DR. WALLACE: I have an uncle who often tells me that I need to go into one or another type of business school at my university so that I can earn lots of money at my first job upon graduation. He tells me that in the finance industry there are currently several job openings at very high salaries. But my problem is that I'm not excited at all about a future of sitting in front of a computer crunching numbers all day.

Shouldn't a college student follow his or her passion, rather than the quickest and easiest path toward a larger potential cash flow?

I brought this topic up to both my parents and, interestingly, they were evenly split on the topic. One of them encouraged me to go for the money and the other one told me to follow my heart and my passions. Can you help me to break the tie here? — Planning My Future Career, via email

PLANNING MY FUTURE CAREER: Since you did not mention which parent was on which side of the debate, I'll break the tie by simply saying I believe you should follow your passions when it comes to selecting a future career, since most people have a working career that spans roughly 40 years! That's an awful long time to get locked into an industry that can soon feel like drudgery no matter what your salary may be. And just because an individual starts a job at a relatively high income, this does not ensure that the person will succeed in that industry and earn more money at it in the future.

Therefore, I suggest that you follow your passion and your heart if you have a realistic chance of earning at least a basic living during your first three to five years after graduating college. Over that time frame, you'll gain invaluable experience and discover many things about yourself and the industry you've selected along the way.

Then if you have indeed settled into the right industry for your personal situation that drives your passions, further valuable work experience will likely lead you to experience a breakthrough somewhere between five and 10 years into your career that could catapult your career forward exponentially. Good luck with your decision and your future!

I FEEL HIS DREAM GOAL IS UNATTAINABLE

DR. WALLACE: I know that you often tell teenagers that it is wise to set goals and to work hard at attaining them. But my best friend, who is 17 like me, has a major goal in life to be an all-star starting pitcher in major league baseball. He truly loves the sport and follows it quite closely all the time. He and his father often attend many major league games about a one-hour drive from our hometown.

The only problem is that my friend is only 5'5" tall and he weighs only about 120 pounds. He has tried out for our high school boys' baseball teams each year at our high school but each time he has been cut from the team.

I don't think he's going to grow much taller because almost all his family members are the exact same height he is right now. I don't want to spoil his dreams since he is such a great friend of mine, but I find it kind of heartbreaking to see him trying to attain a dream that is likely to be well beyond his reach.

Can you think of any other advice or encouragement I might be able to give him? — His Best Friend, via email

HIS BEST FRIEND: Since he is so passionate about baseball and studies it so carefully, perhaps you could encourage him to start studying to get on track to be involved in the sport in some other capacity rather than only focusing on becoming a player, particularly a starting pitcher.

For example, he might have the raw potential right now to grow into becoming a great broadcaster, or perhaps a scout or a player's agent of some sort. Since you live within an hour's drive of a major league baseball franchise, perhaps you could encourage him to seek an internship with this team at some point in time.

He may be able to adjust his dream goal from being a player to being involved in a great career in a sport he is so passionate about that any job he would secure within this industry would be a joy for him to spend a lifetime working at.

As his good friend you can definitely encourage him to look into some or all of these possibilities, as they may indeed be quite suitable for him.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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