Before moving to Chicago to take a $12,000-a-year job as a community organizer in the 1980s, someone advised Barack Obama to go into TV broadcasting.

Why?

He was told: “Forget this community organizing business and do something that’s gonna make you some money”

Arguably, cutting his teeth on public service at the grassroots level has, in the long-run, been far more beneficial for Mr. Obama than if he had pursued a TV news career. The Democratic presidential candidate shared this experience in a commencement address he delivered to Wesleyan University graduates last week. He was standing in for Sen. Edward Kennedy, who was recently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Selflessly serve the underprivileged or earn lots of money. True, it’s not always a choice between the two. But, at least at the grassroots level — or the fresh-out-of-college-with-little-experience level — let’s face it: compared to other professions, neither public service nor non-profit work is very financially rewarding at the outset.

It’s a choice many socially conscious grads are faced with when deciding on a career. Even for the most selfless individual, it’s hard to accept that non-profit position if the salary is such that you’ll either be eating instant noodles for the next 30 months or living at your parents’ house for the next 30 years.

I do think my friends look for greater meaning in their jobs because they desire to make a difference. I have friends who are teachers, and some who work in state or city government, or for non-profits. They work hard; they leave their jobs exhausted each day. They take pleasure in their work, even if it means they’re earning less than if they had gone into something more lucrative, but perhaps less morally rewarding.

I also have friends who work on Wall Street. But then, there are the friends who are earning big money on Wall Street with the goal of starting their own non-profits in a few years. True story.

Does all of this sound idealistic? Naive? Crazy?

As Obama put it: “There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care.” It’s what makes the commitment from young people that much more important.

I guess the speech struck me because, even two years out of college, I’m still doing some similar soul-searching — what I can do to make a positive change, regardless of where my career path leads. As an undergrad, Obama was inspired as he followed the debates about poverty and health care and became involved in the anti-apartheid movement. So, he said, “by the time I graduated from college, I was possessed with a crazy idea – that I would work at a grassroots level to bring about change.”

Wouldn’t it be great if it weren’t just a crazy idea?

Tags: Barack Obama, college, finances, government, money, public service

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