Weaver95: Why should and why do intelligent people often limit themselves to jobs in business or accounting or engineering?

Because everything in our society tells us that money = success. The more you have, the happier you are supposed to be with life.

The best part? Our religion tells us that having a lot of money lessens our chances of success in the afterlife.

Try resolving THAT paradox sometime when you've got nothing better to do....

There's no life after death. Enjoy life before death; and pay no heed to those who would deny you life's pleasures for the sake of appeasing their invisible sky fairy, lest he cast you into a lake of fire for all eternity where you will suffer and scream and choke and burn and stuff, al because you had the audacity to partake in earthly pleasures during your lifetime - but he loves you!

Oh, it's a girl who wrote it?

Start brushing up on your cooking & housekeeping. Home Economics is key!

And keep this in mind ~

This is exactly why no one should ever listen to 17 year olds. The harder they try to be deep, the more they end up saying things that will look incredibly silly to them in 10 years.

I thank god every day that when I was 17 there was no internet to record every stupid thought I had, so that I don't have to look back at them and hang my head in shame now.

submitter: "Is being successful, i.e. having money, that important?"

No. But I submit that one should start out believing it's very important so that one's survival despite failures will demonstrate that it's not.

Having LOTS of money maybe isn't so important (I don't think so). But having some minimum THRESHOLD of money is important.

Where's the line? Well, at a minimum, to not require aid. Ideally, enough so you don't spend all your time worrying about money. I felt I arrived when I no longer had to obsess over the sales in the supermarket or balancing the checkbook to the last penny.

Stupid teenagers trying to enjoy life for being life instead of just wanting a big bank account.

This kid is going to be so precious when he discovers Ayn Rand in college, and then he's going to become That Douche who never stops talking about the Objectivist Club.

Actually, I think it's a pretty well written and thoughtful blog entry for a 17 year old. It's important to think about a career that will make you happy before you go to college and choose a major. And she's right, money isn't everything.

Sheesh, like you guys were so brilliant as a junior in high school??

Submitters that continue forcing the snowflake crap sound like people who want people under 50 off their lawn. Just shut the fark up already

They'll realize how important money (success) is when their parents stop paying for all their shiat.

I read that as "Precious 17-year-old high school snowflake penis opinion piece."

Ask the Clinton campaign?

No, being successful and having money are not that important. At least that's what the guy who sleeps on the cot next to me at the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter told me to tell you.

I just watched Fight Club for the first time (ever) this afternoon. I'm sure I'll be getting a kick out of these replies.

Black Lagoon
Me too.

Although I have known since junior high school that I want to attend a university and later have a career in fashion

Good luck, chubby cheeks.

Why should and why do intelligent people often limit themselves to jobs in business or accounting or engineering?

Engineering? Wait...you mean four years of advanced math and sciences and I limited myself? Wow... I totally should have done better than a chemical engineering degree...

I certainly think I'll have more opportunities and be more respected (even if just by petty people) once I graduate from a top 20 college.

Shhhh! You'll upset the accepted paradigm.

baka-san: I will never find satisfaction, I will never find peace, I will never find love.

Only thing left is trying to find money.

aww hugs

phallus: They'll realize how important money (success) is when their parents stop paying for all their shiat.

That's when those college student loans will come in handy in about a year or so...

"Is being successful, i.e. having money, that important?"

Yeah, screw it. The world needs more strippers.

OK I read maybe 2 or 3 paragraphs of that. I didn't know what I wanted to go to college for when I was 17 (and my parents didn't push me to know, and I had to set it all up and pay for it myself). I'm now 35 and only now picked a good career, after wasting time and money in things I found out I hated or "undeclared" majors. I still don't understand how 17-year-olds are supposed to know what career to go for. Even though it would be good if they did. I go to school with 22-year-olds (nursing school) who are no less capable of being an RN than I am. I couldn't have been an RN when I was 22.

So if my kid needs to take a break after high school, she's more than welcome to (after she has a job, of course).

skinink: No, being successful and having money are not that important. At least that's what the guy who sleeps on the cot next to me at the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter told me to tell you.

Is this that guy?

just because a story involves a youngster, that doesn't automatically qualify it for a "precious snowflake" label.

Her friend Christina sounds like a self-important douche. Let's make fun of her instead. The blogger makes some interesting points (even if they're not terribly unique), and she's weighing the pros and cons of what career path to pursue at the right time... before she start spending money on college.

