I graduated Vanderbilt this past May with a B.E. in biomedical engineering + minor in data science. For 80% of college I was also pre-med and locked in on becoming a heart surgeon. Senior Fall I gave it some thought and realized surgery wasn't the life I wanted for myself. I was too entrepreneurial, wanted to make a more profound impact on the world, and didn't like how a career in medicine funnels you into this inflexible matrix.

I love solving problems, love to code, and enjoy pushing boundaries/limitations. I realized I wanted to become a startup founder. That held no fiscal stability, and I knew my parents would prefer that post-grad, so I got a job in medical device sales in a city that's great for startups, NYC. I figured I'd entertain business ventures in my free time.

Fast-forward, it's been a few months and I recently left the med sales job. I was a FedEx delivery driver/bookkeeper 12hrs/day with 0 intellectual stimulation--couldn't stay complacent much longer.

I currently spend my days helping my dad build up his startup, so it's ready for the pending MVP launch and teaching myself SWE (would like to become proficient in website + app development + then tackle ML).

The problem is I'm making $0, and my mother keeps yelling at me to "get a real job". She can't fathom the fact that her daughter who she sent to a Top20 university tossed away a 6-figure job to work on value creation with no income. She also doesn't believe in startups.

I will get a real job, but I want to retain enough free time to help my dad with the startup and become proficient in SWE. My mom won't get off my back, though, I don't know what to do.

Advice anyone?