Let’s pretend that its Graduation day at Binghamton
University. It’s finally time to cross
the stage and enter into the real world.
Two people come up to you and offer you two jobs working for non-profits
(this will probably never happen, but let’s go with it). The first job is your absolute dream job but
it only pays you $30,000 salary. The second
job is something that doesn’t really interest you and you know that you will
hate it, but it pays $60,000 salary. Being that we are all broke college
students that have to pay back loans when we graduate, most of us would definitely
consider being miserable and taking the job that pays more. The question here is what will make you happy?
Money or your passion? We live in a society where money is basically everything so its understandable to make sacrifices for money, but if you chose job number two then Nancy Wackstein would
say that you made the wrong choice. She
would also ask you what job would teach you more. If you are working at a job
that you hate then you probably aren’t going to want to learn more about something
that you hate. I would have to agree with her.
Obviously this is an extreme example, but how much change will you make
in the world if you lack passion?
Let’s say that when you graduated you picked job number
two. You have been working there for 4
years now and can’t stand it. You made
some money and now you want to make a true difference in the world. You are offered two jobs again. The first job is working for another
non-profit organization in a specific area that you like. The second job is working for your local
government. Which job would help you
make more of a positive difference and why?
I think its a touch question. My mother keeps trying to tell me that I shouldn't work in the non-profit world because you don't make enough money. She says that I can have a real job and be on the board of a non-profit or town council on the side. Thing is for me personally I'm not looking to get out of college and start living some lavish life with a wife and 3 kids. I'm in no rush to get out of the gates and start making huge amounts of money. So I can't really imagine myself in a job that doesn't at least interest me a good amount regardless of the pay.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the second question, I think that it completely depends on the job and the area. Different issues have very specific needs to alleviate or solve them. I wouldn't shy away from one side or the other, I would likely make a decision purely on which job is more in line with my skill set and the need presented.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI think the questions you posed are really important, they compare personal contentment and passion to capability and responsibility. It really made me consider, my potential and my responsibility both to my community and to myself. Even if a job would help you make a tremendous change, either in your community or in the world, is it worth your own unhappiness? And is it your responsibility to sacrifice yourself for others? My answer would be to find the middle ground, In that find a job that does both, maybe the change you will make won’t be as drastic but if you’ll be happier overall it’ll be worth it. As for the second question, I think it’s very important to get involved in government and politics because it’s the only way to make as big changes as efficiently as we want, but also there is a level of bureaucracy and corruption that many people like myself find off putting. I think your points from your first scenario really answer your second question. You should pick the job you are more passionate about, and believe that you’ll learn more in. Even though making a change is ideal, you don’t want to trap yourself in a government job that you’re miserable in just to make a difference; personal happiness is important too.
The first question I think it depends on the situation. Let’s say the first job was in New York and the second job was in California. Or Lets say the second job has a better staff that you will be working with. Or the first job is easier to move up in the company. What I am trying to say is there are a lot of variables besides for money that determine one job over another. Money and passion should not be the only two choices in deciding a job.
ReplyDeleteThe second question, depends on of how much money the jobs of offering? Where the jobs are located? Who are you working for? Both jobs you will make a positive impact on society. I truly believe the highest impact a person can make is through the government. At the end of the day the government is deciding which laws to pass.
It's an interesting thought, and one that I think people think about all the time. I think society now focuses a lot more on how much money you will make, but like you said, which will make you happy?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of our life we are not going to take money with us to the grave, and ultimately, all the money in the world will not allow us to save our bodies, we have mortality, But what you will be able to do, is to look back on your life and determine if you are happy and if you made a difference with your life.
I think the best options you make in life are those which make you happy, because in turn, it will make others happy. You have to charge your own batteries first before you can charge others.
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ReplyDeleteHey Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you bring into light questions that we ask ourselves all the time. I feel like answering this question really depends on cultural values and circumstances. Being raised in an Asian immigrant family, I would rather choose the high paying job than my dream job if it means I can provide financial security for myself and my family. Ideally, it would be great to have a career that strongly incorporates both but realistically I can't afford to not be able to pay my student loans and be a burden on my family.
However I also believe that we can find silver linings anywhere as long as we are open to them. Attitudes can really make a difference in any situation. If we can find a purpose in a job then maybe we make it into a career. We can also derive our happiness outside our place of work. We can follow our passions during our leisure time.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteThis is a question that I feel like is brought up constantly in this class. A lot of people are unhappy with their jobs and we consistently talk about how it is more important to choose an occupation that you love. It is very similar to the way in which we critique the college system that has to do more with memorization than truly learning and engaging in the classroom. A very famous quote is “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” In an article I recently read (http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/live-happier-doing-what-you-love-why-you-should-change-careers/) it says 65% of Americans are unsatisfied by their jobs. It goes into detail about how you should choose your job that best fits your interests. One step in finding a job you love is speaking to current professionals. In class we spoke with multiple non-profit organization workers. Although they seemed to love their jobs, they are unhappy at times too. I feel as if it is best to find a job not that you necessarily love, but a job that you know you will enjoy a majority of the time. But, it is also true that many people in fact do find making money to be the most important thing to them. Is making a lot of money for yourself and your family worth being unhappy at times? I believe we must do the things we do not want to do in order to do what we do want to do. Working a job is not always fun, but it is certainly necessary for you to live a good life.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteThis post is definitely relatable to all of us as students who may still be deciding what we want to pursue and continue doing for the rest of our lives. We are constantly reminded that we should strive for something we are passionate about regardless of the pay but I also believe this factor shouldn’t be completely ignored. Regarding your question specifically, I agree with previous comments in that a job decision doesn’t solely depend on the salary; it also depends on other circumstances like location, cultural values etc. So it is difficult to choose. However, I do believe it is possible to find a happy medium between the two. It is naïve to believe that sacrifices won’t be made yet also discouraging to hear from those who believe that accepting a job based on money is the only way. While looking into this discussion further I found this article that is definitely worth checking out! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/jobs/12search.html?_r=0 It basically raises the question of passion vs. salary and in doing so concludes on the idea that one should try to get involved in something they can see themselves enjoying rather than settling. Are the salaries surrounding these occupations consistent? Is doing something you hate worth your quality of life?
