Dirty Money & Happiness – what do you really want for your kids and yourself when you grow up?
I sometimes get extremely frustrated by the hidden lies that we tell our children. Especially when it comes to trying to guide them in making an educated decision on how we spend our days as adults to keep ourselves out of trouble during the working week… and what career path they should take.
In general the message we seem to be telling our children is that to be successful and happy you need to:
- Work hard at school – get good grades
- Go to university and study hard to become a doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer… (aka a “qualified working professional”)
- Sacrifice part of your soul working as a junior doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer for a number of years
- Then you will be rewarded with a successful career, social status and a happy life.
This is not necessarily a complete lie but more of a misleading half-truth. Before anyone gets upset, I know lots of people for whom this plan has worked out extremely well and it’s an excellent plan at that. My frustration is around the fact that it seems to be sold as the only real feasible plan in relation to achieving true success and happiness.
I would like more kids to be exposed to the concept that they could potentially have more fun and earn more money taking on a “Dirty Money” career. So at the absolute extreme this is what you would also tell an ambitious kid considering becoming a surgeon:
- Don’t stress too much about school – it’s okay not to be an A+ student.
- Get into a “Dirty” trade (Construction, Electrician, Plumber, Drain-laying, Earthworks, Plant Hire) and enjoy it.
- Master your trade, get qualified, network, invest into learning the business side of your trade.
- Start your own company – run it successfully and make more money than most professionals.
- Live a happy and fulfilled life doing something you love.
This plan does not guarantee success but I have met a number of people since becoming an SME business consultant for whom it has worked out extremely and surprisingly well. However, their success stories don’t seem to make the school careers day. Nor do they generally even get considered as a feasible path to success and happiness.
Recently, a school careers counsellor told me she had a group of kids discussing and sharing different career options. One of the kids (a really bright young boy) was hesitating and embarrassed to share with the group what he was considering as a career – he finally told the group “…. I want to be a builder…”. I hope that kid does become a builder and has a successful and happy life – despite his peers’ potentially misguided social judgements. Needless to say, this careers counsellor shared my concerns and desperately wants more kids to be aware of, and not shy away from, the so-called “Dirty Money” career paths.
The truth is that I just want my kids to be successful and happy – whatever that may be.
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
John Lennon