5 Reasons to Ignore Your Parents and go for your Dream Job

1. Your parents grew up in a different generation.

Back in their day you went to school, did as well as possible, got a job or career and that was it. No options. Now however there are hundreds of different routes you can go down to land yourself your dream job. From university to the more hands-on, apprenticeships and internships, or a combination of a few, there’s something for everyone. Not everyone learns the same way.

2. They won’t know the job market like you.

Chances are they’ve been in the same job or the same industry for a very, very long time. If you’re at the stage where you’re considering your future and place in the big wide world, chances are your parents are between 40 and 50. If they started their careers at 16 that’s at least 24 years in the same industry. To say the least, a lot has changed. They may not always understand that there are many new ways you can get a job, besides printing you CV off and handing it around the local shops and circling ads in the newspaper. The Internet is your best friend so use it!

3. They won’t know the industry like you!

If you’re anything like me and you know what you want to do, you will have Googled “how to get a job in ***insert job/industry/company here***” a hundred times over and will know the ins and outs of what you need to do to get where you want to be. If your mum and/or dad isn’t in the same industry they may have followed a very different route and have trouble understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing. My best piece of advice is to try and communicate with them and explain why this is the best route for you

4. They’re overprotective

At the end of the day all they want for you is to be safe and happy. They hate the uncertainty of your future so will probably try and steer you towards “real” options or options they think will make the most money. Because money = stability = happiness. Right? Well, wrong! That’s not the case for everyone and only you really know what makes you happy.

5. It’ll make you happy

There was a quote in a Hannah Montana documentary I watched once, from the world renowned philosopher Billy Ray Cyrus that said “ If you love your job you’ll never work a day in your life. ” Now whether or not you trust the words of the parent who brought you Miley Cyrus or not, he has a point. If you can wake up every day and actually enjoy your job then who cares how you got there? Who cares whether it took 10 minutes or 10 years? As long as you are where YOU want to be doing things you like, I’m sure your parents will be happy too!

And Miley Cyrus is happy enough, right?