At some point, we all need money. Some of you will need more than others, some of you will have more than you need, and some of you will never have enough.

Where will your money come from? By now you probably know that it doesn't grow on trees. I'm sure your parents have reminded you of this more than a few times. Assuming there's no money tree in your backyard, your money can come from four places: you will either earn it, inherit it, marry it or steal it. Since stealing is illegal, marrying is unlikely and inheriting it takes forever, it is safe to say that 99 per cent of you will have to earn your money. Sorry to deliver the bad news.

Having been dealt that dose of reality, the real question now is, "How will you earn it?"

Before we address that question, let's consider another one: "When will you earn it?" This one's a little easier to answer. Most of you will earn it 40 hours a week, for 50 weeks each year, between the ages of 22 and 65. We're talking about 86,000 hours of your life!

Since most of us don't like to spend one hour doing something we don't enjoy, I'm sure you can see the importance of choosing the right job. Trust me: 86,000 hours is a long time to be miserable. Your choice of careers is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make - and no one else can make it for you.

Now the big question: How will you earn your money? What will you do for a living?

Just think of this as a multiple-choice question on a test. To help you out, I'll give you the wrong answers first.

Wrong Answer #1

I want to be a lawyer because my mother is a lawyer.
or
I want to be a teacher because my father is a teacher.

First, understand that I am not picking on lawyers and teachers. Both are respectable and admirable professions. I am simply using them as examples. This message applies to all professions.

Second, if your parents are lawyers and teachers, they may be very good ones. But that doesn't mean you will be good at either profession. Nor does it mean that you will be happy with either one of those careers. On the other hand, having a parent who is a lawyer or a teacher doesn't mean that you'll be unhappy or unsuccessful with those careers either.

The point is, having parents who are teachers and lawyers doesn't mean anything about your future career. It simply means that you have parents who are teachers and lawyers. A lot of people make the mistake of choosing the same career as one of their parents. Watch out. This could be an 86,000-hour mistake.

There are some things in life that you will inherit from your parents, like the color of your eyes or the size of your nose. These are things you can't control. The career you choose is not inherited. This is something you can, and should, control.

Wrong Answer #2

I want a job that will make me rich.

What is rich anyway? That is something you have to figure out for yourself. If rich is money, when is enough really enough? Will $1 million be enough, or will you need $10 million? Be careful. The money chase can be dangerous, much like a roller coaster at the amusement park. Once you get on, you can't get off, and when you finally do stop, sometimes the ride has made you so sick it wasn't really worth it.

Money can and should be the result of your work, but money should never be the reason for your work.

Wrong Answer #3

I want to be famous.

As with money, there's absolutely nothing wrong with fame - as long as it is the result of your work and never the reason for it. It is possible to be famous and happy, but fame cannot make you happy. I wish you could ask Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley or Kurt Cobain if fame made them happy. Unfortunately, they all checked out early.

Choosing a job is a huge decision. Some estimates say that 75 per cent of all workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. That's a scary thought. The average worker now changes careers - not just jobs, but careers - three or four times before retirement. (There's that word "average" again.)

When it came to choosing a career, I was very fortunate. I worked in the same industry, with the same people, for 13 years. It was the only full-time job I ever had. As those 13 years flew by, I watched too many of my friends hate their jobs, change their jobs and not have jobs. It was only after I stopped working that I began to understand why my 13-year career was so incredible.

Since I gave you all the wrong answers, I might as well give you the right answers, too. I wish I'd had these answers when I was a teenager.

Right Answer #1

I am choosing a career because I
have the natural talents to do the job.

Every one of you is blessed with natural talents. They are innate. You are born with them and you are stuck with them, whether you like it or not. Tiger Woods' natural talent is golf. Janet Jackson's is music. I have a feeling they like the natural talents they got stuck with.

When you start working, it's important to do something that uses your natural talents. The bad news is that your natural talents are not listed on your birth certificate so some of you may not know what they are. The good news is that the next chapter will show you how to uncover your natural talents.

Right Answer #2

I am choosing a career that I have tried.

You know how you feel about school because you've tried it. You know how you feel about MTV because you've watched it. You know how you feel about your parents because you've tried them. Obviously, the odds of liking your job are much better if you've tried it. Unfortunately, most people don't try enough jobs before they have to choose one. Fortunately, one of the next chapters is all about trying jobs.

Right Answer #3

I am choosing a career that will allow me to pay my bills,
save some money and still maintain the quality of life I need.

This is a tough one for some young people to understand. Society is always telling you how important money is, and now I'm stepping up and telling you it just isn't true. You will probably have to figure this one out for yourself. As you go about this, though, remember my friend who blew his brains out. He was confused. He thought money made the world go around.

On the subject of money, I can promise you this:

A. If you do what you love, the money will follow.

B. Money is only good for two things:

1. To provide you with all the material things you need - but not necessarily all the material things you want.
2. To do things for others who may be less fortunate than you.

This should be the easiest test you've ever taken. All the answers have been provided.

Enjoy your 86,000 hours.