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[quote=Anonymous]OP, thanks for verbalizing your unhappiness. You have actually touched on an issue I think is a lot more prevalent than the PPs are giving you credit for.

My siblings and I all went to Ivy's for undergrad (and grad) with lots of wealthy kids (we were the financial aid students) who majored in art history, political science, graphic design, history, literature, etc. Many went on to professional school and are now doing quite well. I look back, and it is clear to me now that they knew that they were going on to law school/medical school so their undergraduate major did not matter that much. For my/our classmates who picked a non-professional undergraduate major and then didn't have a clear plan for their career afterwards (consulting, etc), many sort of wandered pursuing their passion. Those who have not been able to "make it" professionally (in terms of income) and grew up in wealthy households have privately expressed unhappiness to me/my siblings about how they chose their early career. A couple of my classmates actually went back to medical school in their 30s when they realized they had (what they considered) dead end careers.

My DH's parents (who are wealthy) pushed all their kids to become doctors and lawyers because they felt that money was an important part of choosing a profession. My parents (who are not wealthy, but are educated) pushed us to have "practical" majors so we could support ourselves, but didn't emphasize money. I always thought I would be killing it if I made $100K in my lifetime (which my parents never made - a great year was $80K). I have managed to land on my feet in terms of income (at 40 I make $190K) and marrying someone with a significant income ($500K at 45), and appreciate more than ever how important money can be to ease life choices.

While I am glad I didn't pursue my career for the money, I wish I had thought more about what income might mean when I was thinking about professions because, in hindsight, I can see all the opportunities that having a higher salary provides for our children and how much it eases my stress and lifestyle. Yes, my DH and I work extremely hard, but so do lots of folks who make a lot less money than we do. I will be honest with our children about the trade-offs of different careers when they are older, although I will support their choices. [/quote]

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