Students should chase their dreams

Editor:

I was disheartened reading the article about Treasure Mountain Junior High’s Reality Town activity. I was an eighth grader at Treasure Mountain 2008-2009 and remember participating in Reality Town. However, the takeaway described by the students in this article seemed to be the fear of having an inadequate paycheck, rather than the possibility of being financially successful in life.

One student aspired to be an agricultural scientist, but now was reconsidering that career and whether or not she wants to have children. Agricultural science is a respectable and valuable career path, and I hate to think that she may abandon it. Two other students interviewed wanted to be a psychologist and a cameraman. Again, those students’ comments were focused on the lack of money. It might be true that these careers don’t pay as much as others, but that doesn’t make them less valuable pursuits. The world needs agricultural scientists, psychologists, and cameramen.

There is something to be said for having a stable career, family planning, and other forms of financial responsibility that Reality Town aims to teach. I agree that students should have realistic expectations of what they from their life, but they should be encouraged to value other aspects of their career as well, such as self-fulfillment and contributing to society.

Ingrid Jorgensen Park City