We Need More Ambition - Moral Ambition

By Heiner Burkard

The new semester has barely begun, yet the rhythm of a student’s life has already taken over: looming deadlines, handing in assignments and preparing for exams. And still, many students already think about their graduation and what comes after. Between career dinners and networking events, there is almost no time left for reflection about one’s future. 

Our generation faces an unprecedented degree of choices. This multitude of opportunities allows young adults to shape their own path and discover their purpose. They have the world at their feet, are capable and willing to make a difference. Yet many of these minds disappear into what the author Simon van Teutem calls the Bermuda Triangle of Talent: Finance, management consulting and corporate law. This is particularly the case at a university renowned for its business and law programmes, educating a large number of students in these disciplines. 

Many of those are insecure overachievers: Ambitious and restless, forever chasing external validation. You may know the type. You may be one. Validation comes in many forms, but the most obvious one is being perceived as successful. Money and prestige often measure how successful you are in life.

These industries are not evil; they grease the wheels of our economic system, and their employees contribute significantly through their taxes. But these industries tie up some of the best brains of generations of ambitious, yet undecided graduates. At this very moment, when we are facing generational challenges such as climate change, inequality or social and economic division, it is something we cannot afford.

 Graduates often pursue these jobs not only for the impressive pay but also for the prestige and illusion of limitless choice. But considering the long workdays and the pressure to pull 80-hour work weeks, the pay per hour is not as great as it seems. If you ask the typical banker or consultant why they do their job, the answer usually is not because they have always wanted to work on spreadsheets or align logos on PowerPoint. The usual answer is considering a mix of the salary, the great exit opportunities and the challenges that push them and lead to self-improvement.

“But the most seductive bait is optionality”, argues Simon van Teutem in the Financial Times. Many graduates are not greedy but rather paralysed by choice. Companies seem to offer endless options. Yet many later admit the freedom is an illusion. Consulting, banking and law are seen as door openers, offering skills valued across industries. But in trying to keep every door open and not committing to one path, they get to a point of no return where they become unable to make a decision and commit. The issue is not that these careers are inherently bad, but that society bears the opportunity cost of misdirected talent. In a time of global multi-crises, we cannot afford to lose all our best talents in this Bermuda Triangle.

Rutger Bregman is a Dutch historian and an outspoken critic of those careers. Bregman calls for young people to not waste their talent, as our brightest minds face limitless choices yet still choose uninspiring work. He makes the argument for Moral Ambition in one’s career. It is a plea for measuring success or excellence not with money or rank, but by how much one contributes to a better society. 

Money, prestige, and options may lure young people into these fields, but institutions with moral ambition can offer something deeper: meaning, purpose, and real-world impact, even though they may not be able to compete with investment banking salaries.

In a typical career, a person spends roughly 80,000 hours working throughout their life. How you spend it is of utmost importance. Being morally ambitious is not necessarily about what you should or should not do, but the chance to make a real impact with one’s ambition. It can help you find meaning and purpose within a career, and ultimately is something that can empower you to a deeper form of freedom to push aside conventional definitions of success and make your own conscious and reflected decision about your life. The goal is not to judge those within the Bermuda Triangle of talent, but to urge society to direct its talents toward today’s grand challenges. Doing so requires society to rethink how we evaluate success and what we value about a career. Graduates, in turn, should look beyond prestige and money and ask how they can use their 80,000 hours for a meaningful contribution. Being ambitious is not challenged here. It is a good thing to strive for success. But we, as young adults, should strive to be morally ambitious and leave our mark in contributing to improving everyone's life.

Sources: Financial Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, 80,000 hours

Written by: Heiner Burkard

Edited by: Nina Gush & Sarah Valkenburg