Satisfying others vs Being happy

You know, I really don't understand the point of being forced to do something that you don't enjoy.
I mean, sure, when you are a kid, and your parents MAKE you take those dreaded violin lessons or whatever...fine.
"Because it's good for you" (that seems to be the typical parental explanation as to why they are making you do something that is not enjoyable).

But I'm talking about like when you are in college..or just as an adult in general.
I was raised thinking that I needed to fulfill the expectations of my elders (parents, teachers, etc) without making too many mistakes (which is why I call myself a perfectionist now).
I really hated the feeling of disappointing others.
Because of that, I always worked hard, always followed the rules, and always respected my elders (even though some of them were terrible people).

I can't say that I'm very smart, but I have to admit that I've always been at the top of my class.
I always seemed to develop above-average relationships with my teachers, and was always thought of as the 'teacher's pet' - and I had once been hated and ridiculed for that (damn kids can be so mean).
But I do have to say that I really did enjoy the attention.

After high school ended, all that glamor seemed to end, too.
I entered college with a few careers in mind:
Veterinarian? Medical Lab Scientist/Researcher? Specialized Doctor?
I had always "known" that I wanted to be in the medical field (a big part of that was knowing how much money I could make).

But, after my first year in college, I realized that I was not perfect.
I was not used to the level of concentration and work ethic that was presented to me.
Particularly, I did horrible in my biology classes.
So after three tries in three different biology classes, I decided that maybe science just was not my thing.
After all, I'm terrible at thinking analytically.
And despite growing up with the idea in mind that I was going to make it in the world as some kind of scientist/doctor, and despite the fact that everyone around me expected me to do that with my life, I decided it was not worth my time or money to constantly get C-'s (I know, BAD), so I dropped the biology idea and started venturing into the art world.

I did some research and I signed up to be in an intro studio-art class in summer 2008.
We met as a class two or three times, but the class was canceled due to lack of registration.
I viewed that as a sign (yes, I'm one of those who believe that everything happens for a reason).
After a few days of "what am I going to do?", I discovered Mass Communication.
I looked at some class descriptions, and immediately fell in love.
In the fall, I took my first two Comm classes, and knew I had found my place.

But my happiness didn't come easy.
Changing my major from Biology to Art to Comm within a three-month period didn't give me a good reputation.
Yes, I figured that out without needing to be told.
As I told my various peers, I basically got used to the questioning and the "what a loser" thoughts that were visible on their faces.
But even though I was used to that, I was still bothered by it.

But you know, eventually I realized that no one actually TOLD me that I needed to do what was expected from me.
It took a while, but I am now finally at peace and in a position where I am comfortable telling people my goals and not having to be afraid of their negative reactions.
After all, Comm is AMAZING.
I've learned far more interesting and enjoyable things than I ever would have in Biology, and I know that much of the stuff I am learning now will actually be applied to my future.

Also, I realized that money is no longer that big of an issue.
I'm not trying to say that I won't ever have the chance to make a lot of money with my knowledge, but I know of plenty of rich people that bury themselves in expensive products; they look more like they are drowning in the stuff than swimming in it.
Yes, having that guaranteed privilege of money as a doctor would be nice, but I guess the point of me saying all this is that I know that money will never buy me happiness, and the consequences of being stuck on the money cloud will always outweigh the most meaningful and important things in life.

I've always been bad at conclusions, but I guess by writing this I wanted to encourage you all to stop doing what you are told and allow yourselves to do whatever makes YOU the happiest.

Because you only live once.