There are many questions I don’t know the answer to but really wish I did, pretend that I do, and can blab as if indeed I do but I actually don’t. There is a question in particular that we skirt around when talking about social justice work—how are we going to make money? Granted we don’t talk about it much because it’s  much more interesting to talk about ideology, politics, and intersectionality but maybe, just maybe, we don’t talk about it because we don’t want to talk about it. We don’t want to talk about it because there is very little money to be made doing social justice work. And if your decision to pursue a career doing social justice type work is not informed by the fact that it’s a pretty financially bleak sector (yikes) then you should really reconsider taking your priorities into account.

Of course, there are very successful people who make an awesome income doing social justice work. If you work with an established organization then you are likely to make a stable income. And yes, there are tons of entrepreneurial opportunities within the social justice sector that you can really capitalize on. But really, you are probably not going to be making six digit incomes and there is a real possibility that in the beginning you are not even going to be making a stable income.

I was rock climbing with my friend today and she was telling me about the internship she is close to securing with a nonprofit.

“That is really awesome,” I said.

“Yeah. It is. I guess,” she said. Her left foot seemed to effortlessly find a rock to land on while mine dangled aimlessly.

At this point my arms gave out and I dropped to the mat below.

“Wait what do you mean? I thought you’ve wanted this since high school,” I said wiping chalk from my legs unsuccessfully. She reached the top, climbed down a couple of feet, and landed next to me.

“It’s sounds really superficial but honestly I won’t be making much working there,” she said. After a pause she continued, “and I kind of want to be making more. And the thing is I know I could if I worked for a for-profit business. Ugh choices.”

This sentiment is not uncommon.

“It’s gotta be a choice you’re willing to make,” I said.

“Yeah I know. I think I’m willing. I’m not sure if I know that for sure anymore.”

Money is an issue that my friend is acutely aware of. She rented a room for the first time as a grad student and had to commute to go to work. Nevertheless hearing her say that was unnerving. We have very similar interests and I don’t think she is any less passionate about her cause but life happen and conviction wavers. It might and probably will happen to me.

Let’s talk about the money issue in the interest of helping people make informed decisions. I will be the first to admit that I’m young, hopelessly idealistic, and a little naive. It’s too easy to be in denial and to romanticize social justice work. We need to acknowledge that the cost of living is high in urban areas where the majority of social justice work is aggregated. Everything costs money. This is the reality. This is the outside world that someday we will have to step into when we leave the comfort of the room. When making the choice to work in social justice type careers it’s important to acknowledge the sacrifices that comes with that—being financially well off is one of such sacrifices.

Worrying about money sucks. It would help though if we addressed the money issue. I talk to my friends who are interested in working in the social justice field and no one has yet given me a concrete answer. I do see successful people in the field who make a decent living but none who do activism-oriented work which leaves me questioning whether or not it’s even a viable career path. It might very well be. New jobs are being developed constantly, e.g., youtubers who post videos for a living (like what?!). Yes it’ll take hard work, I’ve accepted that. I might as well capitalize on my youth while I still have it, while I’m not afraid of strenuous work, of long nights, of starting over.

I read an article, “Investing: I have $5. What is the best way to invest and grow my money?”, that really cheered me up though. These students literally made money from nothing but their time and ability both of which I have. The TL;DR edition is just look for problems, provide a solution, and charge for the solution. Easier said than done, like most things in life, but a promising start nevertheless.