Values and Happiness

Speaking with some people I know, there was a good bit of resentment going around about career choices. Some people look down on people who aren't doing what they deem to be the "correct" choice. That's something really gets on my nerves.

Everyone has their own sense of what they want their life to be. Whether another person goes into finance, health care, non-profit, tech--it is not upon you to judge. No job is necessarily inferior or superior to any other. That is not to say you can't make a bad choice. Choosing a profession solely due to the money it brings (unless you are in really dire circumstances) or because of some third party pressure is a mistake. Choosing to go into consumer banking, health care or non-profit work because that's what one finds interesting/fulfilling is surely a path to happiness.

When it comes down to it, life is not about making as much money as you can, but it's about making yourself as happy as you can. Or depending on your value set it may be about making as many people as happy as possible, leaving your mark on the world, what have you. It is not, however, on you to impose your value set on others. Live your life how you want to live it. Don't live your life according to values that other people try to impose. At the same time don't push your values onto others. People like me thrive on competition, making/spending money and other things that get my adrenaline pumping. That does not mean I look down upon my friend who chose to live a 9-5 life in the countryside and get married at 22--while I may never understand it, he often seems happier than I am and I'm grateful that he is.

Don't get me wrong. I'll judge like none other if I sense that someone is choosing their career path just for a short term money gain (you see a lot of these people who want to do a couple years in banking just to stash some cash), especially if they have no interest in the job itself at all. I think that's a terrible choice because it leaves them further from where they want to be in the medium/long term.

Don't judge others' values. While they may not make sense to you, people usually choose the path that will make them happiest. It is not for you to judge what will make them happy.