The materialistic world today
These days all I hear is that the United States is a materialistic place to be at and that is why students today want to study and become something that will bring those lots of money. I recently talked with a colleague and we were talking back and forth about the poor and rich people. I told her that I’d rather be poor and happy than rich and unhappy, and she said that she’d rather be just rich and happy. All this sounds very materialistic. These days all I hear is money, money, and more money. I don’t know if there are enough people these days who aren’t working to buy those expensive cars, those fancy clothes, the things they don’t need but they know it will look good on them. It frustrates me to think that people would pick a career mainly because it pays a lot of money. Nowadays, people are studying to be doctors. Number one career major is pre-medicine. Who will become a doctor? Will everyone? No. Even if you get the grades and you go for it only for the money, you won’t get to be good doctor. There are doctors and doctors. Would you want a doctor to operate on you mainly because they know how much they’ll make at the end of the day? Would you want your doctor to have in his mind dollar signs? I hope not. If some have the talent and the determination to help people, they’ll make it. Though, if most are out there searching for that job that will bring them a lot of money and that being the only reason they are studying to become something, then it’s not worth it. I personally think that because you’re a totally different person. This whole thing is difficult to even comprehend. Why not study something that makes you happy? Why not study a hobby that you’re good at and major in a career for it? Why? Because most people study for what its worth, not for what will make them happy. Wouldn’t people want to go to work happy and work for the money like they don’t need it? I would want to. The job market today is not games, and college is not a money place to worship and think about that all the time. College is about finding your future, collecting pieces of the person you are, and once you complete the puzzle you live happily ever after, or they say.
Why not studying for something that makes you happy? Wouldn’t that be what will satisfy you?
Your perspective is very healthy. Going after the dollars today is not going to sustain your ability to do the job nor your staying power in it. The saying goes, "Money is only a satisficer," which means it will only satisfy for a short time but it will not bring ultimate career gratification. The saying is usually pronounced in Management classes so that future managers will understand that throwing a raise at a dissatisfied worker is not going to make them want to stay for the next ten years. It will only keep them for another few months.
Your attitude about going into something because it's fun, rewarding, fulfilling, challenging (did you say all of those things or am I putting words into your mouth?) are absolutely spot on. Unfortunately, few people actually reach that Nirvana because the reality of being responsible, caring for a family, paying bills soon plunk themselves down and force a person to take whatever will help them shoulder those responsibilities.
Fortunately, we have online universities. It is not uncommon for people to return to school to pursue a new major or gain more training in the same area so that they can advance. And it's not uncommon for people to change fields after they've had time to try something out and see that it isn't a good match for them after all. And there are internships both formal and informal (volunteer work) that allow time to test out a career.
Keep that great attitude you have about going for the career that is the most fulfilling for you. That's a great, mature perspective that potential employers will also appreciate.
I think that whatever you do for a living, that the happiness and fulfillment that comes from it stems from the values you are involved in that are satisfying to you. I think, for example, that people choose public service because they want to make a difference in the community, and they do not mind the risk of their privacy being intruded upon and the possibility of rejection at the polls, that such a life entails. If you seek a job merely for the monetary gain, and that is the only value that you find in it, then you will only have an income, not a livelihood.