did not use my degree and feel terrible about my strained relationship with my parents because of it.

problem/goal: i came from a middle-class family and studied at one of the prestigious unis here in the ph (with that being said, astronomical tuition fees), and my family’s finances were extremely affected by covid-19, as the pandemic forced my ofw dad to retire early. at the time, i was young and couldn’t accept the fact that i might have to drop out from the college i worked so hard to get into since my program was super competitive with thousands of applicants per year, and i couldn’t handle all of that going to waste because we couldn’t afford my fees anymore. i was determined to continue even when food and groceries were becoming a scarcity.

context: so i practically guilt-tripped and begged my parents into taking loans out for me until i finished college. for most of my college years, they supported me, buying books, materials, and other fees even when it got to the point that we only had to eat once a day (and mind you, even then, we’re spending around 200-300k per year to support my studies. i know, so fucked up but somehow it all worked out).

turns out, i wasn’t going to use my degree after all (graduated two years ago and chose a different career path), and though my career is super stable now, my parents are disappointed in me for not utilizing my degree when we all exerted our efforts and finances into ensuring i got one. despite finding financial stability and contentment with what i do now, i can’t help but feel like a disappointment to everyone including myself.

any tips on how i can navigate this and improve my relationship with my parents?

things are strained at home na kasi after everything that went down, until now, may mga side comments pa din about it.