GoBlog

Career Choices and the paths you individually choose to take is a key fundamental in setting yourself up for college. 
Ebook3 ReadyEdgeGo

Career Choices – Following Interests vs Following Others

Career Choices – Following Interests vs Following Others

For many students, career choices can be just as overwhelming as major and college choices. In the midst of pressure and confusion, the external influences of others can creep into our brain and make us second guess ourselves or change what we are thinking altogether. It’s human nature that what people say impacts how we think. However, there are downsides.

When it comes to career choices, this phenomenon happens all the time. Your parents are doctors, so they want you to be a doctor. Your cousin is a successful programmer, so now your dad says you should be one, too. Let’s face it: living up to someone else’s dream is not only hard; it’s also insincere. And believe it or not, following the path someone else has laid out for you usually hurts your chances of getting accepted to the best colleges.

If you don’t believe the last sentence, take a look at some of the reasons why following others can hurt your chances of getting accepted into colleges. 

Poor Application Essays

“Why are you interested in your major?” or “Why are you interested in this topic?” are common prompts for application essays, whether you’re applying to college or a competitive summer program like COSMOS. So whenever students answer with “My parents taught me to…”, that’s a red flag that reader interpret as “My parents told me to.”

If you want to find colleges that fit your goals, it's important to first understand what your own personal interests are, not just what other people want you to do.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Ivy League schools, top universities, and selective summer programs are looking for independent thinkers and genuine learners. There’s a HUGE stigma out in admissions against the helicopter mom who forced their kids to do something, be it medicine or engineering. Even if you did gain inspiration from your parents, relatives, or friends, you MUST have be able to express a genuine personal passion that transcends that influence. Your story needs to speak more to your own curiosities and aspirations rather than those of others.

Make Your Career Choices So Colleges Don’t View You Negatively

Colleges, especially the top colleges, like Harvard and the Ivies, or even UC Berkeley and UCLA, look for students who are genuine in their intellectual pursuits. When we follow others, we start doing general things like starting a club because “it makes you look good” or participating in a sport or instrument because “it shows well-roundedness.” Following myths like these make you just like everyone else and read terribly to colleges.

Our expert higher education consulting starts with helping you find and press into your interests so you're fully satisfied with where you end up in life.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Why? It’s clear that the interest that led to those activities wasn’t genuine. Whether you’re describing purposeless extracurricular involvement in college application essays, the activities section, or alumni interviews, top colleges in the US can tell whether you branched out and explored a real interest or simply did as you were told.

Choosing Your Career Path to Avoid Stress and Unhappiness 

When we follow someone else’s dreams and aspirations, we don’t get a chance to live our own. As a result of this, we see students (and their parents) make bad decisions with their time, all the time. Consider the following examples:

  1. Taking way too many AP courses.
  2. Taking weighted coursework not relevant to your interests, and not relevant to your major.
  3. Applying to 15 summer programs, only to find yourself enrolled in a ridiculously hard class that’s not interesting.
  4. Constantly searching for internships when college admissions don’t even care.
  5. Volunteering 200+ hours because you heard that it’s one way to stand out for college.
  6. Spending 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, for the entire summer on a “boot-camp” test prep course that only gets you to 1400, not the 1500 you were hoping for.

Get Personalized Help with Career Choices and Colleges to Apply to 

Chronic stress is an epidemic for high schoolers and their parents. It’s easy for kids to stay at home over-studying (when they should be out exploring the world and their interests), and it costs a lot of money to fix (from mindless SAT prep programs that barely raise kids’ scores to countless therapy sessions that kids seek out to counteract the pressure).

By providing good information and a smart way of living and learning, ReadyEdgeGo hopes to zap this stress. If you feel like you may be a victim of following others, please reach out to us so we can help you find your own interests. 

We hope that this provides some valuable insight into how to release some of the stress you may have while making your college application profile even stronger.

Ariana Lee

Senior Admissions Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 12

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing their stories. There's so much to discover about a person. It's very rewarding when my students get comfortable and know that I'm there for them.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Swim, read, write, sing, enjoy nature, and play with my two crazy boys.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Do what you love, and everything else will fall into place.

Julian Hoffman

Special Programs Manager

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 5

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Hearing each student's unique stories, guiding them in discovering their passions, and helping find their voice!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I am a figure skater, world traveler, dessert aficionado, and devotee of the Pioneer Woman, the Barefoot Contessa, and Maneet Chauhan!

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Work hard now -- procrastinate later!

