gave up on chasing dreams.
I chose to study psychology even if some ppl looked at me and wondered if there are any job-possibilities. I also got the advice to combine psychology with business studies or sth like that to improve my chances, but I didn't - I never liked economics and law classes, it's just nothing I wanna do.
So I chose psychology, and the fact that you actually have great career opportunities (when you add some quite expensive further studies) as psychological psychotherapist was sth I find out some time later. Now I'm doing this extra training my family is convinced my decision was a good one, but they haven't been so when I started.
They also haven't been to happy because this ment I have to move, as getting a place for psychology at the college near my hometown is quite impossible.

I still did it. And I didn't let myself feel guilty too much, as starting my studies felt like "I make my own decisions now!"

Still when I bring some plans up and ppl are skeptical (which happens quite frequently, especially for my Mum) I always get a strange feeling. Like the urge to defend myself. Or maybe I should change my plan to please others?
It has been like this when I announced I wanted to start riding again. I did it anyway. And I feel great about doing so. It has been like that when we planned to move. We did it anyway. And it has been SO the right decision. It actually is like that when we speak about plans of an USA-vacation and the destination we think about (first argument: do you really think you wanna go to the USA? second one: are you sure bout this destinations - you could also visit this or that place...).

When I get the guilty feeling and doubt my own plans because of this feeling, I try to listen to myself. Is this what I really want? Maybe the doubts of others stir my own doubts, but this doesn't mean it is an overall bad idea! If it feels like a real desire, then it will be a thing making me look alive!

I digress. I try to not listen or to distance myself from anyone that wants to make me feel bad for pursuing a dream. Easier said than done, of course, but it's healthier than just letting them attempt to bring you down again and again. In my mom's case though, I poured out my heart and soul to her over the phone until she reluctantly agreed that I have to at least try. She's a very stubborn woman, so it took about three to four hours to finally convince her!

Hi I completely get where you're coming from. Although it isn't the same thing i guess, I've always wanted to be a doctor and to put it eloquently I've worked my arse off to try to get good grades. This also effects me with the fact that in most academic subjects i refuse to accept failure. But relating back to your point; people have told me many times when i tell them about my ambitions that i'm going to fail because i won't be able to cope under the stress and i'm not smart enough or even stable enough (hand-i-co-ordination wise and emotionally). This has been what has happened throughout secondary school, henceforth my constant refusal to fail and honestly i put myself down if i do fail. But i'm not going to stop my drive because of others like you i'll prove them wrong that in a few years i'll be the one laughing where I WANT to be, from all the hard work finally paying off. If you really want something in this life don't stop until you find it for yourself.
glad someone feels the same
love iz :)

I definitely think you brought up a good point talking about judgemental comments when people hear about your dreams and goals. Regardless of if you are going into the performing arts or science or anything in between, I think people always find something to pick at, some way to judge you. They hear a word or two of what you say and immediately begin to make assumptions, and this drives me absolutely INSANE!
For the past couple years I have refrained from saying what I want to do just because I didn't like hearing those assumptions. When asked what I want to do after I graduate, I would answer "oh I don't know yet" when really I've been thinking a lot about becoming a doctor. But every time I hint at this, I immediately get "oh that pays really well, your parents will be happy", and if I tell people about my global health electives they say "oh that will look excellent on your med school application", at which point I just want to smack some sense into them and say that is NOT the point.
I think what it comes down to, and the reason I've become more comfortable talking about my dreams, is that if you sit and take some time to yourself to think about the "why" rather than the "what", you can gain an understanding of the motivation behind your dreams. For me at least, understanding why I want to do what I want to do has made me so much more confident, and I've found that when you're confident in your dreams, the assumptions that people make really don't bother you as much, because you know why you're doing it, and that's the important thing.

I get put down a lot by people about what i want to be when i grow up: an Actress and tv show writer.
I live in a small town in Australia and the idea of moving to LA to act makes absolutely no sense to anyone but me and my Best Friend Eleanor. We are going together.

Even my parents think it is crazy, I am 15 and my mum thinks i will grow out of it, but i won't. this is my dream and my life and i will make what i want out of it.

