EPTI was a total failure in High School (barely graduated) due to my own carelessness. My parent ( single mom) didn't seem to really care either.. Unlike the "Asian Parental Pressure" mentioned, there was no pressure at all. So ya, I drifted like a stick on a river and eventually found myself working in a lumber yard from the age of 19-21 until I finally got fed up with the ppl around me and enrolled in the local CC (they'll take anybody who has money).
... anywho, without going into a full biography, I ended up graduating 6 years later from the CSU Cal Poly with a math degree at age 28! Ya it took 6 years to get my B.S because I worked to pay for school, had a few full time money grubbing girlfriends, played on the golf team, and went surfing to Mexico for 3 months every year!
Maybe if I had been a business major things would have been different, but as a science major you actually have to do homework to survive! haha! at least that's my prejudice on the matter and my nonstop partying business major friends. What did I do after graduating? I taught some High School Math for 2 years and then started my own construction company. As much as I loved teaching math, being indoors and answering to administrators just wasn't for me. I made a lot of money as a custom home builder (certainly more money than being an educator) and don't regret the time wasted going to college. I'll never use my degree to "get a job", but am confident that my education (esp. math) has been an immense help in how I think and perceive my surroundings as well as problem solve.
I'd have to agree that a lot of students get so bogged down with trying to excel in school (parental influence or not) that they miss out on this special time. Being a white math major surrounded by Asian students gave me first hand look into that culture in terms of the intense pressure associated with schooling. I can still remember the night class in which 2 of the Asian students sat in the front row with Garfield pajamas on and lunchboxes! I kid you not.
Anywho to wrap up ...as a surfer, golfer, lady chaser, I still managed to forge out a math degree tho it was no picnic. Long long long nights of studying while my business major pals were out "partying". Oh and I had to seduce my 30-year-old English teacher cause I hated writing so much. She wasn't actually that bad of a gfiend until she turned a bit psycho on me. :D I'm just glad there weren't any video games like Starcraft around. I'd of been toast.
I'm no rocket scientist nor a noble peace prize winner. I own a nice home in Santa Cruz California worth a few million dollars, but other than that have a simple life. I probably could have achieved more had I been more disciplined in school, but I find a healthy balance way more important... and peaceful.
