Livelihood (Week 14)
When reading the expert from Marsha Sinetar’s “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow” this week, one paragraph specifically stuck out to me. Sinetar wrote, “Right livelihood, in both its ancient and its contemporary sense, embodies self-expression, commitment, mindfulness, and conscious choice. Finding and doing work of this sort is predicated upon high self-esteem and self-trust, since only those who like themselves, who subjectively feel they are trustworthy and deserving, dare to choose on behalf of what is right and true for them. When the powerful quality of conscious choice is present in our own work, we can be enormously productive. When we consciously choose to do work we enjoy, not only can we get rewarded for our effort. Money and security cease to be our only payments.” (Page 10).
When I read this, I couldn’t help but think back to earlier in this semester when we discussed education and a point that was brought up. That point is that so many people in our generation go to college for externally motivating reasons that do not set them up for academic success. I feel this is something that Sinetar would find detrimental to these individuals, and I would have to agree.
There are so many external reasons to go to college: athletics, parental/loved-one pressure, social experience, or so you can “make more money in the future.” All of these reasons, I believe, are valid factors overall, but I will never be on board with the thought that these reasons alone warrant going to college.
I think many people in the current generation take for granted the opportunity to further their education, and they forget the sole purpose is to learn. I think this is especially prominent in students who can take their situation for granted and don’t have to work to be able to afford their education. I will say this is only doing them a disservice. This is because once you commit to getting a degree, typically, you feel stuck in a job that in directly related to your degree. The problem arises because if you were just getting a degree because you had to be in college for whatever reason, you robbed yourself of the opportunity to find your passions.
This is why I feel like waiting to go to college or accepting that college might not be the best choice for some people is so important. I think it should be more societally acceptable for people to follow the path that brings them the most joy and fulfillment when it comes to their careers. This way, there is more space and opportunity to find what you love in life, what you are good at, and how these things could be translated into a job or career.