Cassandra-Lee
xoxo

I always receive the "hahaha no, but seriously what are you doing with your life" comments and I'm not even going into theatre or the arts. I'm in the process of becoming a Marine Vertebrate Biologist, and so my dream simply put is to play with mammals in the ocean. Maybe, eventually become a mammalian veterinarian, but that's a while away. Every once in a while I get this overwhelming sense of guilt because that's not technically doing good for anyone in the sense of becoming a doctor or something of that sort. Yes, I'll be helping mammals but I'm very selfish for wanting to just play with them in the water. I always get the condescending tones that it's a waste of my career because I just want to swim with sea lions. I'll never give up my dreams or stop doing work to help animals, mammals or the environment, and I know deep down that what I'm doing is good for not only myself but others as well, so I just brush off the parental condescending comments and follow my dreams =)

I too have felt the same way, and I am currently in a situation which I would describe as being in a deep pit that I can't seem to get out of.
Looking back at my childhood I have noticed that wherever I went there were always opportunities to do acting. In every school I went to there were always drama classes, and in every play I was always selected to act even though I was unsure and not very confident of my abilities.
I have also been very good at art and drawing along with music and playing the piano and the drums. Those around me, like my mother for instance, never supported the idea of me following the 'arts' subjects, and always bragged about my cousins since they were doing the 'science' subjects' like vets, and doctors. Since she always ran the arts subjects down, spoke badly of them and repeated over and over that I couldn't get a job in them and I would be nothing at the end of it, I automatically knew that if I followed my dreams I would be a disappointment to the whole of the family. I then knew there was no point, in arguing so I let go of my dreams and locked them away, never to pursue them again.
So of course I made the biggest mistake ever and chose courses that would make her happy. At the moment I'm in the 2nd year of a Forensic Science degree, and as much as it sounds interesting, my heart is not in it. I have no motivation for the subject whatsoever and am just gritting my teeth and struggling with it.
My heart since last year has drawn my attention to my forgotten talents and I feel that it wants me to pursue the dreams that I pushed to one side. I did try to pursue one of them, that was the drums, but as always my mother wasn't very happy that I was doing something I loved and was truly happy in doing.
Like every mum, of course she wants whats best for me and for me to live comfortably, but it doesn't seem right that I should have to complete a degree in a subject I can't stand, just to avoid disappointing her so that I can live with all the luxuries whilst all the while ignoring my heart and making everyone around me utterly miserable just because I'm not happy inside.
At the moment I am thinking of quitting uni and pursuing my dreams, with or without the support of my mother, who at the moment is making me feel guilty for the fact that she has to see me graduate in an 'arts' subject and not a 'science' one.

Thanks for this post LoLo
I really needed it <3

I'm studying theatre, and it's something I always have wanted to do. Although I only started pressuring this dream two years ago, so when I was 16, I moved out (I’m not going to spend time explaining to you the Norwegian education system, but after 1-10 class you start em, high school? Maybe, and if you don’t live in or near a city you most likely have to move). My problem is that my parents are very neutral to whatever career path I choose, whatever good news I have about stuff that has happened in class I always get the same “okay”. The same kinda goes with my teachers and class mates, it gets to me sometimes that I seems like no one believe I can make it in the industry. I know I’m not the overly-outgoing-loud type of person that people automatically believe can make it. I’m that girl who is kinda quite, always has her stuff together and always shows up ready and prepared for rehearsals, but never gets the lead. On the right days can it make me question myself and I find myself thinking “What is the point? Everyone can’t make it, maybe I should find something else to do?” But then I remind myself that this is what I want to do, and I deserve to be happy, and with the right practice and attitude, I can.

I can, I will, and I’m going to glow*.

I love acting, but have never really considered it as an option post-secondary. Whenever I talk about whatever play I am in, my dad always makes some joke about waiting tables because theatre as a career is not something that provides very much money. I have always loved to dream about going to college/university for theatre, but I have never really believed I have the talent to proceed with this. I don't think anyone in my family really takes my acting seriously and therefore neither do I.

To be honest I'm not fully sure what I want to do with my life. I do like to write and my favorite part of photography was the dark room. I enjoy finding new places when I go on walks. So I guess my dream would be to become a traveling writer.

For me this is the peak of what I want from life. I can live without anything else, I just want to find something more than this town I am trapped in. I want to do something more than work at McDonald's as I pay for an education for a career I'm not whole heartily interested in. Yet that is exactly what my family expects of me.

When it comes to chasing my dreams the worst criticism is from my family. My dad wants me to do something practical like going into nursing. It's a job that pays well in the end. Being a writer isn't very practical and you don't have a sturdy income unless you are a journalist.

My only way to avoid being put down for wanting to do something outrageous like this is to not speak of it. I know one day I will have to tell them but right now I feel my dream is still alive and possible and I don't want to loose something as important as that to the one person in my whole family who can crush dreams with one lecture.