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Mareen Dowd probably makes lots more money than you do... I don't agree with her politics, but I can admire that...

Yes, she probably does. But she is bitterly unhappy, and I don't particularly admire *that*. I figured out long ago that in order to make oodles of money, one *usually* has to give up anything resembling a personal life. You can aim for something less in salary and still live quite a good life.

Playing the MBA game might be fun while you are young, but I have seen it age people quickly. And in the meantime, I have seen women advance their careers enormously while young, and then spend multiple tens of thousands of dollars on the *chance* of getting pregnant later in life. You are meant to be more than a baby machine, yes; but you are also meant to be more than a cog in a machine run for someone else's profit. And there are rewards as well as regrets possible on either side. Don't jump to a conclusion before talking to people who have actually taken both paths.

Thanks for taking the time to write back!

Cheers!

I wonder how many eligible men between the ages of 25-35 would answer, "Do you want your wife to stay home, keep house, and raise your children?" in the affirmative? I don't see that. Most of them want a wife, if they want to marry at all, who'll raise their mutual standard of living. And a lot of men want a DINK arrangement. Of course, don't expect them to get the Operation...

"But she is bitterly unhappy, and I don't particularly admire *that*."
She's bitterly unhappy because she's a liberal, not because she's single...

"You can aim for something less in salary and still live quite a good life."
I'm sure that there's Peace Corp volunteers, nurses, teachers, and police officers who are happy with their lives because they chose their profession and are highly trained in it. However, I'm also sure that there's many factory workers, burger flippers, and Walmart cashiers who wish that they went to college... Frankly, I think that there's nothing wrong with people aspiring to be teachers or nurses. (I actually find male nurses and teachers extra sexy, because of their compassion for others). What I do find unsexy is someonme willing to spend their lives in a dead end, minimum wage or near minimum wage job. It seems like unfortunately many of the single men out there are just such types of people...

"You are meant to be more than a baby machine, yes; but you are also meant to be more than a cog in a machine run for someone else's profit."

I think that unfortunately many posters on this board see women as no more than baby making machines... I find it horrible in this day and age that men in the U.S. would be that offended by the fact that women have a career.

I do agree with you that people shouldn't be "cogs" in the corporate machine though. It's very important that people switch jobs (and perhaps companies) at least every three years, which is why I'm applying to grad. school right now. It takes about a year to learn a job and a year to make your mark on it... So by the second year one should be looking for more opportunities... This makes you in charge of your career, not the corporation.

"And there are rewards as well as regrets possible on either side. Don't jump to a conclusion before talking to people who have actually taken both paths."

I do have admiration for women who decide to take care of their families rather than pursue a career; however, I do believe that they need to have a back up plan so that they're not screwed if their husband dies or divorces them... Which is why I feel sorry for women who don't take the time to at least get a college degree in a practical field before getting married. Frankly, nobody should be getting married at nineteen years old.