If Money Wasn't a Concern

If money wasn't a concern, would I be doing the same thing that I am doing now?

I think that I would be. Or at least I'd like to think that I would be. While credentialism is a significant part of the rationale behind going to college, I believe, and I certainly hope that I am gaining much more than just that.

I think the friends I am making here, by themselves, would make everything worthwhile. Though much to my dismay, my friend groups have ended up becoming relatively insular, I am still exposed to a more diverse set of perspectives and experiences than I would have had I not decided to come here. There are certainly ways the demographics of the institution which I attend is relatively homogenous, but it's also very distinct from the place I come from in those respects. I'm sure I would still be able to continue to make good friends if I didn't go to college, but they would be of a different character than the ones I am making here.

Even if I knew that I would never need to earn a single penny for the rest of my life, I would probably keep attending school. Something is enriching about learning. Every class I take changes my perspective on the world just a little bit. With every class, I get w0ker and w0ker. This w0keness is very valuable to me, and I think it increases my quality of life. Regardless of the need to start a career, I really do believe that the learning I'm doing here has real value.

I also do think that even if I didn't need to make any money, I would still like to work. Work might not always be fun, there is also something profoundly fulfilling about doing work. Though some of the readings that I have done in my sociology of education class suggest that much of the learning about one's work happens on the job, I still think that many of the things I am learning now will help me become a better worker.

Ever since I was a kid, I never really liked the idea of money. I found it to be a really limiting thing to work around, though I suppose that's by design. But now that I come to think of it, it doesn't dictate my actions to the extent that I thought it might when I was a kid. I've become confident enough of my ability to meet the bottom line for myself, and I feel like I will be able to find financial success with whatever endeavor I undertake. But, I suppose that might only be the case because my parents had enough money to give me a good childhood.