What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

By Anonymous / Spring 2021

As children we are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. Answers like doctor, princess, or the president are normally fueled by curiosity, passions, and affinity for what they see, read, and witness. These answers are resistant to factors such as the pay, market demand, or amount of school that will be required to accomplish it. As teenagers the answers begin to shift, perhaps to that which seems more reasonable to accomplish and access based on their circumstances. As college students and adults, our perspective is quickly altered by what will pay the best, the job market, and what will have a reasonable return on investment, or what will brand us in society as being “successful”.

When we look at the difference between the child’s dream and the adults compromise, the obvious factor missing in the latter is the enthusiasm and desire that the child holds. In preparing ourselves for our future and attempting to sustain ourselves and our families, we are willing to sacrifice what we are passionate about in exchange for security and success. As a child my dream was to be an archeologist, and I would fawn over books of ancient Egyptian mythology in my elementary school library. As a teen I was told that opportunities for archaeologists were scarce and something in the STEM field would better suit me. Pamphlets were handed out with the top paying degrees and the jobs that would be most needed upon my graduation. As a community college student I was encouraged to pursue what I was promised to be a fruitful and rewarding career in the growing physical science field. Not a day went by in that span of time where I didn’t think about how cool it would be to be an archaeologist.

Let us fast forward to today, I took the advice of the “experts” around me and I am less than a month from graduating from a top public university with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. The either loved or dreaded question by graduating students starts to trickle in from my friends and family, “So what are you going to do with your degree? What is post- graduation looking like for you?”. In my case, the questions are dreaded. They are dreaded because to be honest, I don’t know, and to be even more honest I don’t even like Biochemistry. Now you may be asking yourself, why would I get a degree in something that I don’t like? The answer is the problem that is plaguing the young adults and college students in this country, and the answer is because I was encouraged to. I was promised things that for so many, including myself, were things I never had growing up . These things for me included a stable (maybe even middle class) income, job provided health insurance, and the possibility of owning my own home.

I grew up in a low income family with parents who worked multiple jobs. Without health insurance doctor’s visits were a rare occasion, we rented our house, and getting food on the table often resulted in the most economical meal, spaghetti, for lunches and dinners. My parents had no level of higher education, and worked in customer service jobs for their entire lives. The stress and hard work wore on their bodies and their minds heavily, and growing up they encouraged us to seek out college and careers that would leave us with more success and freedom than they had. To them it was not about enjoying what you did in life, it was about reaching the point where money was no longer a source of stress or concern. However, it always puzzled me why my parents didn’t view themselves as successful, they worked hard to provide for their family, and while we never had an excess of money we always had the necessities and were happy. What I realize now is that while I see two successful people who provided for their family, society continued to remind them that they were failures for their lack of education, menial jobs, and modest income.

Let us return to my current situation, where I am about to graduate college and I am facing the search for a job in my field that I don’t really enjoy. I have a mountain of debt in which I need to strategically pay off if I have hopes of buying a house or investing in myself and my families future. In order to pay this dept off efficiently, I need to find a job that pays well, whether I enjoy it or not. Some people may read this and think, what is so important about not liking your job? If a job pays well, offers benefits, and is use of your higher education, then what is the problem? I think it is important to state that this is a valid and understandable stance. Many people, like my parents, would give everything to be given the opportunity to go to college and get a well-paying job upon graduation. I would seek to challenge this view, by addressing the importance of passion.

Passion for what you are doing fuels innovation, strength, and betterment of the community. Some of the best ideas, most influential people, and benefits for communities come from pursuing passions. However, the narrative set in place is that a majority of individuals who take the untraveled road and pursue what interest them “fail”, leading to an overwhelming aura of fear. Their failure is defined by their lack of prestige, lack of extra income or extravagant items, and their possible lack of resources like healthcare. Ultimately this leads to a society that is so afraid of failure that they are willing to sacrifice what they enjoy for what they are told will keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. This concept is further perpetuated by wildly successful individuals like entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who has been recorded saying that people should focus on following where their skills lie instead of what their passions are, as skills will tend to get them further towards success, where his version of success is defined by wealth(Hess). When individuals looks at people like Mark Cuban who is a billionaire, they are going to be tempted to follow his type of thinking, as it must be an explanation as to how he has obtained his wealth.

