Finding a major that works

Yonas Ackholm, an Iraqi student at the American University of Sharjah, said students pressured by their parents to study certain subjects is 'a cultural problem'.

Yonas Ackholm started as a business management student on his parents' instruction but saw his grades rise when he switched to international relations. Jaime Puebla / The National Newspaper

SHARJAH // Yonas Ackholm, 19, negotiated a series of courses he had not chosen to study before finally being redirected to something he was interested in.

The Swedish international-relations student at the American University of Sharjah had signed up to business management on his parents’ instruction, but in his second term was advised by his teachers to consider changing his degree. He had already done two subjects under the international-relations banner so he knew where he wanted to go.

When he switched to international relations, his grades rose from Cs to As.

“It’s just because I enjoy it so much and because of that, I put more effort into my studies,” he said.

He was one of the lucky ones, able to transfer his credits without having to repeat a year. He has peers who were pressured to study engineering and when they did not make the grade, had to start over again. But many parents simply do not accept the incompatibility, and take students to other universities to study their chosen majors.

“It’s definitely a cultural problem,” Mr Ackholm said. “I see where these parents are coming from, but it will probably not be until the next generation that things will change. It is the prestige and title that comes with being an engineer that people are still attached to. When I said I wanted to study international relations people couldn’t understand what job that would get me, but I just want to educate myself and enjoy what I’m studying.”