How do I deal with the guilt, pressure, and confusion of being expected to support my parents with 60%+ of my salary when I’m still struggling to start my own life?

I’m emotionally drained and feel stuck. I haven’t bought a single meaningful thing for myself, and watching people my age buy apartments, cars, or even just a nice laptop or watch stings sometimes.

I’m an only child. My parents pushed me into civil engineering because they wanted me to eventually prepare for government jobs. After graduating, I found out that most of those jobs didn’t even require civil as an optional. I attempted them once, reached the mains written exam, and realized I wasn’t interested in it at all.

I decided I wanted to move to the United States, but my parents didn’t have the money and weren’t supportive of the idea. So I worked for three years, saved what I could, and finally managed to get an education loan without collateral. I went for masters completely on my own with no guidance, no financial support, and as the first person in my entire extended family to ever leave Rajasthan.

With hard work, I finished my degree, got a job, and paid off my entire loan in just 1.5 years. I spent everything I earned on repaying that debt. As soon as I became debt free, my parents started asking me to send money (around 60% of my salary) because my father is contesting local something, and they also want to buy a house (Rs 3 Crores+).

I’m not in tech, so I don’t earn as much, and I feel overwhelmed by expectations. I’m unsure how to balance my own life goals with my parents’ demands. I am still on student visa and want to support them but don't want to be just stuck paying off their debt or interests.

Posted Dec 9, 2025, 9:03 AM UTC

37
Loading comments…