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Why DONT you want to be well paid?

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Original post by poohat
I would say that in general the best paying jobs are often the most fun/interesting. Obviously there are some enjoyable low paying jobs but the majority of them are menial drudgery. High paying jobs often tend to have more autonomy and opportunties for creativity.

The idea that there is a trade-off between earning a high salary and having a rewarding job is deeply flawed, because in practice the two tend to be highly correlated. Obviously there are exceptions, but I"m talking aobut averages here.


That's entirely your opinion. Taking a typical example of a high paying job, investment banking, I really couldn't suffer doing that. I would posit that part of the reason that many high paying jobs are high paying is that they need to pay as such in order to attract people to them.
Isn't it just easier doing something you can't (necessarily) stand and moving onto what you enjoy later? Eg. let's say, going into investment banking and later down the line doing art. You'll have made your money, and then you can regain your 'happiness' afterwards. All it takes is a little mentality change and endurance.
Original post by Abdul-Karim
...


A lot of women are the breadwinners of their families nowadays. They are just as responsible for keeping the family over water as the men are. And "only" having a job with a teacher's pay doesn't mean you don't earn enough to do that. You just don't earn as much as you would in higher-paying jobs.
Besides, it's not like girls could automatically marry rich men, just because they're girls.
Original post by Imperion
Isn't it just easier doing something you can't (necessarily) stand and moving onto what you enjoy later? Eg. let's say, going into investment banking and later down the line doing art. You'll have made your money, and then you can regain your 'happiness' afterwards. All it takes is a little mentality change and endurance.


A lot of musicians do this for example - bring out a really crappy commercial record to earn money in order to make the record they really want to make.

I think the problem is that people become almost addicted to the money, and always match their lifestyle to their income, so if they take a sudden drop in income, they're screwed. That's why a lot of millionaires end up penniless.
Original post by Abdul-Karim
I really find it hard to understand why people go for low paid jobs when they seem to have the intellectual capability to aim for industries which are relatively well-paid.

I see students who have the credentials and the profile potential to enter industries such as law, investment banking being etc.. but instead choose to go into places such as teaching. Are they just lazy?

So if you do intend to get out of bed for a job that pays less than £50k a year and you're smart (i.e flawless grades/credible uni/strong ECs), why? what's your motivation?

inb4, "it's my passion".



Because this life is short brother and it is the next one that counts
Reply 225
Avatar for Quady
Quady
20
Original post by Abdul-Karim
So if you do intend to get out of bed for a job that pays less than £50k a year and you're smart (i.e flawless grades/credible uni/strong ECs), why? what's your motivation?


So you're surprised people get out of bed even though they earn more than 150% of the median wage?

The other 90% of people can't have a top 10% earning job you know...
Original post by Abdul-Karim
I came from nothing but worked my way into the sights of said corporations.


I keep seeing you making multiple posts and self-indulgent threads along these lines, like you've already "made it"... it's nice that you're proud of yourself but it's getting a little annoying. I'm going to sound like an ******* here but you're still just a first year with from what I can recall, one spring week. Still a mountain to climb yet.
(edited 9 years ago)
Basically, the inb4 bit prevents the correct answer being given. Making answering the original question more or less impossible.

''What's two plus two (inb4 4)'' etc.
Original post by Abdul-Karim
I really find it hard to understand why people go for low paid jobs when they seem to have the intellectual capability to aim for industries which are relatively well-paid.

I see students who have the credentials and the profile potential to enter industries such as law, investment banking being etc.. but instead choose to go into places such as teaching. Are they just lazy?

So if you do intend to get out of bed for a job that pays less than £50k a year and you're smart (i.e flawless grades/credible uni/strong ECs), why? what's your motivation?

inb4, "it's my passion".


