We all know why we’re at the University. There are a lot of supplementary reasons, sure.
We have the opportunity to explore all kinds of vocational fields. We can meet people from different backgrounds. We can relax in the safety bubble of our dear University while we discover who we think we are —- until the answer changes tomorrow.
We can do all of this and more by coming to college. But when it comes down to it —- we’re here for money.
Hey, it’s a proven fact that college graduates have a higher probability of scoring a well-paying job in the long run than someone who entered the work-force right after high school. And the challenges that college provides is good training for the outside world.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Money is a good thing —- and the more of it, the better if you ask me. And since we agree that we’re primarily here for money, I’ve got a question: Are we choosing our jobs for money, too?
The idea that we choose our jobs for the money is a different deal entirely.
A college degree will help us make more money, but our vocation is going to be the same for a long time, unless one chooses to jump ship and do something else for a living. I doubt that many of us would.
Wouldn’t it be great if every job paid well? What if we could pick our dream job, the one we’ve wanted since we were kids, and get paid enough to live where we wanted and buy whatever we wanted?
Man, what a life that would be!
Too bad that isn’t the case. Perhaps, it’s a good thing that isn’t the case. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t have many opportunities to build our character.
The fact that some of us have to choose between doing what brings a big check and doing what we love is a good gauge on how we approach life. I’m lucky in the fact that my career has a solid opportunity of being financially profitable as well as personally satisfying. But even if this wasn’t the case, I would stick with my career if it made me happy.
Happiness is one of those tricky words that can cause a whole lot of trouble. But I’ll say that happiness, as we know it, is not a fixed thing. It’s a choice that we make, and just like there are happy making millions of dollars, there are people just as happy living day-to-day or check-to-check.
Their life perspective allowed for happiness to exist in situations about which we would not be so jolly. But let’s say for the sake of discussion that our career would make a lot of money, but inside we wish we were doing something else.
Is it worth it?
Sure, if you’ve got kids to feed and stuff like that —- then money is essential. You do what you gotta do. But most of us college folks aren’t in that boat, so we still have wide-ranging options.
Are we business majors because we love it? Are we pre-law because we love it? If not, then what better reason would there be? Because I don’t feel that it is money.
I encourage everyone to sit back and ask themselves what they would do if money didn’t play a role. And if the answer doesn’t match what they’re doing now, they should reconsider their decisions.
There are other ways to make money on the side. But our vocations are a big sign of who we are and what we stand for. And money only takes us so far.
What will last for us, if not our own joy at doing what we really want to do?
I don’t want anyone to look back forty years from now and wonder what life would have been like if they had followed their dreams —- by then it could be too late, depending on the dream and situation.
You can see in some people’s eyes here at the University that they regret the choices they’ve made —- it’s a sad sight. So if a little column in our little paper can help someone avoid that outcome —- then great. If not, then I only gave up a half hour of my life. Not a bad deal.
I hope you love what you’re doing, and I hope it brings the income you want. But if you have to choose, I’d rather see the light in your eyes rather than the green in your wallet.
Send all comments to: [email protected]
