To Be Rich or To Educate
"Congratulations for your sis, I hope she's not as pretentious and smug as the rest of the Harvardites." - O-face.
My Lil Sis has a heart that is bigger than my nose. Bigger than my hair. Bigger than my bootie. Lil Sis has always been a giver. This past Christmas, I bought her, among other things, a Tiffany's ring because she's the apple of my eye and she deserved it. She thanked me profusely, but later asked me if I'd be terribly disappointed if she wanted me to return the gift and give the money to her favourite charity instead. "I just don't really need it, and there are kids out there who can use the money more than I can use the ring." She's incredibly charitable and humble.
And now, given her passion for helping others, Lil Sis is facing a difficult life decision. Although she has worked for a top consulting firm since undergrad (the firm that is paying for her graduate degree), and will be working there for at least another 2 years when she finishes at Harvard, the question that tugs at her heart strings is whether or not it's really the job she was meant to do. She's a brilliant, highly demanded consultant, but she's far more passionate about education than she is about strategizing with billion dollar firms. During her tenure with her company, Lil Sis took a 6 month externship for half the pay at the New York Board of Education. From there, she became a Big Sister for a pregnant teen, and also become heavily involved in the City Year charity. For her summer internship she's debating a stint in New Orleans with a startup firm that will specialize in reconstructing the education system in the aftermath of Katrina.
It's a decision so many of us struggle with, especially those of us with a social conscience. Take the corporate job that pays hundreds of thousands and enables us to donate generously (our money, but not our time), or take the socially responsible job that allows us to make a hands-on difference, but forces us to live paycheck to paycheck?
My Lil Sis has a heart that is bigger than my nose. Bigger than my hair. Bigger than my bootie. Lil Sis has always been a giver. This past Christmas, I bought her, among other things, a Tiffany's ring because she's the apple of my eye and she deserved it. She thanked me profusely, but later asked me if I'd be terribly disappointed if she wanted me to return the gift and give the money to her favourite charity instead. "I just don't really need it, and there are kids out there who can use the money more than I can use the ring." She's incredibly charitable and humble.
And now, given her passion for helping others, Lil Sis is facing a difficult life decision. Although she has worked for a top consulting firm since undergrad (the firm that is paying for her graduate degree), and will be working there for at least another 2 years when she finishes at Harvard, the question that tugs at her heart strings is whether or not it's really the job she was meant to do. She's a brilliant, highly demanded consultant, but she's far more passionate about education than she is about strategizing with billion dollar firms. During her tenure with her company, Lil Sis took a 6 month externship for half the pay at the New York Board of Education. From there, she became a Big Sister for a pregnant teen, and also become heavily involved in the City Year charity. For her summer internship she's debating a stint in New Orleans with a startup firm that will specialize in reconstructing the education system in the aftermath of Katrina.
It's a decision so many of us struggle with, especially those of us with a social conscience. Take the corporate job that pays hundreds of thousands and enables us to donate generously (our money, but not our time), or take the socially responsible job that allows us to make a hands-on difference, but forces us to live paycheck to paycheck?
Regardless, I'll support her either way.
posted by DC Cookie @ 12:09 PM
18 Comments:
At April 05, 2006 2:24 PM,
Johnny said…
I hear Florida is paying for good grades, so just move down there and give eveyrone five A's a piece.
At April 05, 2006 2:52 PM,
Carrie Broadshoulders said…
Don't ask me b/c I work for the corporate world and don't make a damn thing. Now who's the bigger moron? I could be doing something rewarding and be poor but as it is I do nothing rewarding and am still poor. I wish I had such a dilemma. I'm afraid if I did, I'd rather make more money and then be more charitable to ease my guilt.
At April 05, 2006 3:11 PM,
Heather B. said…
I'd do the latter, hell in someways I do do the latter, rather than climb up the corporate ladder.
At April 05, 2006 3:31 PM,
Phil said…
Being broke sucks, but doing what you love can make it bearable.
At April 05, 2006 4:32 PM,
Anonymous said…
McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Booz??? which is it...if any?
At April 05, 2006 5:15 PM,
Drunken Chud said…
yeah, i'd opt for the money. but, i'm a cad. and socially irresponsible.
