I think it's fundamentally messed up to measure your success based on how much money you make. It reminds me of http://xkcd.com/59/ .
The work should be the reward itself. You shouldn't be creating a product because you think it will make you $$$. You should be creating a product because you think it will have a true and substantial positive impact on the world.
I remember when I visited France, one of the things that really struck me, was the number of shopkeepers I met, who owned their shop, often selling stuff they had a hand in manufacturing, and had decided that this was what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives -- to create something beautiful and share it with others who could appreciate them.
the american people are a fearful people. they don't want lifestyle jobs, they want jobs that they will be able to get rich at so they'll have financial security.
Is this attitude because they know that if you get old and have no money in america there will be no one to look after you? I don't know.
The work should be the reward itself. You shouldn't be creating a product because you think it will make you $$$. You should be creating a product because you think it will have a true and substantial positive impact on the world.
I remember when I visited France, one of the things that really struck me, was the number of shopkeepers I met, who owned their shop, often selling stuff they had a hand in manufacturing, and had decided that this was what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives -- to create something beautiful and share it with others who could appreciate them.