Vivian Rebrin
TOK- Ms.Hunt
Ethicist
I read an article on how if your parents paid for your education, do you need to take on a job that you hate only because it pays well? This article showed the implications of having had your parents pay your entire life for your education creating high hopes for your future. Like the article said, every family is different. Some are stricter and some could care less. However, personally I feel like it’s my duty to take advantage of all the opportunities my parents have provided me with and so I will try my hardest to achieve a high paying job due to it but it’s not only because of my parents it’s because I believe that if I do what I love I will be successful and I know my parents will support me in my career choice. In terms of ethics, I believe it’s unfair for parents to even expect that out of their children. It was their own will to pay for a good education for their child because they felt that it was their moral duty to do so. However, it’s the child’s individual choice to do what they want to. I disagree with the authors choice of words in saying that if you asked your parents to pay for your college tuition in the hopes of having a specific career that it means you binded a contract with them. People change their opinions all the time and maybe with the college education their parents provided them with they’ll realize they’re actually more interested in pursuing something else. I’ve seen examples of this in television shows such as Americas Next Top Model. In the show several women who have pursued their modeling careers left their college education in order to go on the show and pursue their true passion. One of them went to Princeton and her parents were very upset that she threw away the chance to go and get a job right after graduating instead of going to a television show where her chances of succeeding are low. It was the parents choice to give their child the best conditions they could especially if they had the means to provide it to them. This is why I believe it’s also the child’s choice to choose which path it wants to follow.
When reading your post I couldn’t help but notice that you claimed that by taking advantage of the opportunities your parents offered to you, you will try your best to achieve a high paying job. Though in today’s world I don’t think this is really an option, I like to believe our success in something shouldn’t be measured by a paycheck. Obviously we are aware that those who having high salaries have more prestige positions. But to get to the top, its a combination of two things that you said and I agree with; the opportunity and the drive. I think that if you are not happy with the conditions you are living in, then you don’t really have the chance to grow and prosper. I for example take this heavily into consideration when creating a college list of where I’d like to study. My parents are focused on the school’s name whilst I’m more worried of whether I’ll be in an environment that I’ll feel comfortable and happy. Though I care about the education I’ll be receiving, it’s important that I’m not miserable, not only for my mental health but also for the ability to take advantage of this opportunity I’m given.
ReplyDeleteWith that I come to conclude that the person shouldn’t feel guilty for opting to take another job path that he feels his parents didn’t hope for. However, the parents’ were not obligated to have a child, and so they shouldn’t feel like its an obligation to pay for one’s tuition. It’s out of great care and for the good of their chid that they pay for an institution that will give them the education they feel is right and its the child’s choice to do what they want with it. However, I do agree with the ethicist in stating that whether its a waste or not is up for discussion.
With your given example of the A.N.T.M. contestant, you chose to describe the situation by saying “threw away her chance.” The contestant did attend a top notch university and you can’t take away from the education and degree she received. At the end of the day, she has that education ingrained in her mind and whether she chooses to pursue a career based off the degree she was given is up to her to decide. If being a model is really whats she after, then she should chase her dream because as cliché as that sounds, life is really too short to waste in the pursuit of money. She should be grateful of the education she was given, and reassure her parents that she took advantage of everything she could during her 4 years at university. Now that she has graduated, she must go after what she desires. What her parents have the right to somewhat control is how she used her 4 years at Princeton. If she has a low GPA and didn’t attend class or just didn’t do any activities beyond her classes, then I believe her parents have the right to talk to her and request a change in attitude or even revoke the financial aiding into paying for this diploma.