career vs. the real world

Most people would think of the "real world" (not the stupid MTV show) as the job world, the place where adults put on their business clothes and put in their 9-5 and then go home. I've been thinking lately about how misconstrued this conception really is. Only a small percentage of the world's population actually gets up and goes to work in an office every morning, so why is that considered the real world?

It's been drilled into me since day 1: go to school, learn what you need to get a good job, save up lots of money, and then you get to do whatever you want when you're old. This was presented to me as the perfect life plan. Occasionally, phrases like "find your passion" and "do what makes you happy" were thrown in, but, for the most part, the focus is the career. Well, what if I don't want to have a career? What if I really hate dealing with business and money and business-people? All the adults in my family would likely consider that to be immature talk and, trust them, I'll want all those things when I get older. Plus, you're going to have to deal with all of those things for the rest of your life. That's just the way life is.

I'm finally discovering that the business world really isn't "life" for most people in the world, and I'm tired of being deluded into thinking it is. I don't want to concern my entire life with only the people of a small percentage of the population-- the people at the very top. I want to informed and involved with the real "real world."

All this to say that I've really been contemplating my college education and what I'm called to do with my life. I've come recently to the conclusion that I want help people be better in the best way that I can. I want to find what I'm good at and use everything I have to love people with all that is in me. And maybe that sounds broad and naive and idealistic, but it's the first time in my life that I've ever felt so much passion for anything, and I'm going to follow it as far and as enthusiastically as I can.