It is important to note that there are some individuals who do pursue a field for which they may not have passion, and they can become greatly “successful”. I choose to put quotations around the word successful because success is objective. However in the case of our modern society, success is often defined as high salaries, benefits, and the opportunity to buy a house or own a fancy car. There are many individuals, like engineers, who graduate college and have job offers waiting for them immediately. They become the face of the American dream, and the face of what pursuing a “job-market desired” college degree can get you, which is anything you could ever need or want. With that being said this group of people is a minority, and we will soon see that them being a minority is more strategic than you would expect. The question starts to arise, when did going to college and picking a degree start to become more about money and less about learning and knowledge?

Before we discuss what outside factors may be at play, let us see review the different options that students and adults alike have available to them. The first options is pursuing passion, which then leads to the high risk of becoming a “failure” as we discussed above. The second and third options are pursuing a often passionless but market desired degree with the risk of either coming out in debt and without a job or coming out with the tools to obtain the true “American dream”. Even if the odds of the third option are low, between the choice of failing in a passion filled job and possibly succeeding in one without, many of us are going to pick the option where we have an chance to succeed. You may be wondering why these options are the only three I have presented. Let me clarify that they are not the only scenarios possible by any means, but they are the ones that are often faced by today’s generation.

You may be reading this and wondering what exactly the problem is. It may see the three options for careers and higher education that I have presented are simply the risks and choices we all face, that they are simply a part of life. However, I would like to challenge this way of thinking by posing this question, what if the way that we perceive these three options is filtered and twisted? Why do we see the options that result in lower incomes and less resources as “failures”, while those that result in higher salaries and material possessions as “successful”? What if the fact that these three common scenarios that are presented to Americans actually benefit someone else, and are designed to keep some people at the top and others at the bottom? I believe that our perceptions really are twisted, and they are twisted in a way that support the infrastructure of our society for the benefit of the few and the demise of the many. I don’t see them as simply “a part of life”, but as concepts that have been normalized instead of challenged. I believe modern society has altered higher education, the way we view it, and the way we learn for its benefit instead of the countries benefit. In order to explore and understand why I believe this, we need to understand more about the type of society that Americans face today, and that is one ruled by neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism, as defined by George Monbiot is that which, “sees competition as the defining characteristic of human relations.” By Monbiots view, neoliberalism sees citizens as purely consumers, where efficiency is greatly rewarded and inefficiency is punished. Neoliberalism was first implemented in the United States by Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s, whose hope it was to combat inflation and unemployment in the country. Reagan hoped that the implementation would lead to a more efficient government, as the government would source jobs and needs out to private companies. In addition he had adopted the idea that wealth should flow down from the wealthiest to the poorest people, as the wealthy were responsible for creating the businesses that would in turn create more jobs. As an economic strategy, neoliberalism has prioritized reducing taxes, deregulation of the market, and privatization of the government, businesses, and schools alike(Baltodano;”What is Neoliberalism”).

This neoliberalist system not only has economic implications, but social and moral implications as well. First let us identify and attempt to understand how neoliberalist thinking operates. According to neoliberalism, the prestige of having a good paying job, an education from a notable college, and the ability to consume material goods are all attributes that receive praise from the system. In turn, it also punishes individuals via self-doubt and being told they are “failures” if they choose an “atypical” path, such as following passion to find a job instead of money and prestige (Monbiot). In this way of thinking, if a path fails to benefit the market in some way, then it is no longer a valid path(Giroux). This viewpoint not only twists our perspective on what is successful and what isn’t, but it also fails to take into consideration the outside factors and advantages that some people may have in their road to “success”.

