Risks and Rewards

Ironically I thought of writing a blog on this subject many weeks ago - I remember I was at my parents' house. However, this week at training, the subject was brought up anew.

So a bunch of us accountants are sitting in class and having a "get to know you" exercise in which we state what we would do if money and skill were not objects. And frankly I was amazed at the responses! They varied so wonderfully! And yet, it was kind of sad. Essentially all of us had these great ideas for what we'd do, but we were accountants. I mean, people associate accountant with boring, but we had golfers and crab boat fishers and clothing line designers and all kinds of things! These are people with dreams and creativity and hobbies.

My first impression was - "Man, we are all so greedy!" And can you blame me? It's hard to hear thirty people essentially say, "This is what I'd do if I didn't have to put food on the table." And there were some jobs that I think they Could have managed as a hobby or part-time job. I mean, if that's your dream - go for it!

My second thought was that the second part of the question was key, too. I mean, being a professional golfer pays well, so you'd never have to worry about that - but you do have to be good at it.

I've been thinking about what we get sensitive about, and why. For instance beauty, intelligence, and money are all really sensitive topics. And I see the reasons for that - you can't to a whole lot (not that you can't try...) to improve how you look or how smart you are. I mean, you can buy new clothes and change your hair style - even have surgery - but it's a lot of genetics. And you can go to college and get 4 Phd's...but will that improve your ability to process or learn if you didn't have the ability before? Or will you even make it that far?

Essentially, those are things we all want but can't change.
And money's almost as hard to change. I mean, in America the theory is that anyone can change their status. But in reality, you have to be given opportunity (or make it), and you have to have a goal and plan to get that way.

So I'm thinking of things we want to do - if money and skill aren't objects - and I think of the typical jobs that everyone says, "How did you get that job?" Acting...freelance anything...I would love to be a travel writer or book reviewer....being a pop star...things that can make you rich, you pick your hours, you get to do what you love....it's different for everyone, but the criteria are often similar.

And so are the barriers.

I had thought about the guy who made "Supersize Me." That was a huge risk - taking a month out of his life, eating just McDonald's food, and making a video about it? What if it didn't pay off?

So that's really the point! He took a risk, and he got rewarded. Now he has the fame, credibility, and budget to make documentaries over whatever it is that interests him! I, on the other hand, would be too afraid to try to make it big with a video camera and computer - unless I was doing it after work and not instead of.

It seems all the "awesome" jobs have that to some degree. Many wanna-be actors wait tables for years before they get "discovered." Writers live paycheck to paycheck until they get their first big novel and name credibility. And golfers? Well...you can only practice so much before raw talent has to kick in.

We could all live our dreams if we wanted to - we just have to be willing to take the risk. Economics tells us that you can't beat the market - believe it or not, the only way to strike it rich (invest a dollar and get a million overnight) is to risk a lot as well (risk losing that million and going bankrupt). There's no way around it. So there's no guarantee that we'll make it as actresses or golfers or writers - but if that's what we really want to do, then we can! And should! There's always a way...

But at the end of the day, we value security more. Men and women, accountants and non-accountants alike. We invest in low-risk, higher return careers, and I only hope at the end of the day we're just as happy as if we had been doing....that other thing...