Children are told from a very young age to pursue a career that will provide them with a stable lifestyle. The amount of income you’re making should be considered when you’re thinking about what you want to do, it’s not something that should be a concern of a young child. 

When kids say they want to be an actor or a singer or an artist, they’re usually told that it’s a hard field to make it in and that they won’t make any money. All these excuses are made to tell these kids what they want to do with their life is out of reach, but this teaches children not to take risks. 

It can be hard to start out in these professions, there are plenty of extremely successful people in each of these fields. The only reason it’s hard to start out is because it can be difficult to get noticed, and these successful people are people who worked to get noticed.

Additionally, these professions can also start off as a side gig or a hobby. You’re allowed to test the waters before committing to these things as a career. You could be an engineer who also likes to sing at bars. You could be a lawyer who also occasionally does street paintings. You could be an office clerk who also participates in community theatre from time to time. 

It’s completely acceptable to do something you enjoy on your own time on top of work, so instead of telling children they can’t do these things when they grow up, we could instead tell them that they should start small and work their way up. That’s how most careers operate anyway, isn’t it?

It’s a bit different for jobs such as teachers, childcare workers, and animal caretakers because the problem isn’t getting noticed, it’s the lack of good pay. Parents tell their kids not to go into these fields because they won’t be happy and they won’t make any money, not because they think it’s a waste of time and energy trying to stand out in comparison to everyone else. 

Although the money can be lacking for people in these fields, if that’s something you want to do, you should go for it. People seem to put success and money in front of happiness, but if you’re truly happy in what you’re doing it doesn’t matter too much how much money you have. 

Of course there are pros and cons to every job, money being one of the biggest ones, however as long as you’re living a life that is sustainable to your standards, what your monthly salary is should not determine what you’re going to do as a career. That should depend solely on your comfort, stability, and happiness. 

Instead of telling kids they can’t do something when they grow up, give them advice on how to find something that makes them happy. Suggest ways to make up for a lack of income if it’s necessary. Support them and show them that no matter what they end up being, you’ll still be proud of them.