<p>Are you a happy person now?
Will your career define you or are you looking for a salary that will afford you a comfortable lifestyle so you can pursue hobbies, have time for your family, and keep you intellectually stimulated?
Big picture: it may take you several job changes and relocations to find your dream job.
Small picture:your goals of finding a spouse, affording a house, living in the Bay area may seem unattainable since you are a a frosh ChemE at UCB.
Stop worrying.
Study. Good Luck.</p>
<p>Happyness is being content in any circumstance that you find yourself in. So a lot of happyness is state of mind. It’s been said many times that money can’t buy you happiness but it can remove a lot of things that make life unpleasant and it can be easier to be happy with less unpleasantness.</p>
<p>You may have a set of goals right now and would be willing to make tradeoffs to have certain things. Those goals and tradeoffs change through life and what you want most now may be a much lower priority in the future.</p>
<p>Expectations also play into happiness. If you start at a low state and things get a little better every year, then one can be quite happy. If you have a lot and lose a little every year, the opposite can be the result.</p>