For happiness or for money?

[PlacidPetrichor]

9fpbo

Both OP.
You can do it!
I believe in you.

This essentially. Remember that money is merely a tool. It depends on what you base your success in. Success varies per person. We're going to come across, invest in, spend time around/with something we don't enjoy in our lives. It's inevitable.

I believe that you find what makes you happy, what gives you pleasure or joy, and invest in that while simultaneously doing a job to sustain yourself. Sometimes the two overlap and that's amazing! Don't do anything you absolutely hate or you will end up just hating yourself. Have a goal and work towards it. This is what I live by.

One more thing: Do NOT build your happiness around the expectations and reassurance of others. It's good to seek others for support, but relying on them will ultimately let you down. I grew up being emotionally dependent on a lot of things, and I only found a way towards contentment once I became dependent on only myself.

[ArcticMars]

If you would enjoy being a surgeon than it's both. If you would not enjoy that job but would enjoy a lesser paying job better than I would do the one that makes you happy if I were you.

[Tsubahi]

You choose the career.

Not your parents, not your counselors, not even the whole society, etc.

When you know what you want to do for a living, you should invest your time, energy, and studies into it.

It will be worth it.

[freelance lover]

Think about the kind of life you want. I got a theatre degree and I've been working pretty much nonstop since I graduated in 2011. I definitely have the chops to go big with this, but after working around for a while, I'm not sure I want to. It takes ALL my time, so settling down is off the table indefinitely. I've also worked with two very successful people in my career track- one is Yale educated, the other has been doing this for maybe 20 years and regularly advises the union. The former still temps during the day in hopes of breaking 40k a year, and the other mentioned to me how his unemployment was 6 weeks behind. I'm happy doing this now, but I'm pretty aware I'm not going to want to do this forever if that's what this mean.

Most of the people I know who have done this well into adulthood fall into three categories- the have a trust fund or are independently wealthy, they have a spouse who makes big bucks who can offset their expenses, or they live meagerly and just throw themselves into their work (but are happy with that kind of lifestyle). I'm not really any of those three, so I'm looking to either move into theatre admin or going into wine sales full time.

I had professors in college who told us if there was anything else in the world we could do besides theatre and be just as happy, go do that. Because we'd make way more money and have a better work/life balance. And I think that's damn good advice. I'm am SO glad I took the route I did, but sometimes I'm envious of my friends with their cushy jobs, fancy weddings, and nice homes and I'm certainly starting to get ready for my life to move into that stage. Just think about what you want long term and what kind of lifestyle you want.

[BIJINKEI]

Someone has already previously mentioned this, but I believe having a balance is very important. I've always been artistically driven. My parents encouraged me early on to strive for something within the creative field and were always supportive about it, but to strive for something that I know is also in demand and always would be.

I am now an Industrial Designer (in other words, product designer). Material objects are constantly on demand so I went for a creative career that at the same time would allow me to be financially stable. I am happy because I am doing something I am passionate about and I feel financially stable.

[pixelden]

Money never works as a motivation for me, even though there are plenty of things I could spend it on.

I realise I need money though because I like spending it so much, so I try to balance having enough time to spend doing the thing I want and having a job that it's too stressful to bring in money.

I'd need to be paid a LOT to do what I love as a job though. Doing it as a job just sucks the fun out of it.

[Perfect_Itemization]

I think an integral issue that we, as a society, have is trying to separate money from happiness. Sure, money isn't everything and money, in and of itself, will not make you happy. On the other hand, having a job you love while struggling to pay the bills and support your family isn't going to make you happy either. The two work hand in hand. There is something to be said for being able to live "comfortably", however you may personally choose to define it.

Job I love that pays very little vs. Job I hate that pays a lot

^ Is an asinine question, honestly. At the end of the day, nothing in this world is that simple or that black and white. The truth is that very few people are lucky enough to be able to make lots of money doing something that they truly love. Plenty of people work jobs that they hate, regardless of the amount of money they are making.

So, what you really need to aim for is something that you don't hate that pays decently. It's a compromise, basically. Keep your options open and try not to look at money and happiness as two separate variables, because sadly they are not.

It's a somewhat complex issue because you have to ask yourself these sort of questions:

If there are 168 hours in a week and you spend 50 (as most "careers" will have you tied up for 40-60, give or take) of those hours working and another 56 (assuming 8 hours a night) hours sleeping that leaves 62 hours left over. So, how do you want to spend that 62 hours? Do you want to be parked on the couch, eating ramen, and watching TV because you're too broke to do anything else - or do you want to be able to take a weekend trip to the beach on a whim?

How do you, personally, define "comfortable" and what sort of lifestyle would you like to maintain? Are you happy with a car that gets you from point A to point B, or do you want a flashy new BMW? Are you fine living in a 2 bedroom house on some random road, or do you want a 5 bedroom house in a nice subdivision on the lake? Do you want to have to scrap together money check after check for 18 years desperately hoping you can afford tuition at a state school for your child(ren) or do you want to be able to say "hey, the world is your oyster" and have the money banked up to send them to a private university?

Admittedly, I am hitting the extreme end of both spectrums, to a degree, but still the point remains. Money is meaningless without something to spend it on. So, this isn't a question of how much money you're going to be making but rather how much money you will need to make in order to live life how you would like to.

Food for the thought.

[Sekhmet-chan]

It depends on what is important to you.

