Teens Cope With Pressure to Choose Lucrative College Majors

By Zion Worke
November 5, 2014

High school students say it can be stressful to manage pressure from their parents to pick certain college majors.

Daisy Acosta, a student at South Ridge High School, said she and her family have dealt with such stress. Her parents want her to pursue a career in science because they believe it would be the most profitable.

Pursuing a career that's sustainable is important, but teens say that making sure they actually love their job is crucial as well.

"Even though there is a such thing as the American dream, we are corrupted by money," Acosta said.

Acosta said she wants to pursue a career in psychology and writing. Although she and her parents do not see eye-to-eye on her career decisions, they have actually bonded over the disagreement.

And she’s determined to choose what suits her best – even if it means wanting to be a writer and psychologist instead of a doctor.

"I think for any person it's possible to reach your American dream, even if it's even family that holds you back," she said. "There are things like money that are going against you [but] you can make it."