At April 05, 2006 5:36 PM,
Namaste said…
I love this post. And yay for Lil Sis. What I love best is how brains, kindness and beauty run in the family!
At April 05, 2006 6:01 PM,
DC Cookie said…
Anonymous - you should know better than to ask questions like that. Bloggers don't reveal such things...
At April 05, 2006 11:10 PM,
Anonymous said…
Teaching in NYC? With or w/o combat pay? I'd say play it slow. There are many, many other ways to give back and to add to the community in positive ways. We don't have to personally sacrifice our careers, lives and youth to teaching some ingrate kids standard 'workday' English or the math they'll forget the next week. It's lovely that her heart is in the right place, it would be tragic if she made a life decision that would inevitably mean living hand to mouth for the next few decades. She could do that and perhaps marry well, and survive. But alone? Just to chance that is to literally consign yourself to a vow of poverty. Sure there are causes and indeed kids worthy of this great sacrifice, but they are fairly rare.
The way to move forward here is with a greater involvement in volunteering efforts to see if she likes any of them enough to make a longer commitment to them. She can help people and children in so many other ways without making it being all about her personal sacrifice.
This said, given the little information we have, I'd say her decision will probably be to follow her heart (in one form or another). We can only hope that such a 'detour' may not be too long or cost too much personally or professionally. It can change your life and make a cynic of even the most tender hearts and well meaning souls.
And yes, the pics were awfully cute, and Lil Sis sounds like a totally cool person, and I'm just jealous thinking of the times you two spend together. It always sounds like you have an amazingly close connection.
Cheers & Good Luck! 'VJ'
At April 06, 2006 12:28 AM,
Days of the Broken Arrows said…
Sorry to say it, but the cliche is true: No good deed goes unpunished. Take it from one who used to be a do-gooder, but learned better.
At April 06, 2006 2:18 AM,
O-FACE said…
Errrrrr---
Thanxs, ummm, I guess for putting me on blast. I was joking ya know. But yeah, that story cut me deep like a Jerry Lewis telethon. I just hate running into all these smug ass ivy league-golden spoon, trust fund bastards who are living off mom and dad's accomplishments. Congratulations for wanting to change the world, one soul at a time. Me, i'm in that Tony Montoya mode trying to make a million bucks to rule the world. I'll try and save it right before i'm old and ready to sleep 6 feet deep.
But give your sis a big hug on behalf of the ofacester for being geniune and sincere.
At April 06, 2006 7:23 AM,
Anonymous said…
I mean thats very respectable and all, but why go to Harvard business school in the first place (where the average salary 10 years out is like $680K, I know this b/c my boy just got accepted last week) if you're going to do nothing with the degree?....i'm just sayin'
At April 06, 2006 9:32 AM,
DC Cookie said…
Because her company is paying for her education. I'd go in 2 seconds if my company offered to pay for mine. She's agreed to go back for at least 2 years in exchange. So the dilemma is more of a '3-year horizon' situation.
At April 06, 2006 9:33 AM,
DC Cookie said…
Don't worry O-face - I knew you were kidding. Just thought it made a good intro and didn't want to the quote to go unrecognized...
At April 07, 2006 10:26 AM,
Anonymous said…
Cool, but if she wants to do something completely different, is it really worth it just b/c your company pays for it? Its all about priorities, Cookie.
At April 07, 2006 4:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
Business Administration can transfer easily into nonprofit administration. Nonprofits need the same kind of resources to stay relevant, viable and funded that businesses need. She doesn't have to be a teacher - she could be the head of an organization that puts the people on the ground that change the world.
At April 09, 2006 6:24 PM,
Stef said…
I agree with KLO and VJ. As a non profit person myself, I can assure you that there are thousands of great organizations that do really meaningful work and desperately need educated, experienced leadership. If Lil Sis can find an organization with a mission she believes in, she could find a way to match her career and her altruism in a way that makes sense with where she's been going. Sure, you're not going to get super-rich at most non-profits, but it's a stable job in an industry filled with people who believe and are pasionate about saving the world in their own ways.
At April 10, 2006 8:23 AM,
Anonymous said…
Well if that's the case, then why are we having this conversation in the first place?
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