Choices

How many of us have been pressurised in choosing our course in college ?? Last week I got to meet one of my husband's colleagues. This guy recently quit his job and is going back to school and following his dreams. After having worked in the IT field for 7 years, he has now quit his job and is going to study to become a Perfusionist ( a trained health professional who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery ). I was asking him the reason behind his decision and he went on to tell me that at that time he chose Engineering because of circumstances and financial reasons. He also mentioned that another colleague tried to talk him out of it and said that the IT field is the best.
This has got me thinking about the kind of pressure parents put on children, the status quo attached to having an Engineer Son/Daughter or a Doctor Son/Daughter. Not to mention the amount of dowry certain communities collect for their "Professional" son. it is sad to see that parents impose their dreams on their children and then say "I don't want my children to struggle the way I did" or "We never had these opportunities, that is why I want my children to have them".
I even asked my husband if he chose to do Engineering on his own but he didn't really give me a straight answer. Luckily in my family there was no such pressure. My brother is in Banking, I am a Montessori teacher and my sister is a journalist. Of course with my brother and me I think our career choices were circumstantial. Eventhough I came into Montessori accidentally I absolutely love it and am very passionate about education. Children have an amazing amount of potential. They should be given the freedom to choose what they want to study.
IT (Information Technology) is not everything. The world needs teachers, lawyers, researchers, politicians, dancers, artists, etc. Parents need to encourage children to think independently and support them in their choice of career.
Mr.M, I applaud your decision and wish you the very best for your future. I wish more people gathered the courage to follow their dreams.