Just remember that you interests are not wrong. It is the most successful people who realize that what they like to do deep down is more important than what other people want them to do. If your parents are telling you that you should be an engineer and you really want to be a glassblower and you become an engineer, then you will get social approval (from your parents) but you would be ignoring what you really wanted to do. Or event worse, if your parents said that it was stupid to be a glassblower, then you are effectively fighting your own urges which will only lead to regret and anger at your parents later on. But in order to be part of the group, you still have to make concessions to their side. But always be shrewd in what you let other people tell you to do. Don't let them make you do something that is against your personality.
And just as you need to balance the needs of others with your own needs, a group of people needs balance too. Each person thinks differently, and you can contribute just as much to the group as others. I have found that people don't mind for me to just listen most of the time and occasionally chime in with some important fact or observation, as long as it is on topic and timed right. The timing is the hard part, though. But if you do it well enough, people will respect you even if you don't participate much in the conversation.
Alright, I'm just rambling on.