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Doing a career purely for the money

trance addict

Wondering what peoples thoughts and opinions was on this.. should be an interesting debate

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Reply 1

ArchiBoi

An exhausted debate though, post on the dental forums. They'll give you an answer about doing it for the money.

Reply 2

alexmunich0n

I don't know how true this is, but it depends on a lot of things , for example , religion & culture, up-bringing, pride, social status to name a few...

No matter how much they try to deny it, there will always be people that for instance will take medicine when they would rather take a different subject, or not even continue with academia. I can't help but think this is true for medicine. I'm not one to compare, but I can't see how a degree in medicine is MUCH harder than a degree in mathematics at a top university(in -fact some would say, a maths degree to an extent can become much more challenging, especially if one decides to take a masters) yet mathematics has far fewer applications than medicine overall. (This may purely be down to the fact that maths might be "boring" - I'm not one to judge) Money is certainly a factor and people will sacrifice 6-7 years for this.

Some people also have the view that they should be able to sacrifice a few years of their life studying hard to reap the rewards, and so may study a subject they do not particulary enjoy. This can be a view particularly held by muslims, as their marriage works in essentially the same way; they grow to love, rather than love and then enter the marriage ( something like this lol )

Reply 3

ArchiBoi

I have a friend who does medcine for 'money and respect' his quote.
I do architecture for the love, 7 years of late nights, lack of sleep, massive work loads and stress for 18k.

Everyone has their own motives though. I get a lot of job satisfaction when it goes well.

Reply 4

cpj1987

Personally, I've noticed that a lot of people on TSR - probably the majority - seem to have this 'a career purely for the money' view.
I'm the other way around, I'd take a very low-paid career for the enjoyment; I don't want to spend my whole life doing something I don't enjoy, I'd rather be as happy going to work as I am doing anything else.

I've spoken to many people on here though, that have criticised me for my choice of university subject, with claims such as 'university isn't about doing something you enjoy, it's about doing something to get a degree so that you can get a high-paid job'. Those same people claim that their university course is something they don't particulalrly like, but they expect the rewards in the form of high pay in the future.

I couldn't do a course, or a job, that I didn't enjoy, for the extra pay. Money means very little to me, beyond cheap rent and a bit of food; but enjoying my life means a lot.

Reply 5

Maulik2

cpj1987

I admire this view, I'm exactly the same, the degree I am going for is not likely to reap the greatest salary but I am sure that I will enjoy both the degree and the work :smile:

Reply 6

Excalibur

Hmm, I have the opposite impression from TSR: most people seem to hold the view that you should do what you enjoy; people repeatedly say on here "don't do it for the money!". I find people in real life much more money-oriented!

I don't see anything wrong with wanting a career for the money - it's a valid reason and people have different ideas about what a job is. Some people see their career as an integral part of their lifestyle, while others see it as a means to an end; neither is right nor wrong. People often say money doesn't buy happiness, but I do think that view is a tad naive/idealistic. Having money doesn't equate to happiness but it does contribute towards it, imo. I'm not going into a particularly highly-paid sector either, but I do care about money too and my choice of career would not solely be dictated by what I enjoy, but also for financial (and other) factors.

Reply 7

Asclepius

Hopefully this time next year I'll be doing medicine, but I don't want a career in medicine for the money, its just I think I'd probably be bored doing anything else. That said, there are people out there who are in it for the money, I just hope that my genuine interest in the subject comes across better at interview.

Reply 8

Maulik2

I think it depends entirely on what you want your job to be. If you want your job to be something interesting then go for a degree you are interested in.. if you want a job that will support your lavish lifestyle then go for something like medicine, accounting etc.

If you turn out to be one of those lucky people, you will find a job that is both interesting and well- paid.

Reply 9

Metal_Gear

I wouldn't say that I am interested in my future career choices by money alone. I picked what I did for the complete package if you will. First and foremost, I want to really enjoy what I do, but also I think the social and financial aspect of it definitely play a role. I like the idea of comfortably, and not having to worry about income.

Reply 10

cpj1987

Yeah. I suppose it depends on your upbringing too.

My parents were poor, and I never got to do anything as a child that would cost money. Now that I'm living my own life, I do things that cost money a lot more than I would've in the past, but I also budget carefully - and I'm very aware that I can have as much, if not more, fun, without paying a penny.
I value other things much more than I value money, and as long as I can afford a place to live, and food to last, then I'd be fine.

Though I'm sure that if I was brought up in a richer family, my views would be different. If my life had been about regular spending whilst I was growing up, I'd probably have more of a need to keep that up myself.

Reply 11

Candescence

If the pay was so good that i could retire young then i'd do it for the money and then go enjoy the rest of my life. Otherwise the jobs gotta be fun.

Reply 12

sheepgirl

I am training in career with very little pay and alot of uncertainty as most of the work is freelance. However I love my work and thats much more important to me. As long as I have enough money to pay my rent and eat then I would rather be happy at work (where I'l spend the majority of my time anyway) rather than being in a job I hate and living for the weekends.

I think its sad that people choose courses purely for the money and reputation. I guess its a reflection on how everyone is focused on money and wealth. No wonder alot of people in the city seem miserable.

EDIT: I also think that if I had alot of money and didnt have to work I'd be really bored. I even get bored in the 2 week holidays - but to know that I wouldnt be working would be awful. Alot of your friends come from work, alot of your social life and that would all be lost. I think id hate it.

Reply 13

cpj1987

sheepgirl

You're me!

Though, your career was very ambiguous. :ninja:

What is it you're doing?

Reply 14

smalltownboy

I will probably try and do what my History teacher has done with his life. He "sold his soul" for a high paying job, and was bored out of his skull but earning bucketloads until his early retirement at 35. Then with plenty of cash in the bank, he followed his dream of doing a job he loved (being a teacher). So he's the only teacher at our school who wears Boss suits and has high-quality handmade shoes :p:

Reply 15

cpj1987

See, I really couldn't do this 'sacrifice now, live later' thing. I want to live my WHOLE life to the full.

Reply 16

KwungSun

I don't really think much of a debate here. The people that are (probably) going into banking or similar justify their decision by a "job being just job" and the prospect of early retirement, while those en route to low paying and uncertain careers justify their decisions by being able to do what they love. The former don't enjoy anything to enough to want to do it at any cost, whereas the latter enjoy something so much that they don't want to give it up at any cost. There's not much room for persuading people one way or the other.