College degrees...

quote:

"It sucks to not make as much money as someone else who is doing something less emotionally challenging, but that's the way it is, and I feel lucky to be able to help people and go home at night and feel like I accomplished something."

While acknowledging the value to society of the job this young woman does, I just don't get this attitude.

I doubt she chose her profession in order to make a lot of money...if she thought she'd change everyone's mind about what its worth in terms of pay, she was fooling herself...and its gonna "suck" for the rest of her life because someone doing something that she doesn't value as much as her own work will always make more than she does...no matter what she does.

I work for a national research lab on a fixed salary, no stock options and no chance of getting rich from it. I do live comfortably but it was a struggle for a while. The people I work with are world famous and leading scientists and engineers in their field...many have received the highest awards possible for their work. And they don't make a penny more than me and they will never have a chance (so long as they work here) to get wealthy in the way so many have here in Silicon Valley.

And they never say it "sucks." They get their enjoyment from the work they do...the chance to do something they think is both interesting and good for mankind.

Maybe its just the terms she used (i.e. "it sucks") that set me off? But I just don't get her point on this one.

This could be an interesting topic, as justbb's post illustrates.
My sense of this is the 90's and the period up to 2008 or so created some completely unrealistic expectations for college graduates.
The first was the need for immediate rewards in the job market.
The second was the exorbitant salaries being offered in the investment banker and other similar worlds, and some of the messages that conveyed.
The third was the idea that "I want" , I want "immediate," but "I want" mentoring and support.
The 4th was I "want" my personal time...what are the benefits, vacation, and hour expectations. For far too many, it became what are you going to do for me as your employee, not the other way around.
The years 2008 to 2010 have brought a sobering reality, but many still don't accept the world changed.
What I like about most of those articles is the passion that comes through. Young people starting their careers and doing what creates passion and where they feel passion.
Our son is a volunteer baseball coach in college. His pay is $0000,00, unless something comes from Camps. Two of his best friends have just been hired into 6 figure salary jobs in NYC.
From a career standpoint, they have nothing in common.
From a passion standpoint, they each love what they have chosen. What makes it even better is the friends making the 6 figures in NYC are two of our son's biggest supporters in keeping his passion and encouraging him to stay with it while he proves himself and begins to move up, with a salary, even a smaller type one, each month.
I know that when a paying position happens, his salary won't be anywhere close to matching his passion and love for what he is doing. Hopefully, his passion will always exceed his salary no matter where he ends up financially.

At the school my son will be entering in a week or so, they start "career planning" the first week of school and continue the process for four years. One goal is for the student to begin to identify what areas of study or interests are a passion to them.

For some if they are left completely on their own without some guidance the allur of money is what they will choose by default. Again nothing wrong with that choice if you go into it with eyes wide open.