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This Article is From Oct 25, 2017

How To Make Your Parents Accept Your Career Choice

The uphill task of excelling in a professional field actually begins with making your parents understand your career choice.

How To Make Your Parents Accept Your Career Choice
Mother and daughter discussing college and career choices (representation)

Making a career choice is a difficult task. Understanding what you are passionate about and making a life long commitment to it, is indeed daunting. However, making your parents understand your career choice is a different ball game altogether!

There is a chance that your parents would not understand your career choice, let alone be happy with it - especially if it's something a little unusual. But don't take that as a dead end. It's then, that your test actually begins.

It's in your hands to convince them to support you towards your dream. Take it up as a responsibility towards your life or as your first challenge towards your goal.

Here's what you need to keep in mind while having the 'career conversation' with your parents.

1. Will your choice of career help you become financially secure?

Our parents don't belong to the generation that grew up with computers or smartphones in their hands. All this is something that they try and keep up with. Thinking that they would know and completely understand career choices that seem offbeat to them - like blogging, makeup or even photography - is a lot to ask of them.

Start by trying to explain the monetary aspect of your career choice. How can you make money in the field you've chosen? Not all parents actually know how you can earn in a profession like fashion styling or blogging - but they are concerned about your financial stability.

So make an effort to sit with them and answer all their questions. Talk to them about how your hobby could actually become your lifelong career if executed in the right manner.

2. Why this career?

Yes, it's your life and you have the right to choose your profession. However, parents are a very integral part of this life. They do need to know the reasons why you choose a particular field.

If being a doctor or an accountant (or something else your parents are familiar with) is not what you aim to be, it's upto you to give them the details of your preferred career.

Now this definitely can be a slow process. If you explain and your parents understand immediately and support you, that's great - cherish it and be thankful! But if things don't shape up the way you desire, don't lose heart or patience. At the end of the day, it's only you who can make them understand and no one else.

It might take a little bit of effort and time, but if they see you're truly passionate and persistent about your choice, they will soon begin to understand your perspective too. Perseverance is the answer!

3. Back your words up with actions

Now if all else fails, the only thing left to do is to actually make a move and try proving yourself.

You definitely can't just sit and wait for your parents to give you a nod to pursue something that you're truly passionate about. Maybe one of the things pulling them back could be their uncertainty and lack of knowledge about the career - and your ability to actually be able to pull it off.

Try putting your thoughts into practice and show them that you are actually passionate about what you've chosen.

Once they see you succeed, they will definitely understand why you've made the choice you have.

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