The way in which we view the wealthy and the poor are influenced by neoliberalism in the same way that our societal definitions of “success” and “failure” are influenced. The elite are considered to be successful, since they have all of the attributes that makeup “success”: the prestige, the wealth, and the material possessions. In the neoliberalist viewpoint, it doesn’t matter if those individuals had any advantages in gaining that wealth. Influences may include things like being from a wealthy family, having access and funds for higher education, and living in better neighborhoods with better resources. The wealthy are seen as “working hard” and being “strategic” to obtain their wealth, creating a sense of idolization for those individuals. However the reality is that the privatization, monopolization, and free-market policies of a neoliberalist economy has led to the rich easily becoming richer (politizane:Kotz). The idea that hard work and smart planning can lead to unimaginable success, even if that is not the reality fuels neoliberalist ideology. In the same breath, the poor are punished and blamed for their circumstances, and are told that they do not work hard enough.

What the neoliberalist viewpoint doesn’t take into consideration the fact that poor individuals often face outside influences that are far out of their control. The common misconception in our neoliberalist society is that the poor are simply not working hard enough, they rely too heavily on social welfare, and their struggles are self-inflicted. However, the work of David Kotz helps us to see that in reality the neoliberalist economy has eliminated many of the social safety nets and welfare programs that were put into place to assist the poor. If we look back in American history, we can see the climate we face now is much like one we have faced before. Many of the social safety nets were first put into place in the mid 1910’s, when the structure of the United States and its economy was much like it is now. The period leading up to this point was termed the “Gilded Age”, and was defined by monopolies of wealth and power by a small group of people, while most others were left to starve and work in inhuman conditions (History.com Editors). This mirrors our society today, where the top 1% of individuals hold more wealth than the bottom 50% of households combined in the U.S (Beer).

The social safety nets at that time of the post-Gilded Age were put into place to take the monopolies away from the most wealthy, and close the gap between the rich and the poor. It gave a chance for a middle-class to develop, with people being able to own their homes, businesses, and have safe and fair working conditions. What the social safety net also did is pick people up when hardship fell upon their families, making sure that everyone in the U.S. had at least their basic needs fulfilled. Now with these social welfare and safety nets gone, the poor must grasp for anything they can get while the disparage gap between them and the wealthy continues to grow. This often leads to lower and middle class families reaching for credit cards and loans to try to make ends meet, often leading to a never ending cycle of debt which troubles them further(“What is Neoliberalism”) Instead of recognizing the impact that neoliberalism has had on these individuals and the lack of assistance it offers, society now twists the lack of support as being the fault of the needy.

The above evidence provided us with the proof that neoliberalism has eliminated social safety nets from the poor, making it harder for them to recover or receive basic aid when hardships fall. For some of you this may be surprising, and to others of you it may not be, but this is not the only hurdle that poor individuals face in their attempt to become successful and “close the gap”. As provided in the works by Esqueda, it is proven that poor individuals, especially minority groups, face hurdles including racial disparities, lack of resources, and oppression. They have less access to educational resources at a young age, which makes their chances of obtaining higher education lower. In a society where most jobs require a college degree, this can be detrimental. Systems such as racial zoning that have existed for over a century have plagued historically minority communities with a lack of funding, resources, and support (Rothstein). The effects of racial zoning still exist today, and create an unavoidable factor for which some individuals must face in their attempt to reach success, solely based off of where they are born and their skin color. The neoliberalist system does not recognize these challenges and hardships, it instead blames and punishes those people for lacking the resources that they need to get ahead. Giroux has even stated that the neoliberalist system sees low-income minority students as disposable, and the system is unwilling to invest in them as they don’t see them as a commodity. Instead of going to college and becoming part of the job-market, many of these young people end up in Americas extensive prison system (Giroux).

The lack of compassion and understanding regarding the disparities in opportunity between the wealthy and the poor is purposeful. It has corrupted our moral compass to one of understanding, empathy, and support for our community to one that casts blame and individualism. Creating an environment in which the poor feel as though it is their fault for being poor or “failures”, leads to the self-doubt that I mentioned before. This self-doubt leads to the underserved and underrepresented individuals in the neoliberalist society blaming themselves and each other for their perceived short comings, instead of blaming the neoliberalist system itself from keeping the opportunities and resources away from them. In turn this allows the wealthy to stay wealthy without opposition, taking advantage of the tax cuts and deregulation of the market to grow their wealth even farther. The poor don’t have time to question why the rich continue to get richer, if they are focused on what they are doing wrong as they get poorer and poorer (Esqueda).

