It sounds to me like you have developed the right mindset. If you listen to people around you, you end up horribly in debt and miserably committed to a job you despise. There is a lot of value in an English degree. I taught ELL for years in South America, and it also opens the door to a variety of writing jobs. I did have to teach myself finance though, because although many English related jobs are stable, they aren't as lucrative as... being the coach of a college football team (which is revered above all things for some reason). Whenever I catch anyone judging me, I take a moment to assess their lives, their broken marriages, their miserable jobs. If you're being judged by people like that, you must be doing something right! Thanks for the comment!