Vocation vs. Income

In my country, the school year is half over with, and we are taking a break from all the hum-ho of daily homework, research and pop quizzes. The countdown to Christmas has crystallized down to days, when before it was the weeks and the months.

While freshmen, my co-Sophomores, and Juniors are resting back on their couches and beds and enjoying the well-deserved two-week break, I'm sure one or two, or probably thirty, Senior High School students are itching their heads to the point of bleeding. And, no, they are not suffering from a bad case of dandruff. Up until now, many Seniors still do not have an idea as to what course they'll be taking up in college. A select few may have their crosshairs set firmly on a career of their choice already, many are still wandering and looking for a goal on which to set their sights.

The main reason not many fourth-year students have chosen a course to take up yet is the dilemma between vocation and income. In this fast-paced, man-eat-man world, there's no denying that money at least helps make the world go round. Yet this need for money can interfere with ambition.

Case in point? Arguably the most popular course in college nowadays (at least where I live) is Nursing, because of the myriad opportunities abroad that come with the package. But the thing is, not everyone is comfortable with seeing blood everyday nor having to inject a foot-long needle into a frail patient's arm. I actually know someone who was merely forced to take up Nursing by his parents, and if I know anything about cases like those, it was because Nursing brings in the big bucks.

So, it's your take: would you take up a course you love, or a course that would land you a decent job?