Money

Money is a delicate topic of conversation for most people. The family bank account can be the source of heated arguments among spouses. No one really looks forward to bills and collection notices in the mail. Listening to people like Dave Ramsey can be uncomfortable at times and money is one of the top two topics that people dread hearing about in church. It seems to be a necessary evil though. Sure, we can do a lot of wonderful things with money, but often times it just causes us stress. This is especially true if you are young and in the first decade of the real world after school.

Why is money such a taboo topic? Is it because we grow up hearing incorrectly that money is the root of evil?  Is it because we are embarrassed by our debt or just insecure about our financial standing? Money is a part of our life and culture whether we want to talk about it or not. Money is often a big part of our decision-making process, and understanding that can help you make wiser decisions.

Career Path

Many of us make a huge financial commitment by going to college to get a degree in the field we would like to build our career around. I don’t think many college students understand the magnitude of that financial decision. In the brief amount of research I’ve done, anywhere from 60-80% of college grads do not find a job that directly relates to their field of study after college.

Beyond college, there are some jobs that peak early in regards to opportunities for advancement. If you’ve reached on of those peaks, chances are you will need to make a career change at some point if you want to have any significant increases to your income. Money is one of the factors that goes into deciding what to do next.

Where To Live

One of the effects of college students getting jobs that do not relate to their majors is the fact that many of them are moving back home with their parents after school. Over the past 20 years, the average salary for a new college grad has actually gone down by about $10,000. More and more families are renting instead of buying a house because they don’t feel like they can afford to own their homes. When families finally buy their first house, either the size of that house or the location (or both) is often greatly affected by their financial standing.

Who We Spend Time With

I know it sounds like the middle school lunchroom, but to a certain degree, the people we spend the most time with is related to where we are financially. Think about it this way: In a two-income family, both parents spend a majority of their days with their coworkers. Chances are that the people they work with directly are in similar financial situations as them, making about the same amount of money. In a single-income atmosphere, the say-at-home parent has the time and flexibility to hang out with other stay-at-home parents.

The other side of that is who we feel comfortable talking about money with. People who struggle financially tend to commiserate with others in the same boat. People who have extra money tend to talk to others like them about where they are investing and what new toy they are going to get next. Just like our career paths and where we live, money does not dictate our decisions and who we spend time with, but it does play a role in how we make those decisions.

Where Money is Affecting Me

You may be asking yourself why I decided to write about money. I don’t consider myself to be an expert financial planner or even in a place to make more than obvious suggestions to anyone regarding their finances. Money does affect me though. Over the past month, I’ve heard a few different times from people I respect that money should be a factor in my career choices. I’ve been working in churches either as anything from an intern to full-time staff member for the past decade. I’ve always been operating with understanding that working in a church is more about the ministry than the money I can make there. To an extent that is true. Church employees should not be looking to get rich from the church. At the same time, they should be able to make a comfortable living.

I was caught off guard the first time I heard someone say to me that salary should be a factor in making my decisions about my career path. I wasn’t sure what to say when he asked me if it was a part of why I want to do different things in the church. If I’m honest with myself, money is a factor that plays into why I want to change the direction I am heading with my career. I don’t wan to work anywhere other than the church, but I don’t want to do what I am doing right now forever.

In the end, it’s still not all about the money for me. The fact that I could make more money than I am right now if I had a different role is great, but that is not the driving force behind why I want a change.