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This column was posted on 8/31/2010. Check back next week to see another "Tuff Talk!" question and answer. It could be yours!

They're Driving Me Crazy!

So this is my senior year and like most of students, I haven't exactly decided what I want to become as a grown up.  My parents have been driving me crazy. I can't bear the thought of talking to them anymore, I feel suffocated. They keep pushing that "oh become a dentist" thought on me. It's what they keep trying to include in every conversation I have with them. I’m seriously thinking of not going to university at all if they keep this up.  It’s annoying me. I haven’t even figured out what I want to become, let alone have them figure it out for me. – Lana, 17, USA

Wow!  Have I got loads of good news for you!  First of all - by the time you are old enough to go to college, your parents can't force *anything* on you.  You become what you want to become, and they are legally prohibited from stopping you as long as your profession abides by the law.  And please, please go to college.  Your life will be much more financially stable - leaving you less worried and happier - if you do.  Don't let your parents' nagging destroy your chances of getting a good education.  As for not knowing what you want to do, few people know exactly what they want when they start college.  In fact, many people go through college and change their minds halfway through, or a quarter of the way through, or three-quarters...you get what I mean.  You might even change your mind after college.  So you don't need to know what you want to be.  You'll figure it out.  I still am not sure about what I want to be.  I got into music about three years ago, and that was out of the blue.  Before that, I would have never thought that I would be a musician.  So your profession might just whack you in the face unexpectedly.  When you go to college (you are allowed to wait a while before going to college if you like - you don't have to go right after you finish high school!  There are people of all ages who attend college), try classes out that you think you'd like.  Explore a little bit.  Don't explore too much for too long - there is big money going towards these classes and you should probably figure out whether or not you like a class before it's too late to get a refund.  You should still explore, though.  You might be surprised by what you like.  And, if, in the end, you want to become a dentist, that's fine, too.  But there are a lot of professional, good-paying jobs out there.  Who ever said you need to be a dentist?  (My cousin is trying to become one and she can tell you that dentistry schools are really tough to get into.)  Hope this helps.  If your parents keep bothering you, just let it be.  Know in your mind that, in the end, they can't control you after you turn 18.  As long as you obey the law, you can do whatever you want - and, eventually, you will know what you want. – Megan, 15, Illinois (PenPal #13317)

It's senior year for me too. Luckily I’ve found what I want to do. But for you, just keep thinking. Just because your parents are pressuring you, don't decide not to go to college. In this day and age, college is your best bet at a good job. Keep thinking about things you enjoy doing and careers that can result from that. Do you enjoy writing? You can go to college for creative writing or journalism, or if you like history you can major in history and be a historian. Or major in English or something and be a teacher. Maybe instead of a dentist you want to be a doctor. Think of all your options and your likes. Because you won't survive college or your future career if you don't enjoy it. – Breanna, 16, Tennessee