In a heartfelt post, the user revealed, “My parents say that I have no other options besides studying science. They say there’s no decent money to be made outside of computer engineering and medicine. While I agree that there are good-paying jobs in computer engineering and medicine, I can’t just blindly agree that there’s no money elsewhere.” – u/ParachutedOut.

Redditors were quick to shower him with advice:

1. “Your options: 

– Suck it up, join an engineering college and get a private job (10-30 KPM). 

– Join a low skill IT or support job while doing B.Sc and preparing for MBA. 

– Go to the US for your bachelor’s. I have seen many friends suddenly gaining interest in education after going abroad (good teachers).” u/Wherify.

2. “Honestly fake it till you make it. My non-engineering friends got placed in TCS just by stating their birthplace and hobbies in interviews. You live your life like a slave, do whatever project or work they give you and NO, you don’t need to be good at anything…they will make you good enough for themselves (a guy who didn’t know how to copy and paste was also in a project) Keep your original goal in mind…give IELTS or something and see what comes ahead. PS. Don’t become a doctor with these marks kid…no one will benefit from this.” u/humseNaSharmao.

3. “Seriously, why do you want a government job if you want to settle in foreign? It is better to take computer science work for a couple of years and then apply for CS jobs that will sponsor you and there are a lot of those for experienced devs. Also, you can find remote jobs in European companies with good work-life balance and culture. I don’t know about all other fields but computer science has been a blessing in that regard to me.” u/tpzck.

4. “Sure, you can make great money as an engineer or a doctor, but you only see the top of the bunch posting here on Reddit. For every 30 LPA engineers here, there are a hundred working really hard for 3lpa. What you need to do is figure out what you are good at, and what interests you, and hope there is an overlap.” u/ABahRunt.

5. “Show them. Talk means nothing.” – u/shr612.

6. “My two cents: Don’t do STEM if you don’t like it. I didn’t and it’s the best decision I ever made. There are very lucrative law firm jobs if you do a BALLB, but remember that your college grades will be important for you to get them unless you have a very very polished and sophisticated English-fluency and charismatic personality. Reservations/quotas won’t matter here. Yes, for a top MBA (including US top 30 programs) work experience is important. You need a minimum of 2-3 years of experience before you can get accepted. That being said, your college grades will matter here too – better the business school, better college grades + GMAT score needed. On the GMAT front, being an Indian male (SC status being irrelevant), you will need a competitive GMAT score. If it’s abroad that you wanna go, my suggestion is to not waste time giving a hundred attempts for government job exams.” u/boinkthischit.

7. “Maybe look into some of those career options further, I was told that only thing a doctor could do was look at patients, there are so much more… you could go into forensics, you could work in pathology, research.” u/Knee_Kill_Money_Yen.

We scoured Quora for some tips too, here’s what they had to say:

8. “I always had my interest in art/design and all creative stuff like this. It came to me naturally, without putting in any extra effort. But science? maths? I worked day and night on these subjects still was never satisfied with myself. It never clicked me in the way it should have. I could clearly see the difference. My parents were quite aware of my interest but they always encouraged me to keep it as a hobby. After wasting a year in Kota, when I informed them that I don’t want to go for engineering, they were shocked. They were thinking of it as an immature decision in my life. 

My parents were not sure of what I wanted, nothing was clear, so I gave all my engineering entrances according to their choice but also sat for my NIFT (fashion designing) entrance, which was my choice. I gave them time to decide, they kept one condition in front of me saying “if you really think you are so good, show us that. Get a rank in the top 100, make sure you get a seat in NIFT Delhi, and we will allow you” We waited for the results. I got through NIFT and even though some other good engineering colleges(not JEE though). It was a tough decision for them. Fast forward 5 years, today I am here, working as a designer, doing what I love. I have been working for more than a year now but never felt tired or bored or frustrated with my job. That is what happens when you make a career in the area of your interest. you have some added advantages and some extra positive energy always, that keeps you driven.” – Huma Praveen.

9. “First of all, decide what you want to be. An entrepreneur or a filmmaker. The first step you take towards convincing your parents is by telling them what you have decided to do, not by telling them what you have decided not to do.

Next, you can start by either praising what you want to be or by abusing what you do not. You can tell them how there are millions of engineers roaming around without a proper job, or literally hanging by a thread, clinging to a low paying job. Or you can tell them how as an entrepreneur you plan to change your life or change our lives; launch a new product you believe will bring a revolution, et cetera. You can tell your parents that doing engineering from a third-grade college is worthless, adding the fact that you are unsure of your performance in the IIT-JEE. Tell them how you have decided to follow your passion. Tell them how a person stays happy if he is able to pursue his hobby as a career. Tell them how badly you will perform as an engineer if you are fed up with Maths, Physics and Chemistry from the start.

Your parents will fight back. It’s natural. But you must remain firm and polite. Don’t lose your calm, and don’t run out of points. If they are visibly exhausted, they are mentally accepting what you’re saying.” – Anubhav Karanseth.

10. “Ask yourself: Why do you think you shouldn’t do engineering? Got an answer? Tell the same to your parents.” – Harshit Kothari.