2014-09-13
Explanation
The Joke
A man tells a woman he is thinking about switching from engineering to getting an MBA. The woman responds with disgust, saying "Ugh. Welp, I guess I'll just rip this up. Really thought this'd be worth something." The man then says, "Ugh, dammit. I hate that you made those."
The caption reads: "Fun-time Activity: Create 'Rookie Cards' for all your friends."
The Humor
The joke plays on the concept of sports trading cards, specifically "rookie cards," which can become extremely valuable if the athlete goes on to have a great career. The woman has apparently made "rookie cards" for her friends, betting on their future career success. When the man announces he is switching from engineering (a high-earning, high-prestige STEM field) to getting an MBA (which the woman apparently considers less impressive or less likely to lead to greatness), she treats it like a sports card collector learning their prospect is a bust -- the card is now worthless, so she might as well rip it up.
The humor also pokes fun at the competitive way people evaluate their friends' career trajectories, reducing human relationships to speculative investments.
References
"Rookie cards" in sports collecting refer to the first officially licensed trading card of a professional athlete. These cards can become extremely valuable if the player becomes a star, making them a form of speculative investment in the collectibles market.