Upward mobility has long been held up as a defining factor of generational success, especially in the U.S., where the notion of rising above one’s parents in socioeconomic status is central to the “American Dream.” Traditionally, this concept meant climbing the social stratum — gaining wealth, status or both, often through education or hard work. In practice, upward mobility is sometimes reduced to a simple metric: whether the next generation earns a higher income than the previous one.
Growing up, I have always subscribed to the idea that upward mobility is the expectation. It felt like a norm to me that everyone should inherently feel both propelled and compelled to earn more money than their parents, not merely as a way to give back to them, but also to show that the human capital and financial investments they made in us were worth it.
However, as the people around me enter the workplace and make career choices, I’ve begun to question this perspective. The traditional idea of generational success, rooted solely in upward mobility and income, feels increasingly outdated. This narrow focus on income neglects the genuine and often intentional choices people make to pursue careers that align with their values and passions, even if those paths offer less financial gain. And this seems especially true for Tufts students, many of whom are extremely mission driven.
When people are able to look beyond income as the sole factor of success and prioritize the value of their career as bringing progress, they may pick a career that earns less money for pursuit of greater mental satisfaction and fulfillment. These people are not necessarily failing at “upward mobility,” as they simply don’t subscribe to a framework of success defined by consideration of socioeconomic mobility. Instead, it reflects an intentional choice — driven by their own free will and agency. Frankly, given that these people already demonstrate such a strong sense of dedication and resilience towards their particular field of interest, it stands to reason that they would succeed at an extremely lucrative job anyway if they had an interest in that field. We should not feel a sense of chagrin for not reaching our parents’ income level if our pursuits are driven by passion and purpose. My biggest fear is when genuinely talented and mission-driven people force themselves into this concept of upward mobility, causing them to waste their potential and giving up more meaningful endeavors for a lucrative profession that makes them feel unfulfilled and tedious.
Of course, this idea of choice is largely privileged, and not universally accessible. The ability to enjoy the fulfillment of work comes from the precise safety nets that many of our parents have created for us, which doesn’t require us to rely on every paycheck just to maintain a certain standard of living for ourselves or our family. Many of us at Tufts enjoy this privilege, and with it comes a greater responsibility for us to make meaningful contributions through our chosen career paths and to move beyond the narrow, one-dimensional view of upward mobility.
