There is no substitute for personal improvement. Taking the easy way out to avoid the work required to better yourself, not only erodes your self-esteem because you know you have taken a short cut, is eats at you because you know that the greatest victim is you. Your professors, your parents, everyone else, are of no consequence and should not enter your mind when contemplating your studies and why you have chosen to take them up... the paramount consideration is you and the you could become. Choose that vision of you and own the effort to attain it.

You only cheat yourself whenever you take the easy path to avoid self-betterment.

Watch less TV, play less video games, party less, and if necessary sleep less, but study more and paint more, if you can.