Lauren RabainoWhy do we attend college?
Well, I’m sure answers may vary, depending on the individual. Some may feel it’s for all the girls, and my roommates would say the Wednesday night beer pong league at Downtown Brew, but I’m here to tell you exactly why we continue our education. Taking nothing away from those two reasons above, we go to school for one reason.
MONEY!
Many of us desire the perfect job after four – scratch that – five years at Cal Poly. We have some idea of the specific industry that suits our fancy. Maybe we recently interned for a company or have been dreaming of a certain job for years. The world is our oyster.
The piece of paper you receive when graduation rolls around essentially ensures your employment somewhere. At least that’s the sales pitch our university makes. A degree increases your demand in the job market – it’s basic economics. That period while we all seek employment makes us free agents in the job market. Though the term is commonly associated with professional sports, it is applicable to all industries.
With A-Rod opting out of a $250 million contract, this topic will be prevalent until he signs his next mega-deal. Money-hungry athletes are driven to get that green, but aren’t we all?
To blame A-Rod, the employee, is just ludicrous.
I’m here to have “ego-driven, self-centered, never-shows-up-in-the-big-game” A-Rod’s back on this.
First off, we all need to throw this money thing out the window.
Get over the fact that professional athletes make more money than just about anyone else.
If we all could hit 55 home runs a year and win MVPs like they were going out of style, no one would make that much money. The job demanded in this industry would be diminished – again, basic economics. Since only one person on earth can perform this job, he’s compensated accordingly.
I’ll state a simple fact: If people pay a premium price to watch you perform, you will be highly compensated.
The average Joe is willing to pay top dollar to watch athletes like A-Rod perform. Consequently, he’s highly paid for his services, just like when the average Joe pays top dollar to see The Rolling Stones perform. This is a pretty basic concept that we tend to forget.
Average Joe does not pay top dollar to watch Mrs. Johnson, a third-grade teacher, shape our youth. He doesn’t pay to watch the local firefighter save lives. We all would agree that these jobs are more vital to our society than professional athletics, yet they make significantly less. This is just a reality.
People are astounded that anyone could demand more than $250 million, but it’s pretty simple – A-Rod thinks he’s worth more.
Of course, the key word here is “thinks.” Someone must agree to pay him. Athletes are employees, puppets to ownership. He can ask for a billion dollars, but that doesn’t mean he is worth that much.
He may only receive $100 million. The market will determine what he’s worth, not his own preconceived notion of his value.
Think about Peter who just graduated with an accounting degree from Poly. He’s in negotiations with KPMG on what his compensation will be. Peter could ask for a three-year, $1 million deal. KPMG could laugh in his face, or pay the man. KPMG determines what Peter is worth, not Peter.
A-Rod is taking a calculated risk by leaving money on the table, believing he can get more. He could ruin his knee tomorrow and never see that type of cash again. This is the risk he was willing to take, and I have to give him some credit for that.
Can you blame him for trying to maximize his value? The majority of us will do it one day while seeking our first “real job.”
It’s called life. This is a dog-eat-dog world – better get paid while you can.
This principle behind capitalist actions is what makes our country special. A-Rod represents every college student who asks for more money, but his contract just has more zeroes.
So I applaud this man for trying to get more, and so should you. You’ll probably be in a similar place one day. Remember that.
Good luck, A-Rod – I just pray my Giants don’t waste money on you.