But reality isn't that simple!
Yes, being successful in school will make it much more likely that you will land a high-paying job!
Yes, staying out of trouble will make it much more likely you will get and keep a high-paying job!
But that doesn't tell the whole story.
In a globalized, capitalist society, there is competition among businesses, regions, countries and more!
And in competitions, there are winners and losers.
You can work hard and still be on the losing side.
The winning side can become the losing side real quick!
And sometimes, being on the losing side isn't your fault!
--------------
Let's look at the United States in the 1950s. The U.S. was celebrating the fruits of its WW2 victory. Germany & Japan were still licking their wounds. Much of Europe was still recovering from the ruins of wars. Soviet Union & China were experimenting with socialism, which turned out to be an economic disaster.
All this gave many U.S. Americans the illusion that they don't have much economic competition for their jobs. In that environment, it was easy to preach the narrative of "go to school, do your homework, get good grades, stay out of trouble, go to college, get a high-paying job, and you'll live happily ever after".
But Japan and Germany were able to realize they can prosper without being military bullies. Much of Western Europe overcame the ruins of wars to regain their prosperity, even as they lost their overseas empires. China ended its experiment with pure socialism, and embraced capitalism. Many Middle Eastern nations started profiting from oil, making them economic powers to contend with. Meanwhile, former Third World nations like South Korea and India got their acts together, embraced the market economy and became pockets of innovation. Mexico realized it can use its proximity to the US to lure companies to invest in its cheap labor.
So now, the U.S. American workers now have to compete with people worldwide.
U.S. American businesses now have to compete with businesses worldwide.
Also, with the changing technology, some people lost their jobs to robots, or to companies that were just better position to deal with technological changes.
Life no longer looked like a straight line.
You can get all the good grades, work hard, do all the right things and still get laid off because your employer no longer attract the costumers like they used to. (Think of companies like Borders, Sears, Woolworths, Blockbusters, etc)
You can get all the good grades, work hard, do all the right things and still get laid off because the tax revenue isn't going to the government agency or non-profit employing you.
=================
Now, I am NOT saying we should just give up our dreams of success.
I am NOT saying we should teach our kids that there's no future for them!
I am saying that we should teach our kids a new narrative
- continue to work hard, get good grades and stay out of trouble
- but you also need to be flexible because economies can change at anytime
- nothing in life is guaranteed
- life DOES NOT follow a straight line
- DON'T EVER THINK that being trained in one profession will guarantee eternal success, after all, economies can change at anytime!
Read the last bullet point again!
Too many parents need to read that bullet point again.
Some parents demand that their college-aged kids be inflexible and only major in fields that only prepare for one type of career (ie accounting, finance, nursing)
There is a response to parents like that
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/09/02/meet-the-parents-who-wont-let-their-children-study-literature/?utm_term=.c92e5a4577e8
You might not expect college freshmen to understand that careers don’t proceed in straight lines, but surely their parents ought to. In the real world, most physics majors don’t become physicists, most psychology majors don’t become psychologists, and most English majors don’t become writers or teachers. You’ll find a surprising number of philosophy majors at hedge funds and lots of political-science majors at law firms. I was an American studies major. Among chief executives of the largest corporations, there are roughly as many engineers and liberal arts majors, in total, as there are undergraduate majors in business, accounting and economics combined. Indeed, one study found that only 27 percent of people have jobs that are substantially related to their college majors — a reality that applies even to the STEM fields. “Choosing a major is not choosing a career,” says Jeff Selingo, author of “There Is Life After College.”
and also this
In today’s fast-changing global economy, the most successful enterprises aren’t looking for workers who know a lot about only one thing. They are seeking employees who are nimble, curious and innovative. The work done by lower-level accountants, computer programmers, engineers, lawyers and financial analysts is already being outsourced to India and the Philippines; soon it will be done by computers. The good jobs of the future will go to those who can collaborate widely, think broadly and challenge conventional wisdom — precisely the capacities that a liberal arts education is meant to develop.
“What we are constantly reminding parents is that the world is an incredibly dynamic place and what’s most important is for students to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set,” said Andy Chan, vice president of personal and career development at Wake Forest. “They need to think not just about the first job but a lifetime of jobs.”
I'll also say this : a high-paying career is no substitute for mental health!
You can't put a price on mental health!
Money and therapists can only do so much!
Some parents want their kids to be risk-averse cowards!
(for example: parents who say "don't major in theater, there's more jobs in accounting or nursing")
But you CAN NOT succeed without taking risks!
You have take the risks you're comfortable taking!
You have to sometimes disobey your parents, your advisers and others who want you to think only inside a box!
You may also want to put it in writing to your parents or advisers that life doesn't follow a straight line!
You may also want to put it in writing to your parents or advisers that you refuse to be a
risk-averse coward!
You have to protect your mental health from parents who can't let go of control!
You have to protect your mental health from advisers who only want you to go in one direction in life!
You have to protect your mental health from people who want you to suffer in silence!
You have to protect your mental health from abusive employers, abusive co-workers, abusive family members and more!
Understand that life doesn't go in a straight line!
My life hasn't gone in a straight line!
Your life isn't going in a straight line either!
Understand that, have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and more!
Expect some failure, take reasonable risks, and be OK with all that!
It's your life that your living! Nobody else's!
