i felt some amount of pressure, but i grew up very poor so the only way i was going was if i got a big grant/scholarship or something that would help pay for it.
i was able to get one in highschool for my art and tried to go to the arts academy of SF, but a week into the course they told me my scholarship required me to maintain a B average, and because i had no grade yet they would need me to front the whole year to secure my place there. my mom had filed for bankruptcy and the only person i could ask for the (30k i think it was?) was my grandma who was living off her social security.. so i said forget it and went home.
the 7 days i went i felt very out of place, i had to take a buss to the caltrain station to SF every day, it was a 4 hour trip up and back but gave me a lot of time to think and work on my comics (and listen to limp bizket and korn! cuz thats what you did then!).
my heart wasnt in it, i knew this from the start and i couldnt take my grandmas money to do something i wasnt sure i wanted to do anyway. so i actually moved in with my grandma, got my part time job at blockbuster back and started taking classed at a local community college on flash, photoshop and html.. i learned what i needed, failed the classes and stayed home working on my flash games/animations and websites that would eventually become the stepping stones to what i do now.
be true to yourself, soul search and find out what you want. be logical, if you think you might want to do something for a living and go to college to learn how to do it… DO IT BEFORE YOU GO! volunteer at places so you can see if thats the type of career you want to do, dont invest in something you think you might wanna do.
be honest about your feelings to those who pressure you into doing things with your life, if they are realistic people they will understand.
GL!