# If you're so smart, why ain't you rich? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568 "2012-08-15T14:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/61 "2012-08-16T02:52:03Z")
I’m curious what “shitty things” people think they would have to do to become rich? I mean I’ve had a lot of jobs where I’ve had to work for bad bosses or work shitty hours or whatever. But certainly nothing unethical. How many people can honestly look at themselves in the mirror and say “that guy should be running 1000 employees”? ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/62 "2012-08-16T02:58:49Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I wouldn’t mind being rich, but I never had any interest in doing the things you do to get rich. In law school, it would have been easy to focus on corporate law, business, tax, etc - but the problem with that stuff is that it’s _boring_. And I fear boredom way more than being stuck in the middle class. Really? I’m starting 2L in a few weeks, and I have all three of those classes on my roster. I don’t play on going the mega firm route, but that sort of thing strikes me as fun! YMMV, obviously…just curious what sort of courses you found more to your liking. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mengvs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mengvs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mengvs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/63 "2012-08-16T03:40:02Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Every time you say this, a bunch of rich Dopers offer themselves as counterexamples. Why do you continue to make this claim when it’s been refuted over and over? Because it’s easier to swallow one’s lot in life if you can ascribe negative characteristics to the group you don’t belong to. “I may not be rich, but at least I’m a good person!” As if you deliberately refused that million-dollar cheque because you’re, y’know, _better_ than everyone else. :rolleyes: My husband and I do very well financially – he’s a dentist in private practice, and I’m a veterinarian who owns 4 clinics. ( **Crab Rangoon** says upthread that all lucrative careers are made of bullshit, which is close to the literal truth in my case.) But leaving the jokes aside, neither of us is particularly psychopathic; we worked hard to build up our respective businesses but it wasn’t the mindless drudge other posters in this thread seem to think it must be (both of us really love what we do); we give generously of our time and money to causes we think are beneficial; and neither of us comes from a particularly wealthy background. We also have a lot of outside interests and are lucky enough to have the money to indulge them, so tick the box on “having a life”. It’s funny how stereotypes don’t always hold up when you take a closer look at the people who are supposed to embody them, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![mengvs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mengvs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mengvs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/64 "2012-08-16T03:45:58Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > How many people can honestly look at themselves in the mirror and say “that guy should be running 1000 employees”? I think a few people in this very thread routinely look at themselves in the mirror and say, “That guy should be running 1000 employees… but he just chooses not to.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/65 "2012-08-16T03:53:30Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > What a lucky ducky! The real tragedy is all the jobs that went uncreated. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/66 "2012-08-16T04:06:21Z")
> [@mengvs](#): > > Because it’s easier to swallow one’s lot in life if you can ascribe negative characteristics to the group you don’t belong to. “I may not be rich, but at least I’m a good person!” As if you deliberately refused that million-dollar cheque because you’re, y’know, _better_ than everyone else. :rolleyes: > > My husband and I do very well financially – he’s a dentist in private practice, and I’m a veterinarian who owns 4 clinics. ( **Crab Rangoon** says upthread that all lucrative careers are made of bullshit, which is close to the literal truth in my case.) > > But leaving the jokes aside, neither of us is particularly psychopathic; we worked hard to build up our respective businesses but it wasn’t the mindless drudge other posters in this thread seem to think it must be (both of us really love what we do); we give generously of our time and money to causes we think are beneficial; and neither of us comes from a particularly wealthy background. We also have a lot of outside interests and are lucky enough to have the money to indulge them, so tick the box on “having a life”. > > It’s funny how stereotypes don’t always hold up when you take a closer look at the people who are supposed to embody them, isn’t it? Please don’t judge all of us be Der Trihs. But there is some reality in the jokes the rest of us are making. It’s annoying when wealthy pundits act like being rich is a path open to anyone - the implication being that poor people are poor by their own choice. It’s nice that you’ve been successful and I’m sure you worked hard for your success. But face facts - part of the reason you’re financially successful is because you and your husband were in a position to choose financially rewarding careers. Another couple with different jobs might work just as hard as you and make ten times your income - or ten times less. There isn’t a single key factor in becoming rich - it’s a combination of hard work and intelligence and good luck. Some people buy the right lottery ticket and do the whole thing on good luck. Other people put in lots of hard work and intelligence but just don’t have the luck. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/67 "2012-08-16T04:14:33Z")
And don’t forget the roads you drove on, and the bus driver who drove you to school when you were a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/68 "2012-08-16T04:44:28Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Every time you say this, a bunch of rich Dopers offer themselves as counterexamples. Why do you continue to make this claim when it’s been refuted over and over? Because I don’t believe them. If nothing else I doubt that many if any of them are really “rich”. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/69 "2012-08-16T04:58:24Z")
I have no marketable skills. And I’m a lazy bastard. ---
