<p>The title may seem too vague so I'll try to be elaborate as honestly as possible because I assume and expect the same.
My father is from the middle east and worked extremely hard to make it in this country (USA) and I know he wants me to be a success. The problem is that I not only not want to be an engineer, it seems to be last thing on my preverbal list because I am not a very good at the "STEM" curriculum(I am alright at math when I apply myself, but that is not the same for physics which is the bread and butter of engineering majors.). It's not that I don't like or enjoy science, its i dont think something so labor intensive like engineering for me(for my brother it is but not me). I dont want to make a monologue of this so all I'll say is how should i approach this problem? Im only in my first year at community college so i still have time to fix this but I want to get this settled now. Anyone else dealt with a problem like this (with immigrant parents im sure haha) how did you guys deal with this? Thanks for reading and I appreciate your answers if you leave one! </p>
<p>Well, I too once contemplated majoring in engineering and although I’ve never taken a physics or advanced math course, nor chemistry I believe I’m not smart enough, anyway I understand your father’s concern being a child of two caribbean parents, especially those who’re hailing from “3rd world” countries… the odds are stacked against them (excluding low level tech jobs where outsourcing is beneficial to foreigners). No need to rush tell your father that there are plenty of other options with high paying salaries (medical/health, law, computer science etc) if that doesn’t work show him the percentage increase over the next decade of all the engineering disciplines at <a href=“http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm”>http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm</a>, you should also know that engineers aren’t the ones who get their hands dirty the technicians do too (engineering technology majors) whilst the engineer may design, work in operations, law, management/administration, manufacturing, research or marketing. honestly your mind may change you have a minimum of 4 years left before you graduate you may be exposed to a field where you act as an engineer, but didn’t major in it (working as a genetic engineer in biotech). Engineers build, design, model, analyze and synthesize you don’t necessarily have to be an engineer to do that. STEM careers aren’t for everyone, but holds the most secure, in demand and high paying jobs so you may want to reconsider. For now as a felow freshman, just focus on passing your gen ed and prereqs, hope I helped best of luck. :-bd </p>
<p>My dad wanted me to be an engineer. I come from a working-class family that clawed it’s way into the middle class - my dad started out as a bus driver in New York, the definition of blue collar - I actually still get excited daddy’s-home feelings when I see the NYC bus drivers in their old uniforms - and now he’s a safety supervisor for the main transit system in Atlanta (he was super excited when he got his own office; he called me to brag about it). Anyway, he wanted me to be an engineer because he struggled to raise a family and he didn’t want me to struggle. He worked as a rail car technician before he worked his way into the office, and the college-educated people he worked most closely with were engineers. He saw that they were well-compensated and worked regular 9-to-5 jobs (unlike him, who worked the graveyard shift). And he reasoned, my daughter’s brilliant and hard-working, she could do this and get paid well and never have to worry about money.</p>
<p>So I guess that’s the first step, is to recognize that your dad is pushing you on this because he loves you, and he doesn’t want you to struggle. He also things very highly of your intellect and capabilities, otherwise he wouldn’t push you.</p>
<p>The way I handled it was to tell my dad, straight up, that I didn’t want to be an engineer. Seriously - I considered it, and I was really good in (and enjoyed) physics and math in high school, but for whatever reason I just didn’t want to be an engineer. I think I told him I simply wouldn’t be happy in that field, and that I would really succeed as much as he thought I would because my heart wasn’t in it. What can a good parent say to that?</p>
<p>BUT I did tell him about other careers I was considering, and let him know how much they made (he was always concerned about that). Of course, if I had said I wanted to be a social worker he probably would’ve died, but he seems to be somewhat satisfied - if a bit confused (“So when are you going to graduate again?” I’m in a PhD program) - with the path I’ve chosen now.</p>
<p>your CC likely has counseling available to students. Working out ways to resolve issues like this is something they can help you with, and it probably better to get the advice of a trained counselor before having a conversation with your dad. </p>
<p>The counseling center also should have some career aptitude tests and interest inventories that you can take that will help you better refine your options. Once you know that, you can sort out your plans for getting the education needed for at least one of those careers. That way when you do discuss this with your family, you will be able to tell them what your goals are, how you plan to get there, and what the job prospects are like.</p>