Now that we have a better understanding of the economic, social, and moral impacts of neoliberalism, we now have the tools to dive deeper into its impact on the education system. With the hegemony of the rich neoliberalist in our current society, the lower and middle class are constantly in a fight to get a portion of the wealth in society. In today’s society most jobs require a college degree, therefore college has become a normal part of the path to “success” for young people. However, the education system has by no means been immune to neoliberalism and its privatization fundamentals. Evidence provided by Wendy Brown shows us that where state and federal funding used to be the main source of support for colleges, as the state and federal support dwindled they now have to rely on student tuition and private donors to operate. In turn this has shifted the price of college astronomically, and in order to counterbalance the loans and debt that they will undoubtedly accrue lower and middle class families now have to seriously weight the return on investment that certain colleges and degrees have to offer

As presented by Malta Bartodano, this neoliberalist assault on higher education shifted learning away from creating well rounded citizens who could contribute to the community and the democracy, to creating individuals who are beneficial for the economy. Supporters of neoliberalism impacts on education, such as former education secretary Betsy Devos, argues that adapting education to mimic the market prepares students for their future career, and without the removal of government influence in the education system innovation that will impact the masses will never occur. This theory is shortsighted, because the privatization of schools has led to defunding of public schools and a funneling of funds to wealthier and more elite private schools. This leads to the abandonment of education and funds for the poor, while wealthy communities and families receive additional funding for an elitist school experience(Blakely). Blakely argues that with this level of inequality takes education away from being a shared good and a common right to a commodity, and with this shift we no longer have education that leads to intelligent and well-rounded citizens who can contribute positively to their communities.

Now we have a deeper understand of the theories and systems that effect the way we perceive success and failure, as well as influence our choices and opportunities in higher education. Upon learning about neoliberalism and its impact on our society, I had a question that you may have as well, and that is why do we allow this system to continue? When reflecting upon this question I came to the conclusion that many of us are unaware of the neoliberalist system, and being unaware leads us to thinking “this is just how the world works”. We allow the system to make us feel like failures, and allow it to continue to push a narrative that if we work hard enough, we can achieve the same things that the elite has achieved. However, we now see that the narrative is a façade, and one that is very intentional. The neoliberalist elite hope that in presenting this façade that it will keep the lower class docile and at bay to the injustices and morally corrupt social systems they have put in place. This in turn prevents us from solving the injustices that a neoliberalist system has subjected us to.

In order to overcome this problem, I first think it is important that we educate the general public on neoliberalism, its effect on society, and how it changes our perspective on how we view success and failure. I am often caught saying that knowledge is power, and in this case it is important to understand the roll that we play in the neoliberalist system, before we can understand how we can take action. We must repair the morals that neoliberalism has corrupted, showing compassion for our communities and the individuals who have a multitude of circumstantial obstacles that make it difficult for them to thrive. In doing so we must also abandon the individualistic perspective, as uniting as a community gives us strength against the powers that rule our society. We have seen what the power of unity can do in the end of the Gilded Age, the era of Civil Rights in America, and in so many other places around the world. Last, it is important for us to abandon the definitions of success and failure that neoliberalism has set in motion. To become a well-rounded community, one where people are willing to pursue their passions, we must stop defining a path in which wealth and market value is prioritized as the only one that is successful. Instead we as individuals and as a community can add value and acceptance to resisting neoliberalist norms, and encourage the innovation and benefits that come with individuals seeking their passions.

