For a couple of years now, one of my dad’s brothers and his family celebrate Christmas Day with us. They would have lunch with us. It’s a tradition by now.

One of the topics we talked about during Christmas Day lunch is choosing a college course. A female cousin is graduating this coming April from high school and will be starting college by June. (Side note: Philippines has a different school calendar from the American and British school systems.) I asked her what course she will be taking up and she told me that she chose Business Administration because that’s what her mother, my aunt, wanted her to. I shook my head in disbelief. I read in her old Facebook status that she was considering a course which is in line with hotel or spa services. And I told her to pursue it because she has that innate gift in comforting the people around her. I told her not to take up business-related courses because she will only end up in a sales or telemarketing job that she doesn’t want.

I asked my aunt why she told my cousin to take up Business Administration and she told me that it will be easier for my cousin to find a job after college.

I hope parents out there will not pressure their kids to take up a course they like. They should ask their kids what they want to pursue in life and guide them to find the best college course which will be their stepping stone in reaching that level they want to be in the future.