For all of the soul-searching, job-seeking seniors.<\/p>\n
I have found that, upon graduation from a liberal arts institution, students are left with two common goals: \u201cI want to make a difference in the world\u201d and \u201cI want to make a lot of money.\u201d\u00a0 This is bound to happen because in any notable liberal arts curriculum, students are conditioned to be both socially responsible and professionally successful.\u00a0 More often than not, graduates are left choosing between taking that steady analyst position at a large corporate firm and teaching English in an impoverished South African village (believe me, I\u2019ve been there. Choosing to go to graduate school to postpone making a decision may not have been my most enlightened solution).\u00a0 These options might seem like completely opposite ends of the employment spectrum.\u00a0 The truth is, though, that being successful professionally (in terms of both job title and salary) and making a global difference are NOT mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n
Jobs serving the betterment of the community are not limited to government and non-profit organizations.\u00a0 Despite common misconceptions, careers in business have just as much to offer the global community.\u00a0 If a \u201chigher moral calling\u201d exists in the public (government) and social (non-profit) sectors, it exists in the business sector as well.\u00a0\u00a0 The truth is that \u201cYou can make a vital contribution in any of these three sectors, because all three are needed for a society to function well.\u00a0 (If just one sector is weak or absent, the result is usually a failed state.\u00a0 Think of the former communist states that tried doing away with private business, or the chaotic warlord states without effective government.)\u201d\u00a0 And while many are put off by the \u201ccorruption of corporate business,\u201d keep in mind that there are dozens of examples of both virtue and vice in each sector. \u00a0No one sector monopolizes either corruption or morality. It is important to remember that goodness lies within the individual and in the moral decisions those individuals make regarding their work, not in any particular industry.<\/p>\n