Michael Berkowitz is paving his own road to finding the perfect job: sacrifice happiness for a high salary.

Berkowitz (junior-marketing management) said he is motivated by money, and to him, satisfaction isn't the most important aspect of a job.

Berkowitz said he has plans of becoming a lawyer and hopes to own his own law firm. He said being his own boss and making a huge salary would keep him happy, regardless of the job.

Berkowitz isn't alone. A study released last month by Experience, Inc., a Boston-based career services company, shows about 50 percent of students are dealing with school loans by seeking careers that offer large paychecks but maybe not pleasurable jobs.

"In order to be successful in this world, you have to make money," Berkowitz said. "Money characterizes the most powerful people in the world. Look at Donald Trump."

The study showed that 50 percent of students would accept jobs for money over self-fulfillment. Student loans influenced 27 percent of students to choose their career path based on post college debt, according to the study.

Anna Griswold, assistant vice president for undergraduate education and executive director for student aid, said tuition has risen by 5 percent each year for the past few years. She said the school is trying to keep tuition as controlled as possible but rising costs, like gas, bring challenges that the school must confront, which cause tuition to increase.

Griswold said 74 percent of students apply and receive some type of financial aid.

"Students are borrowing a bit more each year," Griswold said, "They're borrowing more in order to meet the costs."

Jack Rayman, director of Career Services and affiliate professor of counseling psychology and education, said money is a pervasive aspect of American society and he encounters students in search of huge salaries often.

"In our society, a lot of people are motivated by money," Rayman said. "Students are predisposed to look for a career where they can make more money to pay loans off faster."

Rayman said jobs like banking and consulting, which are associated with luxurious lifestyles, are influential to students seeking money. He said engineering and technical jobs are in demand and have a strong influence because of the higher starting salaries.

Dennis Chow (senior-business management) said he is not exactly sure what he wants to do after graduation, but said students mess up by going for nice cars and plasma TVs right after graduation instead of handling their post college debt.

"Don't engage in unnecessary spending," Chow said. "Give up the fun time for now and do it later."

Chow also said he is scared of the current financial crisis and isn't sure what the real world has to offer. Because "loans are a big thing," he said he would accept a higher paying job he didn't enjoy to get out of debt.

"I'd be willing to put up with a short-term job I disliked to pay off my college debt," he said.

"Most of my day is going to be at this job," he said. "So I don't want to be there if its long term."