> Every parent wants their kid to become a software engineer, a lawyer, or a doctor. Uh, what? Both sides of my family is nine aunties/uncles, and my parents.

> Every parent wants their kid to become a software engineer, a lawyer, or a doctor. Uh, what? Both sides of my family is nine aunties/uncles, and my parents. None of them pressured their children to select a specific career or even major in university. I think my experience is fairly common. > There's basically zero pride in being a machinist. I cringe when I see the term "pride" used this way. Would you say that to a career machinist? I wouldn't. When I was growing up, I can still remember my elementary school bus driver named Barbara. She really took pride in driving our bus everyday, but was probably paid peanuts. If you don't attend university, being a machinist is skilled labour that pays well. Plus, you can continuously self-educate to climb into more and more skilled roles that pay more. The salary is solidly middle class, and the work is probably in areas with a low cost of living.