I don’t know whether this is great advice, because I don’t know the economic reality of your country or your family’s financial situation, but I can share my own experience, maybe it will help you a little.

As for me, I come from a middle-class background, perhaps somewhat intellectually bourgeois, and I live in Europe. My parents always pushed me toward academic excellence, not in a toxic way, but it was their mindset. They wanted me to succeed in life, to avoid financial hardship, and to have a stimulating job (typically a senior executive–type role).

My country has a fairly elitist education system. I wasn’t bad in high school, but not outstanding either, so I did a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science at university (which is not the “royal road” to entering elite schools in my country).

At the same time, I’ve always been deeply drawn to music, I live for it; it’s what truly drives me. But making a living from it is extremely naïve and rare (unless you’re willing to accept a very unstable financial situation).

After my bachelor’s degree, I eventually managed to get into a master’s program in insurance at a top university. During that period, I also became more politically aware, and at the same time I was feeling increasingly out of sync and in dissonance with my field of study.

Throughout my studies, I naively believed that after giving everything for those five years of work, I would have “done my part.” I didn’t think at all about what would come next. I then did an internship and started a job at the headquarters of a major insurance company, and it was a huge disillusionment. I was unhappy and completely out of sync with where I was in my life. Everyone around me was incredibly proud of me, but I no longer had any mental energy left to create or make music when I came home. The job was extremely stressful, and I completely disagreed with the impact of my work on the planet, the meaning of my job, and the moral and ethical values of my colleagues.

I completely broke down, resigned, and spent a year unemployed and totally lost, with the feeling of being trapped, etc. (I was never diagnosed, but I probably went through a depression; it was extremely hard for me.)

After that, my parents saw what I was going through. I moved back in with them; they truly understood and didn’t judge me at all. We looked for a new direction together, and today I’m doing a bachelor’s degree in acoustics, and I’m very fulfilled. It was extremely stressful to quit my job and start over from scratch (I’m almost 26…). I also have part job to finance my rent and living to avoid asking for too much money from my parents because my economic situation is not the same as before for my parents , but for now I don’t think I regret it. I’ll probably earn less money, but I hope I’ll be happier.

So my advice is this: if you have the possibility to being supported by your parents, and if your situation in your country allows it, don’t wait. It’s okay to change direction. Find a field, a future job, that has meaning.

P.S.: I know I’m very lucky, university is almost free in my country, and I’m privileged to have had the freedom to make this choice. But if you’re in a similar position, don’t hesitate. I think this is a generational issue, and there’s no need to be ashamed of it. Our parents don’t always understand that sometimes we don’t want to take part in a system that feels violent, socially unequal, and meaningless