So I was at a charity meeting with a friend who works at Islamic Relief, and whilst we were waiting for our other organiser to come, we merely chit chatted. Since she works a lot with the community, she was telling me about all kinds of people she has to deal with. She had tons of hilarious stories, one thing she told me however, utterly astonished me.

Apparently some individuals in our community believe working in a completely valid and respected charity organisation isn't a 'real' job. She told me that one time she was called a shahadeh, which in English translates closely to someone who is poor and well, at the bottom of the chain, if you know what I mean. 

And I just found that really disgusting and for a number of reasons. 

1. She was told this to her face. Such an extreme lack of manners and respect.

2. By making that comment, said person has somehow automatically put themselves above her. 

3. They have put down someone who works diligently for the community, to give back to the community. 

4. Working at a charity organisation is probably one of the most selfless jobs I can think of.

5. Imagine the kind of reward she would get from Allah SWT. And this person has the audacity to tell her that it's paupers work. 

And I've realised a theme rising within the Arab community. Parents just LOVE to control what their children study and it's actually kind of worrying, because I think we all know how miserable someone can be if they're not in the field they love. 

I understand that you want to be proud of your child. When people ask, you'll love to say, "my child is studying medicine!" or "he's an engineer!" 

Luckily, nowadays and in the modern age, parents are becoming more understanding and less restrictive when it comes to the career paths their children want to follow. They understand that even though something might not be particularly 'respectable' in the eyes of others, they don't care as long as their children are smiling.

Alhamdulillah my parents are the best - we're like a fruit salad in my family with the varying careers going on. My sister is a web designer, my brother's a project manager, we've got an engineer and teacher, my other sis is a science student with a thesis in history and don't even ask what I'm doing with my life LOL. 

But the point is, maybe because I had it good, I might not understand the pressure some other students may face when it comes to their parents hounding down on them constantly. What I have realised though, is that children are now taking a stand and voicing their concerns when it comes to this. Because really think about it - if the parent is forcing you to do something you don't want to it's for two reasons:

1. They may have good intentions in thinking that in the future, this will be the best career prospect for you, something that can hold you down. You will eventually learn to love it.

2. They are worried about what others will think if their children did this. I know that sounds shallow, but it really is how some parents think unfortunately.

Look at our prophet PBUH for example - at the beginning and for most of his life, he was a shephard, yet he was the most respected and trusted member in his society. People shouldn't worry about what you do for a living or how much money you make, in the end, it's character and manners that matter.

People don't understand how this kind of judgement, can mentally affect someone. How it can lower one's self-esteem and cause one to doubt themselves. 

Working in a particular field does not somehow put you 'above' others when it comes to status. Maybe in wealth, yes. But when it comes down to crunch time, people will judge based on the human side of you, your personality and who you are on the inside. 

Agree?