Sarah Gooch

Essay Editor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: I have five years' experience in coaching student writing, but this is my first year with ReadyEdgeGo.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love helping students find depth and meaning in their own stories—but I also just love it when they make me laugh!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In theory, I enjoy painting and writing poetry, but these days I actually spend most of my free time socializing or watching movies with my husband.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't just focus on achieving top grades and credentials because they look good on applications, or your education will be meaningless. The numbers and awards have their place, but stay connected to your sense of curiosity, discovery, excitement, and wonder so that the content you're learning is constantly transforming you—it's something you care about, something you remember after the final exam. Work on the aspects of yourself no one can measure, like integrity, wisdom, kindness, and compassion, so that you're not only developing your academic and career potential but also investing in the type of adult you're going to be, the person you'll have to live with after you clock out every day for the rest of your life.

Doing the hard inner work of building your character and learning deeply instead of just earning grades will set you up for a satisfying, well-rounded life. Strange as it sounds, it will also put you ahead in your academic and career goals, because colleges and hiring managers aren't looking for an empty set of data on a spreadsheet; they want a fully fleshed-out person marked by passion, creativity, and a story no one else has lived.

So go on studying hard for tests, but also spend some time asking yourself what matters in life and who your role models are. Read up on topics that amaze you, and build something incredible just for fun. Cultivate that spark of joy you feel when you're immersed in a subject that fascinates you. If you can hit that balancing act of doing your homework and meeting deadlines but also investing in the kind of person you want to be, then trust that all the rest will follow: schools will recognize you as a dynamic, all-star person, and you will also build a life of happiness, close relationships, and peace.

Bernie Nguyen

Admissions Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 5 years high school mentoring experience. I was heavily involved in it all throughout college and after graduating.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing about their passions and what they genuinely love to do. It also makes me extremely happy to.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I recently picked up the electric guitar! I also have multiple aquariums, and founded a company that built body armor.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't go down a path just because you think that's "what you're supposed to do." Life is more diverse and unexpected than any of us could ever know.

Joanna Yang Yowler

Senior Essay Editor & Program Specialist

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 15

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing students' stories and seeing their faces light up when they talk about their passions and dreams.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Cook, write, draw, save Azeroth .

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Pursue dreams that matter to you and don't be afraid of forging your own path to where you want to go.

Graham Traylor

Senior Applications Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 7 years

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: One of my favorite experiences working with students is opening student's eyes to possibilities they didn't know would be an option for them.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time I like to stay active playing sports / running, but most of the time I am hanging out with my wife and daughter (usually with college sports on in the background).

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: It's possible there could be several colleges that are a good fit for you. Don't lock in on just one preferred option, and work toward finding places you can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

readyedgego

Tylar Pendgraft

Director of Programs

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 12

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love how open students are to learning and trying new things. As mentors, we get to see so much growth simply because our students are so open to new experiences and are looking forward to applying their learning and other skills.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time I like to read and write. I also spend a lot of time just watching--my dogs, birds, trees. I also enjoy baking and cooking (even though I'm terrible at baking).

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: It's never too early or late to start practicing self-care. Build moments of joy and celebration into your week. Give yourself a treat for working hard. It's important to have things to look forward to. If you can get into the habit now, you'll have a much more balanced college experience.

readyedgego

Anika Sharma

Essay Editor

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 2

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: As a major advisor for students interested in the humanities, I’ve found it immensely rewarding to offer an outlet for students to explore ideas that they often don’t get to delve into at school. Watching a student light up when they realize that there is in fact a community around their specific interests is easily the best part of the job.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time, I love to be outdoors - I've been hiking around the Bay Area and recently started biking again. I also volunteer at community gardens and trail restoration projects in San Francisco. When I'm not outside, you can find me reading visionary fiction, practicing yoga and qigong, or cooking.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: My advice for high school students is to focus on the present! Use this time to learn more about yourself and the world around you. Solid values and a sense of self will allow you to make challenging decisions for the future and create the life you want.

readyedgego

Tushar Singla

Chief Technology Officer

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 4

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Watching them accomplish great things.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Watch Formula 1, play ice hockey, and watch TV.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Spend time exploring different things -- you have a long time to become an expert.

readyedgego

Dan Zhou

Chief Executive Officer

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 16

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Inspiring a student towards self discovery, and wanting to learn about everything there is in the world. Reaching this moment can take time, but it's what makes it worth it every time.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Outdoors hiking, photography, gardening, and reading.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Do the thing that moves you, or be moved by forces not your own. The choice is yours.

Get a Free Consultation

    Sign Up

      Contact Us