Ever since we were little kids, we’ve been hearing parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and even random strangers tell us, “Hey kiddo, you’re pretty good with numbers, you should become an accountant,” or, “Shoot, you’re a heck of a speaker, you would make a great lawyer.” My dad even says, “You should become a doctor so you can pay for my medical bills when I’m old and senile.”

Blunt, right?

In other words, if you’re good at executing a minor task, you apparently possess the aptitude for a prestigious, high-paying job.

But why did nobody tell us to become a math teacher when we displayed finesse with numbers? Why were we not told to become a driving instructor who helps teenagers our age get our licenses after tearing it up in go-kart? Why were we not told to become farmers after successfully cultivating a garden with our parents?

After all, those jobs are every bit as valuable as the ones mentioned in the first paragraph. Their services are a large part of our society’s ability to function. Teachers help the younger generation prepare for the adult world. Without driving instructors, the roads would be full of crazy, unqualified, crash-prone drivers without professional help. And farmers stock up our grocery stores with quality fruits and vegetables, while also supplying our marketplace economy with much of its stock.

With all this in mind, why are we still turned away from these jobs and pressured to become doctors, lawyers or engineers instead?

The answer, of course, is money.

Of course, monetary wealth generally does make for a better lifestyle; after all, most of us would rather cruise around in a Lamborghini than in a minivan. And I’ll definitely acknowledge that there are people in dire need of money to make a living, and who would genuinely like to pursue a career that offers a great opportunity. But we simply can’t devalue less lucrative jobs — occupied by valuable people who truly contribute to society.

Unfortunately, we’ve become so caught up in this wild goose chase for more and more money that we now have adults telling their kids that, hey, the only way to be successful in this world is to go to a fancy Ivy League private university and land some super profitable job like a lawyer, or a doctor, or a businessman or woman. And though they’ve got good intentions, this way of thought has instilled skewed values into our youth.

These preconceived notions have us all convinced that more money means more success, and less money means nothing but shame and failure. It’s pretty materialistic, if you ask me.

If you’re doubtful that this is an issue we should be addressing, ask yourself why the National Public Radio, or NPR, observed a whopping 21.38 percent of college graduates majoring in business, with an additional 9.53 percent majoring in health-related professions, in 2011. These numbers are huge compared to the 1.80 percent majoring in agriculture, or the 6.17 percent majoring in education — a percentage that has dropped since 1970 from 2 percent. Is it because the latter two majors are less valuable, less meaningful?

Of course not — again, it’s only because the society that’s raised us has told us that social classes are ranked purely by income, and that being at the top of some grand financial food chain guarantees success, while being at the bottom only sums up to failure.

The reality is that the role of teachers in this world, for example, is just as important, if not more important, than the roles of doctors, lawyers and businesspeople. Teachers make up the Yellow Brick Road to ingenuity and the future. Without them, we wouldn’t have the educated minds to create any of the modern developments and new technologies that run our world today.

Would Elon Musk — the founder of Tesla and SpaceX — be where he is today if it weren’t for his education? Certainly not. Would students find success without teachers advancing our educations, through carefully crafted curricula — and later, letters of recommendation? Your answer, again, probably is a no. Teachers possess a lot of hidden power in our society.

Let me assure you that I’m not against those who wish to become doctors, lawyers, engineers or any conventionally “successful” occupation for that matter. If you happen to be fascinated with the law, and you’re one of those people who feel great speaking in front of a crowd, then I won’t stop you from passing that bar exam when you’re older.

But I would advise you not to force yourself into one of those occupations just for the money, when you feel yourself drawn to another that might so happen to pay less. Be wary of basing your success on the number of zeros in your paycheck, when your contribution to the lives of others is far more important. Just because someone doesn’t make as much money as another, in other words, should not mean that they are any less important to the world.

I can assure you that there is nobility in every single job this world has to offer. And so I want to ask you this: Do we want a man’s income to define his superiority or inferiority? Or should we base our judgment instead on his moral character, or his contributions to our society?

Because if we elect for the former, then we’re essentially dehumanizing him, stripping him of his identity and shaping him into a mere number.

Our society needs to change its definition of success, and this change in mentality can begin with our generation. Instead of devoting our lives to what our parents and other adults idealize as success, let’s pursue our own passions, talents, interests, regardless of how much money we can earn from the end result. Instead of asking how much money another person makes, let’s ask how they help the people around them. Let us value success by the goodness in one’s heart, and let us dare to be different from those that came before us.