Footnotes

In light of my last post, I must clear up a few things.

I am aware that the professions I examined the most (professors and lawyers) include many people with happy, healthy families. The problem is, these professionals were all born 20 to 40 years ago. I'll be a graduate entering today's disastrous economy and job market. Had I been born years earlier, I may very well have taken on the professorial or law track. It neither would have been as much of a financial risk, nor would it have put my goal of having a happy family in jeopardy. Unfortunately, these professions have truly become reserved for the leisure/upper class (and the incredibly lucky) and are no longer (relatively) risk-free means of scaling up the social ladder for the hardworking middle class. When you get out of school, hard work alone is just not enough.

Plus, the divorce rate for lawyers of these past generations has always been notoriously high.

I used to think that it would be beneath myself to take on less "prestigious," more common jobs. I used to look at my part-time job supervisors with snobbish elitism, saying to myself, "I'll never do these simple things for a career." I wasn't alone in this thinking--it's characteristic of my generation (see 5 Ways We Ruined the Occupy Wall Street Generation). Now I am noticing that these people lead relatively stress-free lives, and many of them have families. Furthermore, their jobs are nothing to be "ashamed" of (see Most Underrated Jobs of 2011). All occupations contribute to the functioning of our society in some form or another. It is many times the rich and "prestigious" who corrupt that functioning...

I am coming to terms with the sad reality that my majors (religion and East Asian studies) are not very well-valued in today's capitalist society obsessed with global competitiveness (this is emblazoned on the U.S. Department of Education's mission statement: "to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access"). If grad school, seminary or the translating field are not viable options for me, my BA is nothing more than a generic testament of my competence. (though teaching is not completely out the window for me, and I will talk about that later). A BA is valuable and I'm quite happy that I'll be earning one in a few months, but I must be open to alternative career choices that allow me to

1) live a comfortable life, and
2) raise a family reasonably well (time- and money-wise).

Granted, I am not regretting my decision to major in what I wanted to because I have grown, matured, learned a lot, have a much more open mind now, and wouldn't have met such wonderful people--think, not only would my professors have changed, but also my classes, classmates, and very dear friends.

I am also not discarding all my other interests. I also ideally want this career to be intellectually challenging, stimulating, respectable (though doesn't need to be the iconic elite job), isn't too ethically questionable (and so I'd really like to avoid corporations), and tests my abilities to a high degree.

Plus, I'm certainly open to forms of entrepreneurship.  An older coworker of mine told me that the people who tend to be happiest with their jobs are those who are their own bosses. They make the most out of their own talents and work on their own schedules, oftentimes in their own homes (or at least their own establishments). That's great stuff. G. Stoyalrov II, the guy whose YouTube video I linked in an earlier post on reasons not to pursue a Ph.D., advocates this himself, and from his profile and prolific online presence, it seems he's doing quite well. Entrepreneurship is risky business, too, but it is something I'm willing to pursue on the side as I become more financially independent with a stable career.

I'm stil figuring out what career would be suitable for me given these guidelines, but I have an idea or two and will talk about them in a post to come.