Parents pressuring sister to major in "something useful".

fireandrain
Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:08:26 +0000

This girl is what – 17 years old? Why should she have a career plan at such an early age? Her whole life is ahead of her, she has plenty of time to figure out what she wants to major in and what type of job she wants to have.

Sometimes planning too far ahead can be a mistake. Think about all those kids who decided to be education majors four years ago (“something useful”) and now can’t find a job.

She should apply to college as “undecided,” take a broad range of classes, and eventually something will appeal to her. Perhaps a smaller school, where she will get more individual attention and guidance and nurturing, might be better. She might be overwhelmed in a large school. If by the end of sophomore year she still has no clue, then it’s time to be concerned (and then taking time off would be appropriate).

She sounds like a pretty typical kid, perhaps a little more withdrawn than average, but as negative as many teens. She might not like film production now, but that could change when she takes one class in it.