GenY on D&I: Doctor, Lawyer, or else?

I frequently find myself in decision paralysis. Whether it’s choosing a movie on Netflix or deciding what to have for dinner, I’ll ruminate on all potential options, deciding, second-guessing, and then second-guessing the second-guessing. It’s an exhausting mental existence that has frustrated my friends and family on more than one occasion.

I’ve heard that this is a “millennial problem,” where having too many options has rendered a generation incapable of making a choice without thinking, “Well maybe there’s a better option out there…” The user experiences of dating apps, Yelp, Amazon, etc. are all designed around and help to perpetuate this mentality.

This topic came up recently in a discussion I had with friends about making career choices. It turns out, this decision paralysis pairs nicely with those of us that are more risk-averse. By “pairs nicely,” I mean evokes a real, crippling sense of fear about the possibility of making the “wrong” decision.

What I found interesting is that this sentiment was particularly strong in those of us from immigrant families. We often joke that all Asian parents want their kids to be doctors or lawyers, but there is truth in the idea that children of immigrants feel especially pressured to seek stable, traditionally-deemed-successful careers. The idea of deviating from the “safe” path in the name of chasing passion can feel like a defiant lack of appreciation given that many of us have watched our parents sacrifice and work tirelessly for the sake of our futures.

This weight of responsibility—or, at times, guilt—can be self-imposed; it is the hope of many immigrant parents, not to make their children feel trapped, but rather to provide a future with choice—something these parents may not have had as much of. Still, how often do we, as children of immigrants, dare to take a risk or traverse a “less traditional” career path?