Gabriel Figliuzzi

Did anyone ever oppose your career plans when you were young or push you in a direction you did not want to go?

When I was younger, I didn't really have any specific career goals. My sister was a nurse and my mom continually pushed me to that direction, but it did not interest me in the least. Eventually, I joined the military which ended up being cut short for health reasons and I was medically discharged just two years into my enlistment. When I got out of the military my mom was once again pressuring me into nursing school. The problem, though, is neither of my parents ever really pushed me all that hard in school or in identifying a career. They divorced when I was young and I think they carried a lot of guilt and didn't want to push me too hard. This backfired completely because it took me a LONG time to get on the right track and even to this very day I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. My advice to anyone who is dealing with someone who either opposes what you want to do, or who provides you with little to no support, is to find people who will support your plans AND help you find ways to achieve them. It won't be easy, but it's necessary. Believe me, when all of the "adult responsibilities" begin to pile on as you grow older, it becomes harder and harder to think about your career if you don't already have one.