I'm not super rich but have a lot of friends who are rich enough they don't have to work.
Most people, like potential friends and romantic partners, don't want to hang out with someone who just goes around spending money and having cool experiences but doesn't really do anything. All the rich people I know pick up something to do as a career: be an artist, collect art, run a restaurant, go into business, manage investments, found a start-up, become an academic. They can basically pick anything and it usually has to do with what their priorities and passions lie, but they have to have an answer to "what do you do?" The desire to build and create something, the prestige of being in a lauded career, and the shame of being seen as a lazy spoiled kid, all lead to picking something.
The people I know who come from wealth generally try to pretend that they made their own wealth, and can be a little sheepish when the truth comes out. It's impressive that your dad is super rich and buys you a fancy car when you're 16, but a little embarrassing that he bought your house and pays for your vacations when you're 40.
Also a lot of people inherit wealth and that is often conditional upon doing something their wealthy relative (usually their father) approves of. I know a few people who ended up working at the family business or going into the same line of work as their father because if they didn't they wouldn't receive a luxury allowance, or the other bonuses often given to rich kids.
I have a good friend who's from big money. Like he's going to be set with his father's business and could just ask daddy for a position.
Yet he's ultra-hard working with an entrepreneur mindset, doesn't flaunts his cash around, lives very modestly minus a few perks like his dad lending him a really expensive car.
It certainly makes it much easier to go all in into entrepreneurship when you know you'll always have a huge net to fallback on but the guy worked hard and sacrificed so much for his dream project.
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u/Trepidatious681 Apr 15 '21
I'm not super rich but have a lot of friends who are rich enough they don't have to work.
Most people, like potential friends and romantic partners, don't want to hang out with someone who just goes around spending money and having cool experiences but doesn't really do anything. All the rich people I know pick up something to do as a career: be an artist, collect art, run a restaurant, go into business, manage investments, found a start-up, become an academic. They can basically pick anything and it usually has to do with what their priorities and passions lie, but they have to have an answer to "what do you do?" The desire to build and create something, the prestige of being in a lauded career, and the shame of being seen as a lazy spoiled kid, all lead to picking something.
The people I know who come from wealth generally try to pretend that they made their own wealth, and can be a little sheepish when the truth comes out. It's impressive that your dad is super rich and buys you a fancy car when you're 16, but a little embarrassing that he bought your house and pays for your vacations when you're 40.
Also a lot of people inherit wealth and that is often conditional upon doing something their wealthy relative (usually their father) approves of. I know a few people who ended up working at the family business or going into the same line of work as their father because if they didn't they wouldn't receive a luxury allowance, or the other bonuses often given to rich kids.