Why must we fit the mold?

The vice president at the company for whom I work spend a good half an hour with me today discussing my future within the company. While most of these discussions end badly, this one was basically a 30 minute suggestion on why I should get my engineering degree, so I can move up further and make more money than I ever could with an Associate's Degree. He gave me the usual speech about how smart I am, and how much I could be doing with my life, and so on and so forth.

While his intentions were good, he told me nothing I haven't heard several times before. I've spent the last five years of my life being told that I should become an engineer. And I avoid the debate, because I know if I told them what I was thinking, they wouldn't understand. They would call me lazy, they would mark my lack of motivation, and they would despise me for not using my birth-given talents to my full potential.

But the truth of the matter is this: I don't want to be an engineer. I've spent two years at universities pursuing an engineering degree, and the one thing I've learned is that I don't want to lead that life. The year I've spent on the workforce, using my two-year degree, has confirmed that very same sentiment. Put plainly, I think the job that 99% of engineers perform, while necessary and very beneficial to the economy, is boring. And yet, I am pushed to pursue that lifestyle by everyone who knows me, mostly because of two major beliefs: that you should try to rise as high as you can in the workplace, and you should try to make as much money as you can.

Now granted, being an engineer would provide me the opportunity to rise quite high within any company I choose to work for. Additionally, being an engineer would make my financial issues much easier to manage. But the question I want to ask everyone is "At what price?" Is it really worth it to go to a job everyday that you don't enjoy, just so you can have a nicer car or house? Does it pay to be bored with 50% of your waking hours, just so you can buy more expensive jeans? I am, more than most, a person who hates the 8 hour workday. Would I really want to work another couple hours every day, just for a little more financial security? I just don't think it's worth it.

The ironic thing is that this is generally frowned upon. It is so emblazoned into our minds, even in grade school, that we should do our best at all times, that anyone speaking out on the contrary is looked down on. Few people will pause to realize that "lack of motivation" is, more often than not, merely a desire for a relaxed lifestyle. If someone is making enough money to get by, and they choose not to take on any more responsibility, they are generally scorned for their decision. In reality, however, this person has just chosen comfort and free time over fast cars and expensive toys.

The problem is that there is no distinction between what those "toys" are. In our society, an eye-opening trip to another country is often times more difficult to realize than buying several unnecessary articles of clothing. Most Americans will spend more in a year on McDonalds than they will in a lifetime on things that will truly help them grow as a person.

And this is the issue that I face: I have so many things that I want to do, and most of them don't involve ultra-modern technology, exotic transportation, or expensive clothes. And yet, because I'm not willing to sacrifice a job I enjoy in favor of one that pays well, I will not be able to do the things I want to do in my life. This just goes to show you that in America, despite popular belief, you can't have your dreams and live them too…