Agreed. But it can't be ignored either. Money can't buy happiness, but lack of money can surely make one stressed. I went through some pretty poor times in graduate school (eating a two day old Hot-and-Ready is not a proud experience), but I always had the hope that that state wouldn't last forever. Hope is a powerful motivator, while its antithesis, despair, is the worst feeling known to man. I think in the what-shall-I-do-with-my-life caluculation that we all make, money should be a large factor insofar as one should decide what standard of living is acceptable, and then throw out all the careers that don't match that. If you are comfortable living on $20K, your options are obviously much more wide open than if you feel like you need $150k. There's nothing wrong with either, IMO....money isn't the only ROI that should be measured in this situation