Some practical words in our Proverbs as it relates to how we live out our lives and what kind of career paths we take: 

Pro 28:19  He who tills his land will have plenty of food, But he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty. 

Someone who is willing to do the mundane tasks like tilling their land, is not going to hungry, and this is also applicable to our career paths, someone who rolls up their sleeves and puts in work studying a subject or a trade will benefit in the long run, and it is not always going to be a glamorous subject, accountants crunch numbers all day, but that is also one of the most profitable career paths one can take.  Same with someone who cuts hair or mows lawns, those career paths are recession proof, maybe not glamorous like being a rock star or a football star, but they also ensure that the rent is paid and the power stays on. 

The second half of the verse is quite poignant in today’s celebrity culture, where we literally worship celebrities; the Word tells us “He who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty”; poverty in plenty, means broke, as in no money or means.  Given the aforementioned celebrity worship, everyone is falling over top of one another to try and become famous, and most famous people are in entertainment of some sort, whether it is movies, or music or sports.  The Word instructs us that the one who chases these fantasies is going have plenty of poverty, because the likelihood of anyone becoming rich and famous is like a million to one, it can happen, but far more often does someone waste their lives chasing a dream that just ins’t going to work out.  

We think back to Uncle Rico, the washed up high school football player in the movie Napoleon Dynamite, who was in his 30s and still thought he was going to make it in the NFL, or theirs some musicians that we all know who is middle aged now and still trying to get signed by a major label.  IT also relates to get-rich-quick schemes, where you share some post on facebook and make lots of money, success in life requires work, or being ready to till the field, and get their hands dirty and put in time, but the one who short cuts and chases frivolous dreams is going to be broke.