My friend wants to be a rock star. He wants to take the stage just hoping someone is there to listen.

He knows he isn’t going to make a lot of money in his profession, but he loves music and he wants it to be his life.

He has tried school. It wasn’t for him. He is good with cars, but he just doesn’t want to fix them for a living.

He’s smart and sociable, but he finds no more joy in the world than when he is jamming out on one of his guitars, a keyboard or any of the other instruments he has accumulated and learned to play.

I want to be a reporter. I want to talk to people and inform people of what is going on in their communities and hopefully learn something, too. I want to work in a small market where the emphasis is on the people first.

All of this job talk comes from attending the annual journalism job fair in Chicago. I interviewed with several newspapers, hoping they would show interest in me.

Just like my friend, I know I am not going to make a lot of money in what I’m going to do, but worse things could happen. Though money is important to survive, a $100,000 salary is not the most important thing.

All of us at Eastern are fortunate enough to go to school and earn a degree in an area that interests us. We have various majors and minors to choose from and several groups and organizations to get involved with.

We can choose what we want to do, and if we work hard enough we just might get it. That choice should be based on what people enjoy and not what can get them the most money.

I won’t be modest here. I do well enough in other subject areas to where I could succeed and make more money.

I’m guessing a lot of people who go into education could say the same. But those people choose to teach because they want to mold young people and prepare them for the future.

And do teachers make a lot of money? No, they should make more than they do. A teacher works just as hard as a doctor or lawyer but has less money to show for it.

Success shouldn’t be based on how much money people make or how expensive their cars are. Success should be based on happiness and people’s ability to reach the goals they set for themselves.

Although my friend may work in a bar, still live with his parents and drive an old, beat-up van, he is slowly but surely working toward a goal that will make him happy.

His rock star goal may not make him rich, or probably not even famous, but I believe he is doing the right thing because he is doing what he wants to do.

I may have to sacrifice another level on my house or settle for three-star restaurants instead of five, but if I’m happy and proud of what I do that is all that matters.

When I finally get a job offer at a newspaper, I will be a success because my simple goal will be met.

Everyone should have the rock star mentality when choosing a career. They should play on their own stages instead of a stage made of money bags and expensive possessions.