As far as her question, "Is having money really that important?" she'll figure the answer out sometime between moving out of her mom and dad's house and getting a car, a mortgage and a husband.

Hey, I know very few people who actually do what they studied to do - with a few exceptions like the Drs. and lawyers where you pretty much have to decide - or engineering where license requirements exist.

That being said, if I wanted to have a decent living with great job security today, I'd look into engineering - they can ship all the maufacturing they want overseas, but there's some stuff that has to be fixed HERE no matter what. And those guys are for the most part, greying. If you can use an old fashioned Bridgeport Mill AND a CNC mill, Weld and figure out basic AC and DC wiring you will never be bored or want for a job.

Once every few generations, somebody comes along to effectively question the status quo and dramatically, perhaps revolutionarily, change society.

You are probably not that person.

Unless you're already (at 17):
a.) Embarrassingly intelligent
b.) Unusually persuasive and charming
c.) Able to support yourself for years (or have private backers)
and so on, don't worry about it.

So, you might as well accept the realities of modern civilization.

By all means, try to affect change. Do what seems right.

But questioning "is being successful...that important" and such will probably just lead you to a miserable life of working at crappy jobs, living in a miserable little apartment, surrounded by miserable lazy "friends" who are probably high most of the time.

I like stuff I can buy with money, but am perfectly happy without it. Just makes it a little more enjoyable is all...

/2 cents
//getting popcorn for this one
///continue :)

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich."

"To know you have enough is to be rich."

"Fame or integrity: which is more important? Money or happiness: which is more valuable? Success or failure: which is more destructive? If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

~ Lao-tzu Quotes from Tao Te Ching

Perhaps he's seen Into The Wild?

From a practical point of view, that smile on one's face probably isn't going to last very long if you followed your heart into a completely unmarketable skill set and then fixate on some supersaturated job market (like wanting to be a star in Hollywood or Broadway).

This 17 year old has a good head on her shoulders, and her questions seem to be well thought out, and for the most part, relevant to life.

So she's already ahead of most bitter Farkers.

And no, she would probably not want to touch your peener.

Life sucks get a helmet
-Dennis Leary

Weaver95: The best part? Our religion tells us that having a lot of money lessens our chances of success in the afterlife.

Don't forget that it also says money can also make people into douchenozzles while they're still here. We all know it's a major corrupting force.

Lionel Mandrake: Oh no, no, no...The Great Marion "Pat" Robertson (and other, lesser Earthly Angels) solved that tired old conundrum with his prosperity theology. Wealth is a sign of God's favor, and the more of it you have, the nearer you will sit to Jesus in heaven!!

Oh come now, people have been trying to use crappy personal theology to get around actual Scripture for way longer than that. It's not surprising that people try to find a loophole to get worldly/sinful desires. The "wealth=God likes you better" idea has been around since at least the 19th century, probably much longer.

/Did Pat forget that Jesus and the Disciples were mostly poor?

Just thought I'd mention this precious snowflake shiat has gotten old and busted.

I'm an intelligent rich successful engineer and I am definitely getting a kick out of these replies.

isn't the stereotype for the rich snowflakes the ones that think Britney, Paris n co. are the best role models?

martijannetti: Me too.

I'm not talking to you after your ex tag team partner retired Flair last week.

Weaver95
Try resolving THAT paradox sometime when you've got nothing better to do....

Easy.



It's pretty funky, 'cause when you die...you look a mess.

...and that's about it.

money makes life easier. I'm staring down the barrel of 225k in law school loans and no facking clue how to pay them off - those 200k a year jobs are all being hogged by the alcoholic divorcees who've been at this a while. Plus my particular field - native american law - is notorious for paying squat. Im resigned to a life of doing what I love, livin' off bannock and beans.

17 year old kids have NO clue what they're going to do with their life, usually. At 30 do we have the same BOYFRIEND we had back then? NO. Would the boyfriend we had at 17 fit who we want at 30? Prolly not. If we theoretically can - but usually don't - commit the rest of our life to a MATE at that age, why should we be expected to know what education and lifetime career we want?

If she wants to own a fashion boutique and has the brains to get ACCEPTED to college, she should skip the college and corresponding debt and just open the boutique already with the same money.

I'm just riffing. Ignore the disjointedness.