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Dorothy, after her arrival back from the Land of Oz, couldn’t have been more right: “There’s no place like home.” Indeed, to most everyone, home offers great comfort and bliss; no other place can suffice.

Then in light of the recent immigration protests, I am curious: What is the driving motivation for immigrants to leave the comfort of their homelands to emigrate to America? How much of the preconceived notion of the American Dream – the freedom, the security, but most of all, the potential for success – is true?

Immigration requires immense sacrifices, courage and risks, and within immigrant culture the pressure to succeed can be high, attempting to justify these efforts.

Some common examples of such struggles are language barriers and cultural barriers, which can also be difficult to overcome – particularly for members of the older generation who are challenged to untie the established code of values and customs they have embraced for so long.

And thus in many cases, the immigrants’ children feel indebted to their parents for these efforts, further applying the responsibility to attain success – after all, as John F. Kennedy affirmed, “To whom much is given, much is required.”

As an immigrant with these given conditions, I myself feel extremely indebted to my parents, and I have to admit that this guilt complex is a factor in my career choice.

Adding to these stresses is the pressure to establish a “face” as a foreigner in another country. To achieve this, the common and most accessible formula for success is strongly encouraged: the doctor / lawyer / engineer track.

But though such pressures can be positive forces, encouraging students to reach their potential, there is a problem in the overall closed-mindedness behind these formulaic expectations. The American success story is not necessarily limited to professionals only. Though they certainly have greater chances in achieving financial success and stability, this mentality should not automatically dismiss other potential career tracks, especially if the child has an extreme desire for a particular field.

The greater the interest in the pursuit, the greater the chances of success. It might sound cliched, but logically speaking this holds true. A person naturally yields a more effective performance on the job if an ignited passion is present, regardless of the financial motives.

Suyoun Kim, a fifth-year physiological science student, said her brother chose the path of the music industry. Kim’s parents initially opposed the idea, but once they realized her brother loved it and showed a great potential to succeed (which he ultimately did), they became more accepting of his decision.

In many cases, as in this situation, the parents are only trying to keep their children’s best interests in mind. After all, parents have garnered more experiences throughout their lifetimes and they are much more sagacious than we can be at this age, particularly about careers and making a living.

If people are disinterested or apathetic about the limited career options given to them, there’s nothing wrong with encouraging them to pursue their ultimate dreams – especially if their pursuits of a pre-planned career track of law, medicine or engineering will likely leave them dissatisfied and result in a potential career change later in life anyway.

Steve Eldredge, a third-year Chinese student who was born and raised in the U.S. by a Taiwanese-born mother, said in discussing career motives with immigrant students, “People say, ‘I don’t have a reason why (I chose this path). It’s what I’m expected to do.’”

For Eldredge, his mother’s nudge to pursue a certain kind of career began with his older sister, who eventually went into the field of law. He said his mother actively sought wealth and strongly suggested her children also do so. But he commented that his mother, after an analysis of her family’s achievements, had an epiphany – she had already fulfilled her dream in the United States. Afterwards, she no longer pressured her children to pursue financial success. He testified that the moment his mother freed him to follow his own desires, a huge burden to satisfy her expectations lifted from his shoulders. He is now planning to study film.

Indeed, an unfortunate byproduct of the pressure to succeed by adhering to expected career paths is that achievement tends to be determined by financial accomplishment, as it is the most concrete measurement of “success.” This fixation on money is a factor in the failure of immigrant populations from fully integrating into other areas of American society, such as art and entertainment.

“Asian people have much potential to branch out into different careers but are not allowed the opportunity to (do so),” said Alice Bui, a second-year psychology student.

Yes, money is necessary for survival, and it would be naive to say that money is not significant in determining career paths. But a fixed view of future options solely based on monetary potential renders counterproductive an investment of these dreams. This is because the focus deviates from achieving satisfaction and a general better quality of life to the sole redemption of previous sacrifices.

Don’t get me wrong: All accomplishments must begin with a dream. But it seems that the established formula can cast a spell, leaving people enchanted with fixed expectations.

E-mail Yoo at jyoo@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.