Money Matters

William is a high school junior at a science and technology school. He has always loved science, and his interest in science led him to pursue research in high school. He is currently a student researcher at a nearby college, where he has had a chance to work independently on biology experiments. He says he chose to take the research position because of his “love of research.” However, William says that after he earned first place in a science competition, he became more interested in participating in research projects for the prize money. He says that some of the competitions he wants to enter do not allow research projects involving live animals, so he is willing to forgo the projects that most interest him in hopes of winning.

A junior in a high school focused on science and technology, William has begun to look at colleges and universities. Born in South Korea, he is seventeen years old, and moved to the United States nine years ago. William has enjoyed science and the process of investigation since an early age. For as long as he can recall, his parents have encouraged him to pursue a future in medicine. To achieve this, they urged him to get involved in math and science early on. Although this pursuit was initially his parents’ idea, William enjoyed studying science and math, and eventually became committed to these fields, at least in part because he excelled in them and was acknowledged for his skill and expertise.

In high school, William began to explore scientific research. In tenth grade, he took a pre-biology research class in preparation for enrollment in a biology-research program offered at his school. When the director of this program left unexpectedly, William searched for research opportunities on his own. Soon afterwards, he became a student researcher at a nearby college. He has enjoyed his research there because it has given him a great deal of responsibility and independence in conducting his biology experiments. Even though he is busy, already involved in several other extracurricular activities ranging from the math team to wrestling, he chose to take this position because of his “love of research.” 

After the completion of this research, William learned of a number of science competitions, and chose to enter his project in three of them. Quite unexpectedly, he placed first in his own state’s science fair. He explains:

“Well, I think it’s strange because … I really found out about it really late. Our science teachers gave us the impression that it’s like a game show, where everybody wins an award … I thought, I’ll just go, win some awards for biology or statistics or something like that, because that’s what people told me I could win. 

So I just went there, and I didn’t really expect much… And I won it. They picked two kids from the senior division to go on to Intel. And I thought I could do well in my category, but I didn’t expect to do that well at the whole fair, because there were a hundred-some kids from [my state]. And there were some really cool-looking projects that were totally beyond my poster, at least in appearance.” 

After this success, William had the science fair “bug.” He entered into two other competitions, and in one he received honorable mention. Although many would consider this a major achievement, William was disappointed. He expected to win again, especially because in this competition, he really put forth an effort and prepared. He has since realized that although the recognition in winning a competition is, in itself, rewarding, he is also interested in the cash reward. In fact, William admits that he is not particularly interested in doing research in certain areas, such as biochemistry, but is gearing up for it because he wants the prize money. He says: 

“And I’m really looking to do some other stuff with the biochemistry aspect. To be honest with you, it’s not really because I want to do the research, but … because it’s a lot of money with the scholarships and everything. So that’s one thing I’ve been trying to do.”

Interestingly, William also mentions his interest in money when talking about his future career plans. His interests have changed over the years. He describes his childhood interests as follows: “I totally wanted to be a research scientist … [and] … wanted to go into the Center for Disease Control and do research with the diseases and do that type of stuff.” However, as he got older, his interests changed: “I began to need a lot of money, and I began to see people’s nice cars and things like that … because as I grew up, I began to see the need for money and what you can do with it.” For these reasons, William predicts that he will become a doctor rather than a research scientist: 

“I guess being a doctor and not a research scientist, you make a little more money that way. And you get satisfaction from helping people out. So I think I’m leaning towards being a doctor, mostly because of financial reasons.”

Because of his interest in money, William does not rule out business as an option either: 

“It’s a possibility… because you make a lot of money, and I think it’s less studying than pursuing a medical career. That’s the impression I get … My friend … has his own stock company and everything … And he’s telling me, business is the way to go. And he’s like, ‘I calculated,’ and he told me how in thirteen years how he’ll have this much money. And he’s like, you’re going to be poor being a scientist or a doctor or something. And he’s always trying to convert me to that side, and—mainly because, I began to consider business, because I’ve had friends who are into it so much that they were trying to influence me all the time. And the reasons they give me are pretty cool. They are reasonable, and they do make sense and—it’s not like I’m stupid. If I work hard, I could get to the graduate schools and get to places—it is a possibility. The one thing that older people tell me is, once you’ve gone through it, there really isn’t much left but money.”

There were particular reasons William originally found himself interested in science and in research, and these reasons have changed over the years. Financial stability now seems to be the primary motivating factor.

What do you think about William’s shift in values? Have you noticed your values shift overtime while pursuing a passion or project?