Ask HN: What is (is there something) wrong with me?

I'm the kind of person that hates taking any pills or medications for anything, but 100mg of 5-HTP (turns into Serotonin) and small amounts of L-Tyrosine turned my life around at one point.

Vitamin D is another one that people are surprisingly deficient of--even if you get enough sunlight.

I really think that sometimes a person gets into an anhedonic state first, and then misattributes the feeling to "not liking my major/career/job/friends/etc."

i admire your honesty and willingness to share with the community. forget the school counselors, i think you need to find real life mentors. it sounds like you have started some relationships here. in my mind, choosing a career path that makes you happy is the best thing that you can do for your family both emotionally and financially. it sounds like you are very talented and you just need to figure out what environment you thrive in. below is my story. contact me if i can help you think through things. kmoon@stylemusee.com

i have a different background in terms of my interests (e.g., fashion, finance). however, i come from the stereotypical korean-american immigrant family and also have the obligation to eventually support my parents or at least i plan to because i want to.

i've gone back and forth in my education/career flipping from traditional/stable jobs to things a bit more risky. i rebelled early on to go to fashion school despite getting in to the normal academic programs. i eventually left to do a dual major in design and economics at ucla. post grad, i worked at one of the top i-banks which my parents didn't understand because it didn't have to do with law or medicine. once they understood and respected it, i took a 50% pay cut to to work for a retailer, which they thought was ridiculous because i left a job others coveted and paid well. after b-school i found the "perfect" investing job that combined my interests in retail and finance and was stable... but i was miserable. to make a long story short, i'm starting up a business and it brings together all of my experience and everything i'm passionate about. i'm scared and tired, but i have never been more motivated. my parents think i'm crazy, but i think they now trust me to figure things out.

in conclusion, i changed majors and studied at 4 different undergrad universities (including studying abroad - which i highly recommend) and have changed career paths multiple times. in retrospect each phase was worthwhile and has shaped me. throughout all this, i took risks when i did because i didn't want to live life with regrets wondering "what if"

my perspective is that you're in undergrad once and you should take full advantage of everything it has to offer. you have the rest of your life to work or do whatever else. perhaps get involved with clubs that interest you or volunteer? figure out who inspires you and what you are passionate about. you have a lot to look forward to and things will get better.

2. Read this: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1647146

3. Don't ever settle. It's better to be unhappy and searching than indifferent and resigned.

But make sure that they're YOUR values.

Also, I have a problem with the automatic 'you owe us' rule that some societies impose on their children. No children ever asked to be conceived or born. If you want to be grateful to your parents that's cool, I know I did my bit. But there should not be an automatic assumption that that will be the case, nor should there be undue pressure.