Steve Henning
Special to In Motion
Money is something we all know, whether we hate it, love it, or take it for granted. Students can especially relate to it in some form or another, usually because we never have enough.
On a larger scale, it is unfortunately quite important today. It’s behind every major scientific breakthrough, political campaign, or more simple, it’s the paper you buy a beef stick with.
But I’m here to tell you that jobs shouldn’t be just about the money. Realistically, the purpose of a job is to make a decent enough wage to pay for the bills as well as other expenses such as buying a house. It may be considered a no-brainer why we’ve all been taught at an early age to get a good paying job and that we all should consider becoming doctors, lawyers or nuclear physicists. While those might be dream jobs for some, they would be grueling for anyone who isn’t built to wait on sick people all day or listen to people’s problems or who aren’t good at higher math.
Aside from money, work should be something that excites you. It should be something that gives you enjoyment, while at the same time fulfilling a purpose in the role of society. Young people tend to care too much about money. An payroll specialist told an editor of Indianapolis Monthly that the people they admire most are those who do the most physical, demanding labor and get paid the least — housekeepers, laundry workers, food-service employees and nurse’s aides. Taking home $300 or $400 every other week, most of us wonder how they survive. But it’s the highest-paid people who, if something goes wrong with their paycheck or job status, absolutely need it fixed today.
Finding a job you like should be the biggest decision you ever make. If you pursue a job because it is something you love, then the money won’t matter because you will never work a day in your life.
Believe it or not, but, some of the happiest places on earth are where the poorest and hardest working people live. In a study released last fall, the United States ranked 17 in the world on the happiness scale. Author Dan Buettner in his book “Finding Happiness the Blue Zone Way,” says Singapore, Denmark, Monterrey, Mexico and San Luis Obispo, Calif. are the four happiest places on Earth.
That’s not to say you have to be poor or live overseas to be happy, though if you are it seems to help. Another of the oft-quoted happiest places is Bhutan. A New York Times’ article claimed that while household incomes in Bhutan remain among the world’s lowest, life expectancy increased by 19 years from 1984 to 1998, jumping to 66 years. With a life expectancy of 66 years who has time to be unhappy?
Graduates need to find a balance between what it is they want to spend their life doing and the amount of money they will need to survive and thrive. Life is a struggle no matter what you do. Money for some people may seem to be the best solution to the problem. But money, of itself, isn’t a means to an end. It is a stepping stone to something greater.
No matter what job you choose, whether it be a high, low, or middle class, make sure that you’re not forcing yourself to go to work. You should wake up with excitement at what awaits you every day because life is short. Struggle for what you believe in.