Do many liberal arts students have a disproportionate view of the world?

[TopHatFox]

I've recently shared my plan on seeking employment in consulting or business environments and have been met with:

"Are you doing it because you like it, or because you think you have to?"

or

"wow, you've changed"

or

"C'mon, the school can provide funding for unpaid internships"

-----------------------------

I was thinking if I'm going to live my life the way I want to--not by somebody else's expectations-- I will have to move onward with the people that accept me when I change, especially the ones that try to seek understanding rather than judging the action.

My irony sensor is also piqued, because Amherst gets its internship money by investing its endowment in profitable mutual funds, or from very wealthy donors who either started a profitable business or likely work at high income, for-profit jobs. I've Phonathoned these people. I"m not sure the exact phrasing, but there seems to be a disconnect between many liberal arts students and the reality of capitalism.

I'm annoyed because I'd like to see more clarity on the fact that some money is usually needed to live a free life under capitalism, and it is unreasonable to expect that everyone will be happy working not-for-profit (unpaid to low-pay), so-called ethical jobs.

Thoughts?

[Dragline]

The "don't be a sell out" meme being dumped on you is an oldie, plumbed to death by the Baby Boomers. It is the subject of the archetype Boomer movie, "The Big Chill", which is worth watching because it shows how little people actually change from generation to generation -- only values go in and out of fashion. And the music is pretty good, too.

In Gen-X, my contemporaries avoided "selling out" by becoming nihilistic slackers listening to Nirvana and Beck ad nauseum. And saying "dude" a lot in hopes of achieving immortality a la Bill and Ted of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure".

One important thing you should realize is that almost nobody looks back at their college years 5-10 years later and thinks the same way they did then, or considers their college self to have been a font of wisdom. You only become fully formed when you get out there and deal with the real world as it comes. Which means that you should take advice from other students with a big grain of salt.

And be mindful that some may feel threatened if you sound too ambitious or different to them.

[Ego]

I was thinking if I'm going to live my life the way I want to--not by somebody else's expectations-- I will have to move onward with the people that accept me when I change, especially the ones that try to seek understanding rather than judging the action.

Mrs. Ego often says that American's are like children. She doesn't mean it in a bad way. We are, in many ways, innocent to the ways of the world. We've been insulated from many of the harsher realities.

I suspect the peers who are offering their criticism are even more innocent. Not only were they brought up in the America Mrs. Ego refers to, they were raised upper-middle class at a time when it was deemed good parenting to helicopter over children.

Are they belittling or purposely trying to undermine your plan? Why would they do that? What would happen if they had to make their way in the world like you have already shown you can do? What would happen if they no longer had the luxury of being frivolous and suddenly had no choice but to live by your pragmatic example?

I think you are right to believe you will have to move onward from them.