Stick to the status quo

When pursuing your career, should you chase after the far-fetched dream, or simply stick to the status quo? The students at East High in Disney’s High School Musical would wholeheartedly agree to sticking with the status quo. But what does that mean for an Asian American studying law?

In 2021, the number of Asian American lawyers comprised 4.7% of all lawyers nationwide. While this may seem small, Asian Americans were still the largest minority group at major law firms making up approximately 8%. However, Asian Americans have the highest attrition rate, comprising 10.4% of all attorneys who left their firms in 2019. Is this reflective of my own future where I join a firm only to eventually leave?

In 2022, Asian Americans made up 36.4% of all software developers, 34.1% of all computer hardware engineers, and 41.1% of all medical scientists in the nation. I have a mechanical engineering degree and could have been a part of the 14.9% of Asian Americans in that occupational field. Instead, I decided to pursue higher education, not in graduate degree engineering but in law. What prompted this choice was simply that I did not enjoy the work I would have to do if I had to build a career in engineering. But I was not sure what else to do. It only took one person to convince me to try and go to law school.

A majority of Asian American law students were motivated to attend law school in order to develop a satisfying career. In recent years, more and more students started to attend in order to change or improve society. I can see this amongst my peers, the determination to help change underprivileged lives and become a louder voice for those people. However, I'm here because of my parents.

My career path has been molded not by my own goals and ambitions, but those of others, namely my parents. All my parents want for me is to be successful, but their definition of success is not by a measurement of happiness but of economic class. The idea is to make enough money now in order to retire and have fun later, whenever that "later" may be. To them, being a lawyer means that I will be able to make enough money to not have any financial worries, but it feels as though I am a hollow shell, being filled by their own aspirations.

My parents tell me stories of when they first immigrated to the United States. They saved money from working office jobs in South Korea, then made the move once they decided they had enough. My parents first came to Los Angeles, California, and proceeded to use all their savings within 6 months. Only then did their struggle begin.

I know my parents want the best for me. To not have to go through what they did, scrambling to make money so they can pay rent and feed themselves. However, my own dreams were sacrificed in the process. I was unable to attend art school, I was unable to focus on baking, I was unable to pursue what made me happy. 

My dream is to open my own bakery, and I am determined to achieve this dream. But for now, I'll be sticking to the status quo.