[Opidreams]

I think if you can think of a job that you woud enjoy, then I'm pretty damn jealou of that. Since my only emotion is really apathy. I wouldn't want something paifully stressful though, like medical work. I need to be able to separate work and home life easly, and not work ridiculously long hours every week. Work to me is a means of gettig paid, and somethingthat I need to be able to tolerate doing on a daily basis (menal health problems make this difficult). Right now I'm a lab technicain in big phama, which is pretty nice as the work is varied day-to-day.I only did a couple of years of college and the rest is al on-the-job voctional training, which suits me just fine as I hated formal education.

[Adversative]

Acroo

That's actually quite cool ;D. It's interesting how there are many subjects that tie in with many jobs in today's world in such a unique way, I had no idea that psychology could be used with the business industry and management, I’ve always thought of it to be just a job on its own subject like those patients sitting down on a couch and the psychologist sitting next to them just helping them..

Yes, exactly! There are hundreds of jobs in the world that you don't really know about when you're a kid. Someone manages the Red Sox. Someone creates the animated "turn off your cell phone" and "eat our popcorn" advertisements that run before the movie. Someone decides what color scheme Facebook is going to use. Someone sits in court and types the transcripts for each trial case. Somebody wrote the manual for your new playstation.

My dad worked in the trusts department for a bank for about 40 years. (Trusts are when you have a fund of money, and you use the interest or dividends to pay for things, but the money inside the fund never gets spent.) A hundred years ago, it was very popular for people to leave trusts to the bank for the upkeep of their graves. So for the first couple of years, my dad's job was to buy flowers and drive around and put them on all these different graves. He worked for a BANK.

Keep an open mind. Do things you like and that push your abilities, try out LOTS of new things, and say yes to opportunities even if they're not exactly what you thought you'd be doing.

[Lynx Sephora]

Money buys my happiness with stability and the ability to get the things I want and potentially take care of those closest to me who might not have it. I want to be the friend that can support a friend down on their luck for awhile and keep an open couch for them. Can't do that just outta the kindness of my heart, I need cash to back that up.

I've always been more focused on money than just things I'm passionate about. I'm just getting a practical degree in business despite really disliking it because it's better than nothing or liberal arts and it could give me management qualifications at work or at least make me look more competent in an interview.

[kenichi _shirahama93]

Acroo

For the past 2 years of my life, pretty much ever since the time i have first stepped into what i consider the "First building block of life"... high school, i have been struggling and questioning with a common subject that i would agree is very common in today's youth, what career purpose is the best to choose? Would it be worth countless years of study and education, for a degree which leads to high salary jobs like a surgeon? Or is it worth just doing what you love and being happy.. however not getting paid as much, or not getting paid enough..

Is it worth it?
Happiness over money
Passion > / < Forcing yourself into a subject

I used to struggle with that alot. I've heard it said that a man can spend a life time trying to find what he truly wants. So you shouldn't expect to know the answer to that yet. I'm 21 and still don't know. Well career wise anyways. I would have to say that you should do what YOU want to do. Don't let anyone else tell you that. Because in the end only you can really make that decision. One day you will find something that you truly want. If you don't have a dream you will. Do what makes YOU happy. I will give an example. When I was in school ever since elementary school I was an excellent reader and writer. I was always reading books like lord of the rings and more advance books when i was in the 3rd or 4th grade. And inwas able to comprehend them. I was always pressured to go to college. Told that I HAD to in order to become successful. But you know what I hated school. It was the most pointless and stupid thing I ever exprienced. And I had NO desire to spend more time behind a desk with pencil and paper in college and just continue to be miserable. So I didnt. Currently I'm just working a crappy warehouse job. I make 10 an hour. But I'm happy. I have wonderfull girlfriend whom I met here on gaia. We plan to move in togther when she's done with culinary school. And eventually travel the world togther. And she's going to culinary school because that's what SHE wants. And I support that even though it will keep us from being togther another year. My dream in lif is HER. And I would do anything to make her happy and be with her. We my point is to find the thing that makes you feel that way. Find YOUR dream. And make it your own. It dosent neccasarily have to be a woman though. It could be anything. Anything at all. But it will be yours. And you will pursue it because YOU want to. Youre still young. Don't sweat it to much. It will come to you in time. If you want a nice job with a big salary or you want to something that makes less money. Do it as long as it makes YOU happy. Good luck friend smile

[xI Beautifully me]

Honestly, when it comes down to it, money is highly important. But happiness also comes along. I feel like they're both equal irdk. I really want the money because that means you live your life how you want it. But happiness on the other hand is what everyone wants out of life. I've honestly been stuck on this topic for years now. My household is full of people wanting to be doctors just for the pay. But in all honesty, happiness is important too. I feel like money and happiness clash together. It's better to do something you love doing than to dread what you're doing. You spend most of your life working anyways so why not enjoy it to the fullest? I mean, there's only one life.

[spellslave]

help me with inquisitor & threadmaster?

❝ Ideally I'd love a job that is a balance between the two; pays well enough to have some surplus 'play' money, and something that I am passionate about. For now? I'll settle for something I can suck it up and tolerate, as I'll still put in all of my effort and then some to do it well, to pay the bills. ❞

[MiameMiame]

Money definetly.

I have spent so much time learning all my skills, that at this point fun is unimportant to me. All the effort and hours that I spent in learning German, Dutch, English.. I want to put that to use and earn some money and see the fruits of my labor. Having a good pay'll be enough fun.