Your career choice shouldn't be predicated solely on earning potential. While money is important, it means little if you're going to be miserable. I started college as an accounting major. While few other career paths are nearly as lucrative and stable, I just couldn't see myself crunching numbers for the rest of my life. I switched to marketing, which wound up being a much better fit. Many factors beyond money merit consideration, like opportunities for growth, number of hours required, stress, and, most important, whether one actually likes the work. You don't have to be ardently passionate about what you do. After all, you're there to work -- not to have fun. However, your work should be tolerable; if anything, you should enjoy it at least a little. We spend most of our waking hours in the office. Doing something you detest for 40 or more hours a week translates to pure agony -- at least it would for me. One other important factor to consider: Do you su...

My biggest regret is not making more friends in college. As we speak, I only have three strong in-person friendships. I've known one guy for 12 years, the other for 15, and the third one since kindergarten. The rest of my friends are merely acquaintances -- people you say hi to on Facebook every once in a while or see only at special occasions. I'm the type of person who would rather have 3 really strong friendships than a slew of superficial convenience-type ones. Still, it would have been interesting to make at least a couple more friends in college and see if those bonds would stand the test of time, distance, and change of lifestyle. Let's face it. After college, our lives change, as do we. And once a spouse and kids are thrown into the picture, we may not have as much time left over for friends. Family comes first. I'm thankful for the opportunity to make so many online friends through this blog. I consider you all more than readers -- you're true frien...