People who pursue a career which fulfills them personally...

[Japher]

If everyone made a lot of money then the money wouldn't have any value... and probably be called lira

[KrazyHorse]

Makes no sense. There are real productivity gains to be had in addition to nominal changes.

[Hauldren Collider]

Question. Is this selfish?

Let's say you have this great idea for an invention. You work in your mom's basement living off your dad's salary and invent the silicon transistor. You revolutionize the world with your miraculous invention. Are you still selfish?

(I know this is not how the transistor was really invented. That's not the point.)

[BeBMan]

Anyone who pursues a career is a selfish bastard - FACT!

[Hauldren Collider]

huh? who says that?

[Wiglaf]

The obvious flaw in douchebag Krazyhorse's pathetic attempt to rationalize his soullless career is that some careers have a bigger impact than your minimal additional tax expenditures from taking a higher paying job. Wiglaf WIN

[Hauldren Collider]

I think that's roughly my counterargument with the transistor story.

[Kuciwalker]

instead of monetarily are the most selfish people in the world.

People who pursue the highest-paying career are to be lauded for their selflessness.

Discuss.

If there's no arbitrage then no one is selfish or selfless, because the labor is being exchanged for exactly its monetary value.

[KrazyHorse]

The obvious flaw in douchebag Krazyhorse's pathetic attempt to rationalize his soullless career is that some careers have a bigger impact than your minimal additional tax expenditures from taking a higher paying job. Wiglaf WIN

People get paid their marginal product, to a good approximation.

[Hauldren Collider]

Still, KH, is Transistor Nerd selfish?

[KrazyHorse]

If there's no arbitrage then no one is selfish or selfless, because the labor is being exchanged for exactly its monetary value.

Kuci, you're ignoring the presence of a tax wedge.

[KrazyHorse]

Still, KH, is Transistor Nerd selfish?

People are overly optimistic, so yes.

[Kuciwalker]

Kuci, you're ignoring the presence of a tax wedge.

But we always assume there are no taxes in my intro to financial math class.

[Cort Haus]

Neither premise makes a great deal of sense to me. Those to be lauded are those who do a good job at whatever they do, and whatever the level. The selfish are those who produce ****-all relative to what they get paid. All wealth, including that diverted into taxation, comes from the value-adding process of production of goods and services.

From each according to their ability etc. It's really very simple.

[Dinner]

instead of monetarily are the most selfish people in the world.

People who pursue the highest-paying career are to be lauded for their selflessness.

Discuss.

I have two really good friends who have master's degrees in electrical engineering but decided to go back to school to get MBAs to make more money (one graduated from Harvard B school and the other Northwestern). They're both working in finance now (one in NYC and the other in LA) but both of them hate the hours they have to work (around 90-100 per week) and both are on the verge of divorce since their wives never see them. Personally, I don't think the money is worth the set backs in your social and personal lives especially since with a decent degree you can easily make low six figures and only work 40-50 hours per week.

Besides the really big money is in starting your own firm.