CAREER SUCCESS IN AMERICA (November/December 2001 Issue)

Sometimes I wonder how families in the US can possibly live up to The American Dream. Big single-family home, mountains of toys for children, cars, bikes, vehicles everywhere, then travel to faraway places. The pressure to "look" as though you’re doing well is overwhelming. Even when maxed out on your credit cards, and wondering how long your paycheck will survive the stock market dives, and when, not if, you will get laid off, you still gotta keep up the front.


How does the typical family, with little or no support, financial, emotional, child care or otherwise, endure these pressures? Most people are still living paycheck to paycheck. When the bottom drops out, panic kicks into high gear.

How do the adults in a household show up at work in a calm frame of mind after they’ve just looked at their credit card bills? The furniture is being paid for in monthly installments, and each month they put their creditors in a hat and pull out one or two as the designated bills to be paid.

Even when a family is on the edge of financial trouble, they still spend what they don’t have. Why? More and more money is devoted to "needs" that have been foisted on people by the advertising culture. Do we "need" four vehicles, so that every driver in the family can have their own? Do we need clothing to "look" rich in case someone important might notice us? Do we need the latest computer upgrade so we can talk the talk with our buddies? Do we "need" to buy our kids "things that dance funny" or other ridiculous toys that they soon throw into a closet?

I read somewhere that the average college graduate is $5400 in debt by the day of graduation, not counting student loans. People of all ages often push their credit cards to the limit to buy self-indulgent products that advertisers tell them they must have. You live high on the hog until the hog eats you.

The millions of people in debt are greatly skewed in their choices of careers. They get themselves in such money jams that dollars often become the only consideration when choosing employment. How can a career counselor ask clients about other "values" when creditors are barking at their door?

I feel for the people in America whose wages are so low they need two full-time jobs just to eat and have a roof. And I feel for those who are so seduced by the "have everything" lifestyle portrayed by television that they keep themselves forever in hock.

The typical American family is often hounded into debt by Television and its advertisers. They would have us believe we’re not "making it" unless we buy the red hot cars, wear designer clothes, and have a 9600 horsepower computer in every room. And while you’re at it, better get that cosmetic surgery so you’ll keep striving to look as good as the dressed-up faces and bodies on TV.

I think we need a good recession where people ignore the bleating of advertisers, pay off their debts, and live within their means. The Economy of Self-Indulgence would suffer temporarily, but eventually we’d have a saner, less anxious population. Practice TV Celibacy. Move around outside without a golf cart. Take in the joys of the natural world.


Voluntary simplicity is a new concept, but it may be just what people need to broaden their career choices. By cutting themselves loose from advertisers’ manipulations, people would have fewer money worries and greater freedom to do the kinds of work that express their core values.

Is it anti-American to talk about spending less? No. It’s very much American to want people to have as much freedom of career choice as possible. Living within one’s means makes this more likely to happen.