Prosperity Assignment: Prompt #2

Brent Li

H Block

The Guide to Prosperity for the LHS Student

            Prosperity is wealth, and wealth comes in two flavors: monetary and mental. Monetary wealth is as simple as it sounds; it is an accumulation of money. Mental wealth, however, is a more abstract type of prosperity. This type of wealth is an accumulation of happiness through things that money cannot buy, such as knowledge or love. For the purpose of this essay, we shall focus on the first category of prosperity, which Webster’s Dictionary defines as “economic well-being”. If you are searching for everlasting love or the wisdom of gods, please do not read this essay.

            The Lexington High School student community is corrupted by the 21st century invention of the career. In the past (and still in the present, in some places), people around the world have flourished economically without the aid of a career. Hard labor, working odd jobs, and self-provision was all that was needed in order to prosper and ensure one’s wealth. Of course professions have always existed, but the newly accepted idea of the career makes having an occupation an obligation. Society is now expected to get a career in order to prosper. This expectation is nothing but detrimental to one’s wealth, as careers pose limitations to human life. Careers drive your future on a set path and disable your freedom of choice and change. Once you obtain a career, you are dedicated to that sole occupation. Thus, the LHS student’s mind is poisoned by the constant thought of higher education and succeeding academically in school in order to obtain these future careers.

What you, as an LHS student, need to understand is that wealth and prosperity cannot be promised by the thought of having a future career. Poor Richard understands this and believes prosperity can only be attained through hard work and dedication to the pursuit of wealth, not through the pursuit of getting a career. He understands the importance of jobs.

You may be thinking "Well, jobs are the same things as careers, right?" They are the opposite of careers. Jobs do not limit your choices but expand them. There is always an overabundance of work to be done and people are always looking for workers. Thus, jobs can promise wealth while careers cannot. Jobs provide instant compensation for the completion of a task, so instead of waiting for an annual or monthly salary, you could be getting your next part-time job, and more importantly, your next paycheck. Why are you studying electron configurations and atomic orbitals in chemistry class? You could be raking your chemistry teacher’s leaves while she lectures tirelessly to your classmates. You could be flipping cheap, pre-cooked burger patties at Burger King. You could be getting paid. Poor Richard declares that “he that hath a trade hath an estate”. If you want your “estate” − if you want your wealth − you need a “trade”. You need a job.

“Plough deep, while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and keep.” Well, an ideal job for you may not consist of breaking your back over a field of dirt, but the message in these proverbial words of Poor Richard still rings true. Work hard in your job, and you will be rewarded. You could start off small, with a more literal trade, for example selling candy in school. If you are truly dedicated to your pursuit of prosperity, if you really want that wealth, you have to come up with ways to make money. Selling candy is a great start, since there is a high demand for it in this school notorious for its lack of tasty treats. Most students in LHS who sell candy for their various fundraisers and clubs (whose participants mostly attend for the sake of aggrandizing college résumés) average about 20 to 25 dollars per bag* of candy they sell. If you can manage your product and maintain a steady stream of customers, you are looking at a nice income. With time, a profitable trade like this could multiply your prosperity, even for a high school student.

*not statistically proven

Though you are a student of the high-ranking, distinguished Lexington High School, there is no reason for you to attend school (except perhaps for legal reasons) if you do not love learning. As Poor Richard says, “learning is to the studious, and riches to the careful”. If you are the studious type, then study hard for the sake of knowledge and education. Otherwise, get a job and make that money you so desperately want.  Do not be educated for the sake of getting into college so you can get a career. Instead, work painstakingly, and with care, at your multiple jobs or at selling candy at school. This will certainly get you much richer than the other kids who are busy wasting their time studying in school for their hypothetical careers. Your financial wealth will surpass all others.

Still, once you acquire all that money and wealth, you have to be careful with it. Be careful with your money and with yourself; you need to be smart, save money, and not put yourself or your finances in trouble. Do not do anything to jeopardize your wealth. Do not spend your hard earned wealth on nonessentials. Follow the wise words of Poor Richard: “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship”. Fat wallets do not want to lose weight. 

The idea of working in high school is realistic, not radical. You will accomplish more financially by the time you would have graduated from both high school and whatever higher education you would have taken. Indeed, education is important for the benefit of getting a stable future career, but how accessible are careers anyway? High paying occupations and professions require outrageous amounts of preparation and prerequisites, and higher education will cost the fortune of which you are hoping to attain. If you follow all of Poor Richard’s advice, you will get your wealth. Your dedication and hard work in your various trades and jobs will make you the most prosperous student of Lexington High School. See you on the cover of Forbes. 

Note to Mr. Moran: I intended for this essay to have a somewhat satirical/sarcastic tone. I definitely do not actually recommend students to skip school and work at Burger King.