I work for money...

Ok, a little background on me. I am a child of the 50's and a card-carrying member of the boomer generation. I grew up in a blue collar family with traditional American values. My father was an entreprenuer at heart, interspersed with short stints working for others. My mom stayed at home and taught seven kids how to behave themselves and grow up to be decent taxpaying citizens. She was mostly successful.

I made it through elementary and high school in the normal amount of time and with reasonable success. Got married to my high school sweetheart very young and we produced three extraordinary sons. Went to a "big ten" university with the generous support of my beautiful bride and graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting.

I hate accounting. Hated it from my very first accounting class. However, it is an almost guaranteed ticket to making a good living. The primary purpose of accounting is to maximize executive bonuses by "fairly presenting" management approved financial results. I learned this very early in my career. It was an important lesson.

Every single chief executive of every single company is working for just one thing - money. Every other reason given for why they do what they do is secondary at best, and usually pure b.s. It's not about maximizing the wealth of the shareholders, being a good corporate citizen, or providing a balanced work-life environment for employees. It's about personal monetary gain.

I work for money. Always have. Its a good thing. It is the fuel to my American Dream - nice house, fun toys, great vacations, education for my sons, funding for the charities I support. However, it is only the fuel. It is not the dream. But it takes a lot of fuel...

Your career should be an even exchange of services for monetary compensation. Be crystal clear on the value of your services and sell them to the highest bidder. Let your boss know that you know how much your services are worth and that you expect full market value. If you don't get it, go some place where you will. It's a business transaction.

I am not jaded. Far from it in fact. I love my job and I have had a fantastic career. It has been fun and rewarding. In the end, however, it is secondary to just about everything else. So maximize your earnings to fuel your dreams. Don't sacrifice your dreams to maximize your earnings.