**Author:** ![mengvs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mengvs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mengvs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/70 "2012-08-16T05:09:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Please don’t judge all of us be Der Trihs. > > But there is some reality in the jokes the rest of us are making. It’s annoying when wealthy pundits act like being rich is a path open to anyone - the implication being that poor people are poor by their own choice. > > It’s nice that you’ve been successful and I’m sure you worked hard for your success. But face facts - part of the reason you’re financially successful is because you and your husband were in a position to choose financially rewarding careers. Another couple with different jobs might work just as hard as you and make ten times your income - or ten times less. > > There isn’t a single key factor in becoming rich - it’s a combination of hard work and intelligence and good luck. Some people buy the right lottery ticket and do the whole thing on good luck. Other people put in lots of hard work and intelligence but just don’t have the luck. I’m sorry I gave the impression of being judgemental of everyone here. That wasn’t my intent. My intent was to judge the _attitude_ I often see online (including in this thread) that having money is somehow equivalent to sociopathy. I’m in complete agreement with you that I was lucky enough to be in a position to choose a financially rewarding career (although that’s not why I chose it). Vet med is competitive to get into and I got in. But I would never judge someone who didn’t, or who chose to pursue a different career entirely. I would, however, definitely judge someone for implying that everyone who has money must have obtained it by being morally bankrupt, a soulless corporate drone, a lucky heir, or some combination of the three. That’s what **Der Trihs** was doing above, and that’s why I commented. ---
**Author:** ![mengvs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mengvs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mengvs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/71 "2012-08-16T05:13:16Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because I don’t believe them. If nothing else I doubt that many if any of them are really “rich”. Uh, are you implying that I came online this fine Thursday afternoon with the sole intent of masquerading as a veterinarian in order to win an internet argument? Because that’s kind of a dumb strategy, not to mention the strangest sentence I think I’ve ever typed in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/72 "2012-08-16T05:39:59Z")
> [@mengvs](#): > > Uh, are you implying that I came online this fine Thursday afternoon with the sole intent of masquerading as a veterinarian in order to win an internet argument? Because that’s kind of a dumb strategy, not to mention the strangest sentence I think I’ve ever typed in my life. On the internet, nobody knows you treat dogs. ---
**Author:** ![mengvs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mengvs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mengvs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/73 "2012-08-16T05:46:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > On the internet, nobody knows you treat dogs. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![kob09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@kob09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kob09)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/74 "2012-08-16T05:50:41Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > The White Man is holding us back! hahahaha nice As for me… Never wanted to be rich, rather lead a life that does not damage the environment. Probably the most expensive is to feed the teenager.. they eat a lot when they grow :eek: I can live without worries from the money I make and my house/land is mine, so even if I loose that job I can look at that rather calm, as my living costs are not very high without having to pay rent/mortgage. Don’t care about a shiny car or expensive clothes.. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/75 "2012-08-16T06:02:37Z")
I just don’t care about things like careers or money. I’m generally a very unmotivated person when it comes to anything outside my daily existence (which I am actually quite anal about - I eat and exercise fairly strictly, need a certain amount of free time for my entertainment and hobbies, etc). ---
**Author:** ![ClintO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@ClintO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClintO)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/76 "2012-08-16T07:11:07Z")
I came from a middle class home with parents who put me through college.(really fortunate) I started with zero dollars to my name but got a job in the production side of the oilfield through a friend (no degree required). I make a little over six figures a year out of college. Paying of debt as soon as possible, still living in a $500 a month apartment. If you start early enough (26 for myself) then I believe you can become rich. Rich to me = paid off decent house, a couple vehicles, and retiring mid- 50 something living on investments ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/77 "2012-08-16T08:17:51Z")
I handle funds in our private savings association, under my personal account. The amount is always at 7-figures, at the least. I can show it to any dimwit who challenges me. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/78 "2012-08-16T08:29:19Z")
A variety of reasons, I guess. I grew up in a working class family that never talked about money. Mum was a nurse, dad a mechanic. It was never suggested to me that I could go work in a corporate environment where good money was to be made, and I guess that’s because mum and dad simply had no experience/knowledge of the corporate world. I was bright at school, put in the top stream where instead of doing home economics, we studied Latin. Yeah, really useful. It was expected that I would go to university, but I really had no idea what to pursue, so I just did stuff that interested me and came out with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Education. When I finished uni, the only advice I got from my parents was to ‘apply for anything and accept the first offer’. That said, I’m now in a well paid job and certainly earn an above-average salary, but I know that I could have done a lot better in my career with a bit more guidance earlier on. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/79 "2012-08-16T09:07:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Bernstein: It’s no trick to make a lot of money … if what you want to do is make a lot of money. > > I’ve always wondered if that’s really true, or if it’s just a comforting something that not-rich people tell themselves. No it’s just a comforting thing condescending rich and the unhappy not-rich people tell themselves. The unhappy not-rich because then they feel like the situation they are in is one they chose rather than one they never had much chance of escaping from. The condescending rich because then they can kid themselves that people they sneer at for not being rich have only their own choices to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-so-smart-why-aint-you-rich/631568/80 "2012-08-16T09:53:58Z")
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