I first learned about the American dream in middle school – back then it was just another historical term to commit to memory and recognize come exam time. However, having been exposed to the real world, I wholeheartedly believe in the American dream and its existence today. My definition of this dream is in its most classic form – of starting out poor, working hard and becoming rich. It may be harder to achieve this dream today than it was 20 or 30 years ago, but it is still a living and breathing ethos. It’s my belief that there are many ways of realizing the American dream today. Two ways that stand out to me are through significant contributions in a growing industry or through a unique idea.
The first way is very straightforward – get a good education and find a job where you can showcase your skills, make worthwhile contributions and get paid accordingly. This was the route that I chose for myself. Having graduated in a time of economic instability and uncertainty, I have extensively studied and tested the job market. My findings reveal the obvious – it’s difficult to find a job and there is a lot more competition for any opening than in past years. However, there are several industries which have not stopped growing – most notably the technological and medical sectors. There are plenty of high-paying jobs with well-known companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. I went with this option and accepted the position of Software Developer at the Boeing Company.
The second way of realizing the American dream is to come up with a great idea, bring it to life and enjoy the riches that follow. I’ve seen numerous successful ideas that have realized the American dream in the past couple of years – Facebook, Angry Birds, Spotify, and many more. All it takes is to come up an idea – a mobile application, a cure for a disease, an innovating solution to an old problem – these will all lead to accomplishing the American dream and becoming rich. Many of my past classmates are growing their personal businesses and nurturing their ideas.
Going forward, I believe the path I took has opened of plenty of career opportunities and will allow me to live the American dream. Looking ahead at America’s future, I am cautiously optimistic that the economy will improve and that there will be a resurgence of believers in the American dream. There are simply too many problems left to solve and too many opportunities left for this statement to be false.