Once we recalibrate our perspective and better understand the system we are being subjected to, we can better understand the systematic changes that need to be put into place. We must demand the higher education system to not only provide us with vocational classes that prepare us for a career, but demand the ability to participate in classes that will lead us to being well-rounded citizens (Brown). Encouraging democracy and an educated society will lead to innovation and furthering the common good (Baltodano). As a society we should address the issue of educational access, and if the job market is dependent on individuals having college degrees, then we need to address how to make college degrees accessible to everyone. While it is not reasonable to ask for an immediate entire economic or social shift in our country away from neoliberalism, it is reasonable to ask for the ability to have an equal opportunity chance to further ourselves in that system if we wish to participate. The hopes would be that as we make small changes in our perspective and our demands of our society, the neoliberalist infrastructure would start to break down into one that is more supportive and fair to its citizens. The process of making college accessible would also call into need making college affordable. Students like myself who are lucky enough to go to college can often find themselves graduating with debt that will prevent us from bettering our lives and furthering ourselves. However, since many colleges are currently funded by the tuition from their students, it would be important to reintroduce the support of state and federal funds to counteract these tuition costs.

It is with this evidence, and with these suggestions of change, as individuals and as a society, that I hope everyone reading this can feel the impact and urgency that it has on your lives. If you are facing the obstacles of being a minority, if you are a college student like myself who is making decisions on your future based on your market value, neoliberalism affects you. If you are someone like my parents who has based their life and career off of what society has told you makes you successful or makes you a failure, instead of what you believe in, the neoliberalist system and its impact on society has affected you. Without a call to action, this system will continue to affect you, your children, and your loved ones. Reform can begin simply with thinking critically about the way you view yourself and the system in which we exist, and can spread into a community of people calling for change. Throughout American history we have seen the impact that communities of people have, versus the impact that only individuals have, on pushing for change and reform. As a community we can unite and challenge the previously unchallenged views of neoliberalism, in the hopes of bettering our own lives, careers, and that of our children and our community. We can normalize doing what makes us happy, betters our democracy, and helps our communities, instead of being pieces in a system that makes the wealthy wealthier, and the poor poorer.

I hope that with the call to action, with the demands of higher education and our society supporting education as a right, and with education being treated as a way for individuals to grow, expand, and become fruitful members of society, that we see a return to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. In the future perhaps our responses will be more similar as adults to the ones we gave as children, uninfluenced by market value and wages, and instead influenced by passion, desire, and curiosity. With your help in encouraging a change to how we as individuals view our world, our definitions of success, and the importance we hold on the marker and consumers, I hope that one day if my child wants to be an archaeologist like I did, that they will be able to pursue that dream. If you join to further unite as a community, and call for federal, state, and college institutional reform on higher education, I hope that my child and yours will then be able to go to college, to make themselves more understanding and rounded individuals, and graduate with the tools to expand our abilities as a country with no concern over college debt or their return on investment. Last, I hope that as a society we rally around those who have had historical and continuing hurdles placed on them based on their skin color and their neighborhoods, and boost them through our unity to a place where they can achieve the same goals and dreams that we all hold.

Works Cited

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Beer, Tommy. “Top 1% Of U.S. Households Hold 15 Times More Wealth Than Bottom 50% Combined.” Forbes, 15 Dec. 2020.

Blakely, Jason. “School Choice, Neoliberalism Hurt Public Goods and Education.” The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2017.

Esqueda, Ana Liliana. “NEOLIBERAL POLICIES IN THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM: IMPACT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS AMONG MINORITY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN URBAN CITIES.” ScholarWorks, Aug. 2017.

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Pinsker, Joe. “Are There Jobs Left for the Class of 2020?” The Atlantic, 22 May 2020.

politizane. “Wealth Inequality in America.” YouTube, uploaded by politizane, 20 Nov. 2012.

Redden, Elizabeth. “41% of Recent Grads Work in Jobs Not Requiring a Degree.” Inside Higher Ed, 18 Feb. 2020.

Rothstien, Richard, editor. “Racial Zoning.” The Color of Law, Liverwright, 2017, pp. 39–57.

Wendy Brown. “Wendy Brown on Education.” YouTube, uploaded by New Economic Thinking,

“What Is Neoliberalism.” Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice, Accessed 4 June 2021.