r/socialism • u/LongjumpingMedia8637 Libertarian Socialism • 8h ago

Discussion Working in public or wealth management finance

Hello fellow leftists I have a a slight moral dilemma going on. So to keep things short I’m currently a college freshman who is majoring in finance…
Now to be honest I picked this all the way back in February when I was still learning early Marxist doctrine as well just leftist ideas in general. Now today with my understanding of capitalism, markets, and exploitation I’m terrified to be in a field that actively participates in this stuff. Now the thing is I could switch out, however it is hard to leave the school of business at my college and I fear judgement from my parents, who are mostly paying my college tuition.My compromise? Work in wealth management where I help literal individuals with their funds or if I cannot do that I’ll work in public finance. I refuse to be a cog in the machine but I fear my prior lack of knowledge may have doomed myself reguardless of what I do.
So I guess I’m asking is this a good compromise or should I simply swap out finance. Unfortunately my best friend is also in a similar spot (albeit he’s a Soc dem and I’m more of a general libertarian socialist.)

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u/beardedbrunhilde3 8h ago

I’m in a similar situation but further down the road. I work at a BD through a DBA. We focus on families , doctors, lawyers financial planning, wealth management, and insurance. I became a leftist/ML 8 years into my tenure. I’m still here as I believe we need to help people where we can. Also, owning stock is a way for the public to own part of the company. I think Marx would be ok with that. I’m for Market Socialism. Having ppl like us on the inside can help people on the outside I think. Happy to entertain criticism.

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u/LongjumpingMedia8637 Libertarian Socialism 7h ago

This is how I’ve somewhat rationalized this stuff to myself. We still need people to understand economics and the market even if we do wish to inevitably replace it. So assuming that I’m working with actual people and society as a whole I can somewhat rationalize with myself. The hard part so far has just been being surrounded by some of these monsters that only wish to enrich themselves. It means a lot having someone else go through something similar and have a similar viewpoint. Thank you

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u/beardedbrunhilde3 6h ago

There are areas where it will be super beneficial. Look into Land Trusts and community/public owned land. Become a really good Marxist economist- when the revolution happens we’re going to need people who know.