yuppies

The young, upwardly mobile professional was the defining American character in the 1980s, and caused us to coin the word "Yuppies." Today, the dominant trajectory is the reverse: Downward mobility, unemployment and poverty are the defining themes. We're in the Dumps -- so are Dumpies the new Yuppies?

One aspect of any really big decision is the degree to which it changes one's identity. The little decisions are things that can be reversed, replaced, or otherwise ignored, while the big ones leave their mark.For example, my college majors determined a large part of the path that my life has...