This has been going on for decades.
My father tried to dictate to me that I should become a computer programmer. Perhaps if he had been paying for my education, I might have agreed to take a beginning course to see if I liked it but since I was paying for it all myself, I refused to spend a penny on a computer class. I did change my major several times but all in pursuit of my ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer, which I accomplished. I have never regretted not going into computers, but my refusal to follow my father’s prescribed course further damaged an already tenuous relationship and we were never close until his death 30 years later.
At the same time that I was dealing with my dad, my cousin was going through a similar ordeal with his mother, who wanted him to become a doctor. He wanted to be an accountant. His parents (dad was a CPA) were paying his full freight so he felt like he had to what she wanted. He and I brainstormed and he decided to discuss with him mom the concept of taking accounting/business courses so that when he became a doctor, he could follow the books and make sure he wasn’t ripped off. Then, he deliberately blew his MCAT’s so badly he didn’t even get into Guadalajara. His mom was upset but my cousin passed all 6 parts of the CPA exam on the first try. He is very happy as an accountant and his mom told the entire family that it was HER idea for her H and son to have a practice together!
I feel badly for a poster like @Homesteader and his/her family. My father’s refusal to get over my choices differing from his meant that my kids really never knew their grandparents.