Is it really right to force a person to take over the family business? I mean, it’s the twenty first century, I should rights. There are many more careers than there used to be, and with the way education is, you can pretty much have your pick of the bunch. It’s not the 1800’s, when it was essential to learn a family trade to keep the business alive. If the business folds, people find another way to earn their coin.

The family business isn’t exactly niche either. Our family arrived in Melbourne in 1902 and set up shop as financial advisers. Since then the business has splintered into quite a few different areas; mortgage broking, and finally conveyancing. I know about it, of course. It’s been impossible to grow up in a household like this and not be aware of the whole concept. But conveyancing has never interested me.

I vaguely hinted this to my father once, and he nearly went threw me out of the house. You’d think I’d soiled the very name of the conveyancing solicitors profession with foul language and cursed from on high, which just isn’t true. It’s a great job really, helping people enjoy the great Australian dream. It’s just not for me…my heart isn’t in it and I need a way to make the parents understand.

They don’t get sensitive about a lot of things; in fact, they’re not particularly emotional people at all. Unless it helps them do their conveyancing jobs properly they aren’t interested.

Even when it gets vaguely close to the topic of my moving on to something new they just flip a switch like I’ve hit their berserk button. It’s a terrifying transformation, and I just can’t handle the pressure.

I have to tread softly until I have enough money saved up to leave and buy a house of my own. At least I’ll be able to handle the property conveyancing. Melbourne house prices have skyrocketed but thankfully being a trust fund baby has it’s perks.  

I need to be brave and just give it to them straight. If I know I’m in the right, I can bear the brunt of their fury or whatever. I’ll just tell them while conveying aspirations are noble it’s not the life for me. I want to be a yoga instructor.