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?

Think back to when you got your first paycheck. Maybe you framed it. Maybe you cashed it and put a down payment on a new car.

Bet you didn’t think: “Wow! What a great chance to start saving for retirement!”

I’d venture to say that hardly any of my friends are thinking about saving and investing for when they reach old age. For Gen Y-ers, who tend to switch jobs every two years, even the thought of settling down in a permanent career seems light years away. So much for job security. So much for pensions.

I think most of us are conscious of the fact that we won’t have the same safety net to fall back on as our parents will when they retire. It’s a scary idea, but one that often gets pushed to the backs of our minds in the face of other matters.

Case in point: I talked to a friend yesterday who works two jobs. He bemoaned the fact that after plunking down money for various bills, tuition and car payments, he is basically living paycheck-to-paycheck. So, you can’t blame him if at the end of the month, putting an extra $100 into an IRA or a 401(k) isn’t foremost on his mind — IF there is even money left over.

“I try to, but then I realize I have no money,” he said. “It’s all gone.”

So, how do you convince a quarterlifer with a modest income to look 40 years down the road? I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s about setting long-term goals, like owning a house in Hawaii, and then realizing that there is no way you’ll achieve that goal unless you start doing something about it right now.

Here are some starting suggestions the experts have for saving:

1) Avoid running up high credit card bills, and pay off credit card debt. Consolidate student loans.

2) Open a high-interest savings account, and have a set amount automatically deducted from your paycheck and directed to it each month. Realize that time is on your side if you start saving early. Find a new appreciation for compound interest.

3) Open a Roth IRA and contribute to your 401(k).

4) Live with roommates to save on rent, or, if you are OK with it — live at home with parents.

5) Keep an emergency cash reserve that can go to pay for 3 to 6 months of expenses.

6) Check out this article from the Washington Post, which profiles three 20-somethings who are saving for retirement.

And if that doesn’t encourage you to start saving now, well, maybe this will.