I'm (18M) a high school senior about 2 months away from graduation.
My parents, while they mean well, have sort of been pushing me into going to school for engineering since I was about 15, telling me that it is a high-paying job. That's true, but I would be very unhappy with my life if that was my career. I don't really like the idea of engineering and I think it would stress me out greatly.
I'm currently in the middle of a calculus course and it's stressing me out to the point that I had to get an extension for it into this summer, and if it's this stressful for me, how can I be expected to do the next calculus courses?
My actual areas of strength and feeling of fulfilment (since a young age) come from software programming, 2D art and animation, as well as music creation.
I'm capable of programming in various languages such as C#, C++, Java, JavaScript, HTML, ASM, Python; I also greatly enjoy animation, drawing my own storyboards and animating them. I also compose my own music from time to time.
If I have a job, I want it to be something I can find happiness or contentment in while also making enough money to support myself; is this unrealistic? How do I frame my ambitions as something my parents will approve of?