Stage 6 · Lesson 2 of 6
A mentor, teacher or professional
Outside voices with authority can help too: a respected teacher, a university adviser, someone senior in the field you want, or a mentor. Parents often listen to an older professional who says "there is real demand for this, and your child has ability" more readily than to their own child.
You can ask a mentor for an honest view of your plan first, which also tests it. If they believe in it, ask whether they would be willing to speak briefly with your parents, or write a short message you can share. On Sefism you can ask Tauseef a question at /account/ask/.
Common trapbringing in an outsider your parents do not respect, which they may read as you ganging up on them.
A question to check yourself and an AI practice session come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with
- BookPaidDifficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen (Penguin Books) · Paid book
Useful for talks with relatives and mentors as well as parents
Practise
Free mentoring sessions with working professionals to test your plan
- MentorCruisePaid
Longer-term mentors in tech, if you want someone senior in your corner
Keep handy
Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).