Given the open-ended nature of this blog post, I stopped to ask myself - what really dictates motivation? I suppose most people would cite responsibility. Most students are in school because they "have" to, according to their parents, or because they believe it is the right thing to do. I'd imagine a poll of most students would result in this type of answer. Likewise when it comes to career choices - most people pick their jobs on what makes them the most money and disregard any aspect of enjoyment, laughing off the possibility of a "fun career". For example, I know a few people that are pursuing Atlantic Cape Community College's accelerated Air Traffic Controller degree - a career on every list of "most stressful jobs in the world" imaginable. They're doing this not because it is fun or interesting, but because it is the fastest and most effective away to earn a stable living.
However, the pursuit of two year degrees and "easy" majors to score into large job markets sounds to me still like the academic path of least resistance. I believe, as Psychiatry majors, the majority of us represent that rare breed of motivation - the truly passionate, those who believe in putting in their full time and effort into their endeavors not only to reap the best possible rewards, but to reach the achievements that are the most rewarding for us. This type of passionate drive is unfortunately rare in today's world, seemingly reserved only for athletes and movie stars who "get paid millions to do what they love," but it truly is not that far off for any of us. All that it comes down to, as lame as it may sound, is following your heart and doing what makes you happy. While many of us realistically won't ever make a living strictly on passions alone (I know I'm hardly good enough to earn any money off surfing, for example), there is definitely something admirable and passionate in doing our best to pursue an academic future in the field of psychology, where our career choices are only limited by the amount of dedication we put into our education. Besides, someone's gotta help council all those stress out Air Traffic Controllers!
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I agree with what you said in the beginning. Most people are not in school because thats what they want to do its because someone told them they had to. I also agree that most people today are picking careers that will make them the most money and not something that will make them happy. If you are going to do something the rest of your life why not do something that will make you happy, something that you will enjoy doing for years to come?
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