Graduates of elite liberal arts colleges earn less than graduates of elite universities, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal. “Administrators at some liberal arts colleges say the disparity can be explained in part by the fact their students are following passions that may not yield high earnings….”

This is an important insight. We have in the United States intentional underemployment. Some people do not want to achieve the maximum possible income.

There are still hippies, but many call themselves minimalists. They don’t want too many possessions and value free time more than money. Even some who would not go to extremes of low consumerism prefer quality of life to quantity of money. I know of a woman who graduated from college, went to work for a large corporation, was promoted twice—and then moved to Montana to become a massage therapist. She lowered average income in America, but she said she was happier. I cannot deny her words.

At a lesser degree, we have the fellow whose old pickup truck sports the bumper sticker “The worst day fishing is better than the best day working.” He eschews overtime, is not interested in promotions if they mean longer hours, and takes every day off that he can.

On the other hand, we have people who like to work and to make money. In Portland there are bus drivers who work enough overtime to make over $100,000 a year. Then we have medical doctors who work 80-hour weeks and pull down huge amounts of money.

When a society is poor, everyone has to work hard. As the United States has grown in income, people have more choices. Oberlin grads, according to that Wall Street Journal article, have median earnings of $38,000 ten years after graduation. So far as those earnings result from voluntary choices, there is no social problem.

The national debate about income distribution ignores the wide variance of desire for money. Some people use money as a badge of honor. Others enjoy work intrinsically, often earning large amounts for doing what they consider to be fun. Some are more motivated by public service or fishing. That is not a problem. In fact, it’s something to celebrate. People are different, and in a prosperous society those differences can manifest themselves as below-average incomes without anyone being destitute. Let’s celebrate intentional underemployment.

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