I would work at the job that pays $60,000. $30,000 is barely getting by, and at that point, I would be better off collecting unemployment, welfare, food stamps, and working off the books (such as music lessons, considering they go for a dollar a minute and you don’t need a license to give them). Making $60,000 and being at a miserable job is better than being poor and not being able to pay bills. I’d rather be able to eat healthy food, live comfortably, enjoy my personal life, and be miserable at a job than be miserable my entire life since I would worry about being homeless. Public transportation or owning a car would be necessary to get to work, so I would need to make enough to still make a net profit to be able to cover the other bills I have. Getting a job that teaches you (as Nancy Wackstein suggests) is not a priority since jobs exist as a means of obtaining money, not to help you on your personal spiritual journey. In addition to this, if I worked in the $60,000 job that I hated, I would save the money and look for a better job. Even if I was between jobs, I would still have the money saved up to cover myself for that period while looking for another job. I might even use the money to go back to school and learn other skills to obtain a desirable, high paying job.
ReplyDeleteI would rather work in the local government position since law making is the way to make change. Let’s assume that stem cell research is a nonprofit. If stem cell research were illegal, the law maker would have to change that, so working in a local government position, or any government position, would be more effective because it sets the rules.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI think this question rings true for every adolescent child growing up in todays economy. Every person has come across this internal conflict and no one knows what to choose, money or happiness. I know my parents have always pushed me to choose a career in which I will make a lot of money by scarring me into thinking that I will never live the life in which my parents have provided me. They say that our generation will be the first generation to not do better than our parents, which to be honest, frightened me to death. I couldn't imagine leading a life in which I am not a privileged and upper-middle class civilian (as pretentious as that sounds). However, I never let that deter me from pursuing what I want to do in life.
I am an Integrative Neuroscience major in the hopes of becoming a physician assistant and I always get asked, "Why not a doctor"? I have found in my experience with doctors and volunteer opportunities that its the nurses and the PAs who spend the most time interacting with the patients and getting to know them to help them out, more so than the doctors. I love that interaction. I want to help people get better, but not in an impersonal way. Doctors are in the room for 5 minutes top, or in one case I've seen, not at all. Yes, doctors make more money than a PA or a nurse, but they don't make that personal connection in which I think is so important in healthcare. I wouldn't be happy being a doctor, even making over $120k a year. I would be so much happier and more satisfied in my life making $90k a year and truly helping out a patient and gaining their trust and making them feel comfortable in the whole process. I love helping people out, and you really can't do that without building that connection like PAs make. Some people would say that this is a very dumb choice of me to not become a doctor, but I think at the end of the day, if you're not happy with what you are doing, then what's the point? You only get one life and if you're not happy, then its a waste of a life.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteYou raise a profound question, which left me pondering over which decision I would honestly make. We may believe that we would pick a certain option now, but opinions would change if this was a real situation. Something that resonated with me that Sena mentioned during her analysis of the situation was, "Even if a job would help you make a tremendous change, either in your community or in the world, is it worth your own unhappiness? And is it your responsibility to sacrifice yourself for others?". Every response posts I've read holds a different opinion of what should people believe should answer the question. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I side more with Stephen and Rachael's' argument. One should be able to find the middle ground between making money, and being truly happy. You don't want to be nearing the end of your life, and be full of regret since you've been living unhappily all along.
While I agree with you Serena on the matter of taking the second option until you have saved up enough money to transition into the field you truly love, I disagree with you on the purpose of a job. In my own personal opinion, I feel that too many people are concerned with income rather than happiness, and chose jobs which restricts them from growing as a person. I understand how you believe a job's role is to solely be an occupation, but I believe that everything in life should be a learning experience , pushing you to discover and better yourself.
Perhaps our different opinions arise from our backgrounds. Although we both come from Staten Island, my family does not classify into the upper-middle class that most of the residents on the island do. Going to a high school where I was surrounded by people who have a higher socio-economic status than me did not make me embarrassed but rather proud. I've always admired the sacrifices my parents had to make in order to support my family. My father and mother both had dream-occupations, which they relinquished in order to gain positions in more traditional and stable jobs (my father is a police officer). The only reason I know of this is because they informed me that they want me to pick a career which makes me happy, regardless of the income. They sacrificed their own dream occupations, in the hopes that I would be able to discover and follow my own. This is perhaps why is the two options were presented, that I would pick the lesser paying occupation while others would not.
Shelby- I think you brought up a really interesting situation that I know I have found myself considering when I think about the future. I think we have all come to the conclusion that we want to make a difference in some way or another as students and after we graduate. However, I think there are so many ways that you can go about making a difference.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don’t think I would have a hard time choosing the $60,000 salary. I think there is a lot to be learned from every job you work in regardless of salary. Just because you are making more money doesn’t mean that your job is not going to make a difference. My thoughts are going back to all of the times we’ve talked about effective civic engagement and how we came to the conclusion that although volunteering is important for many organizations, sometimes fund raising is the most effective thing you can do for an organization. For some people, a career in non-profits is not the way they are going to help non- profits. Maybe, the way we can make a difference is by working hard to earn a higher salary and choose to support organizations through funding and donations; being a money maker is the way we will be a change maker. I don’t think there is one right answer to the question you’re asking because there is no one right way to be a change maker.