Asian Parent: "Law School? Why Didn't You Make It Into Med School?"

[Trinitygunner]

For hispanics it has to be a practical major.

So, until I told my dad I was going to law school for sure after undergrad, he demanded I be an engineer--all hispanics are supposed to get engineering degrees. As soon as he realized I meant what I said about ls, he realized it didn't matter what I studied in undergrad.

ormachea...this is an asian board. not a bolivian board. :-P. it was good meeting you yesterday...g'luck at NYU.

[ormachea]

Well, we don't want you on our Latin American Board over in Application either! 

We definitely need to have another get-together like that--preferably at a place where they won't sucker you into top shelf 

Oh, and congrats on writing that many pages about college basketball... how did that tie into sociology?

[Trinitygunner]

Well, we don't want you on our Latin American Board over in Application either! 

We definitely need to have another get-together like that--preferably at a place where they won't sucker you into top shelf 

Oh, and congrats on writing that many pages about college basketball... how did that tie into sociology?

it's about power and communication, and how the coaches do it... :-D

[ormachea]

Learn anything applicable to everyday life?

[maka nani]

wow...wow.  I don't even know anyone with parents who really cared much what they did...so this thread is um, a learning experience for me!

I wish someone said "you should do this" I wouldn't of F*cked around. 

My family will say  "you have to quit your job and not work?"

sigh...white parents   

[jolyssa]

My Dad wanted me to be an engineer.  For a long time, I expressed my desire to teach which broke my parents' hearts.  When they found out about law school, they were ecstatic.  LOL.

[jacy85]

I find it sad that becoming a teacher would break parents' hearts.  Sure, you're not gonna pull in the money, but it's still a noble profession and anyone that takes it on deserves to be respected.  It's a thankless job, but the more teachers we can get that a passionate about it and do it well, the better off our kids will be.

[jolyssa]

I agree.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't pursue law to make my parents happy--I actually taught under priveledged kids for a few summers and I loved the experience.  I may even go back to teaching in the future, but right now, I'm set on going to law school.

As for my parents, they may take back their warm wishes when they find out that I'm interested in public interest law and will probably be making the same amount of money a teacher would.

[Lgirl]

My wonderful (but very pushy) Jewish mother (who is a doctor) never particularly wanted me to be a doctor, but she did want me to study science or maths. And do business. So when I told her I was studying literature in college, she freaked on me completely, saying I'd never get a job, would 'only' (I know) be a teacher... what was I thinking.... I could still go to med school in Hugary!!!! The only redeeming factor was that I'd be doing literature at Oxford. Even so, I was still a loser.
But now she's delighted I'm doing law. She can see that I'm doing the thing that I can do best. I would have made a lousy doctor. I wouldn't have stuck it out. And I don't have the temperament for business. But I'm fascinated by law and am clearly on the right path. So she's happy. And my Dad, who didn't finish hihg school, always says school is a waste of time. It's all about 'the education of the street'...

[raventhorn]

My parents are both engineers.  My mom has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, that's tough to beat.  My father has a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering.  My maternal grandfather has a Bachelor's in Textile engineering from the old days in China.

Naturally, I was supposed to be the 3rd generation in engineer.

But I almost went to Med School, because my bio and chem scores were better than my Physics scores.

But eventually, I picked engineering, because many med schools required US residency back then, and I didn't have a green card.

Then I got my Masters in Electrical Engineering, got a job in a big engineering company, and worked for 10 years.

Now, I'm changing to law.

My parents both gave up trying to advise me on my career a long time ago, because they know I have been pretty good about finishing what I started in my career.

Honestly, most parents just want to see stability in their kids' lives.  That makes they feel safe, because they don't have to worry about you all the time.

Asian parents sometimes like to brag about their kids more.

Just remind them that JD is a Doctorate Degree.  It also helps if when you graduate, you hand out new business cards with the word "DOCTORATE" in bold, so your parents can send about 200 of them to family and their close friends.