In the success-driven environment of the Ivy League, many students feel pressured to give up
studies in subjects they genuinely love in order to ensure a lucrative future career.
James Allen ’13 has always been aware of his passion for the financial sector. “Ever since I was
a little kid I knew I wanted to be an investment banker. As I lay in bed at night, I would count
stock market futures instead of sheep. My first word was ‘capitalism’.”
Sadly, this has proved to be an unrealistic childhood dream. Allen was ridiculed by his peers
when he affirmed his desire to pursue a banking career.
“I got sick of people asking ‘What are you going to do with that?’ It really wears you down after
a while,” he said dejectedly. His parents were also displeased with his choice of studies.
“I just don’t see it as practical. He needs to smarten up,” said Allen’s father. “I don’t want him to
end up like me. I could have made life so much better for my family if I hadn’t decided to inherit
the ownership of a multibillion dollar corporation.”
Allen now plans to change his major from Economics to Women and Gender Studies, a decision
he believes will mollify both his parents and his friends.
“When I realize I’m going to probably be stuck helping underprivileged kids and genuinely
improving their standards of living for the majority of my time on earth, I do get this feeling of a
void in my psyche, like maybe my life could be more than that if I wanted it to be. But in the end
it’s probably better,” he sighed. “At least now I don’t have to worry about having a solid future,
which is comforting I guess.”
It is now harder than ever to resist becoming just another well-oiled cog in the vast corporate
machine of the nonprofit social work industry. The allure of an astronomical salary often
outweighs the eventual price to be paid in happiness and fulfillment. Stories like Allen’s are all
too common as students continue to resign themselves to lives of intellectual stimulation where
they will likely acquire some degree of empathy for fellow human beings.
-Natalie Brooks '14
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