There was some rumour recently in the Netherlands about this chap who had graduated from his secondary school cum laude. So many nines, so many tens on his final degree (a ten being the highest). What did he want to become?

A bus driver.

When this diary talks about social mobility, the underlying assumption is that people want to go up the social ladders, and not down. Of course going down is generally easier and with less blockades hence we don't talk about it too much.

Not being anymore in the Netherlands I didn't really experience the whole ruckus around the Dutch future-bus driver - but the fact that there was ruckus and I read about it made we wonder. What was so puzzling that someone wanted to become a bus driver? Clearly this guy's talent could be put to work on other places but perhaps he sees no difference in, say, becoming a politician or a bus driver. A politician is supposed to take responsibility of the people of its country; a bus driver takes responsibility of the people inside its bus. Difference in quantity - but different in utility? Both professions are responsible for people. I hope the guy just picked what he thinks makes him happy. Perhaps within 5 years time he's going bonkers behind the steering wheel, but that's then.

But this is how I'd like my society to be: no one should look up estranged that someone wants to climb down.