It has been widely reported that after a certain threshold of income happiness doesn't increase. Also a recently published report from Harvard University which was a longitudinal study over 70 years found that love and relationships were essentially the things that made people happy. Money isn't everything. Maybe wanting to teaching isn't because "it is my passion" (which shouldn't be a thing which you shouldn't be condescending about), but because I want to know that I make a difference to people 's lives on a day to day basis. Yes, I could have gotten a really well paid grad scheme, but my Dad worked for a huge multinational earning 6 figures but ended up coming out of it after 25 years saying "I need to do something else, I don't feel like I did anything for anyone in that job other than earn money". I would much rather have a comfortable salary and get something out of my job than earn more but feel like I was just making other people money.
I'd rather live a more simple life and not get carried away with enjoyment. More money can divert my mind away from the important things in life and I can lose focus.
Original post by Imperion
Isn't it just easier doing something you can't (necessarily) stand and moving onto what you enjoy later? Eg. let's say, going into investment banking and later down the line doing art. You'll have made your money, and then you can regain your 'happiness' afterwards. All it takes is a little mentality change and endurance.


Depends how all consuming the job is. Something like investment banking is pretty much a 24/7 job. You could hardly, say, do that for 20 years and be happy with it. If you didn't enjoy it and did it that long, you would be stressed, shorten your life expectancy and probably have a rubbish home life because you aren't happy. A little mentality change and endurance works for so long, but if you felt the need to do that for an extended period, quite frankly, I find that fairly sad- no point wasting your life like that.
Original post by Abdul-Karim
I really find it hard to understand why people go for low paid jobs when they seem to have the intellectual capability to aim for industries which are relatively well-paid.

I see students who have the credentials and the profile potential to enter industries such as law, investment banking being etc.. but instead choose to go into places such as teaching. Are they just lazy?

So if you do intend to get out of bed for a job that pays less than £50k a year and you're smart (i.e flawless grades/credible uni/strong ECs), why? what's your motivation?

inb4, "it's my passion".


Why do you presume teachers can't be paid £50k a year? Good teachers don't stay teachers forever. They can become heads of department, deputies, headteachers, and can then even progress from there to executive headteacher, education consultant, government roles, etc.
Reply 232
Avatar for Jay84
Jay84
8
Original post by Abdul-Karim
I really find it hard to understand why people go for low paid jobs when they seem to have the intellectual capability to aim for industries which are relatively well-paid.

I see students who have the credentials and the profile potential to enter industries such as law, investment banking being etc.. but instead choose to go into places such as teaching. Are they just lazy?



Do you have two healthy kidneys? I find it hard to understand why you don't sell one of them when you have the ability to make good money for it.

You have the ability to live a comfortable lifestyle with one kidney yet choose to walk around with two and pass up on the extra cash. Are you just scared?

...

An extreme analogy perhaps but the same point applies.
Original post by Jay84

An extreme analogy perhaps


Yet a very good one.
Original post by bownessie
Depends how all consuming the job is. Something like investment banking is pretty much a 24/7 job. You could hardly, say, do that for 20 years and be happy with it. If you didn't enjoy it and did it that long, you would be stressed, shorten your life expectancy and probably have a rubbish home life because you aren't happy. A little mentality change and endurance works for so long, but if you felt the need to do that for an extended period, quite frankly, I find that fairly sad- no point wasting your life like that.

Hmm, I find it a quite sound strategy. Typically this is a 'worth the wait' scenario. After all, you will a piece of everything humans have argued time and time again, happiness and wealth.

Having a rubbish home life is something to put this down, no point really in coming home and no one's going to smile at your effort.
Original post by Abdul-Karim
I really find it hard to understand why people go for low paid jobs when they seem to have the intellectual capability to aim for industries which are relatively well-paid.

I see students who have the credentials and the profile potential to enter industries such as law, investment banking being etc.. but instead choose to go into places such as teaching. Are they just lazy?

So if you do intend to get out of bed for a job that pays less than £50k a year and you're smart (i.e flawless grades/credible uni/strong ECs), why? what's your motivation?

inb4, "it's my passion".


Why is going into teaching lazy??????
Original post by TheGuyReturns
I keep seeing you making multiple posts and self-indulgent threads along these lines, like you've already "made it"... it's nice that you're proud of yourself but it's getting a little annoying. I'm going to sound like an ******* here but you're still just a first year with from what I can recall, one spring week. Still a mountain to climb yet.


Multiple and summer offer, however, that's not the point of this thread.
Original post by TheGuyReturns
I keep seeing you making multiple posts and self-indulgent threads along these lines, like you've already "made it"... it's nice that you're proud of yourself but it's getting a little annoying. I'm going to sound like an ******* here but you're still just a first year with from what I can recall, one spring week. Still a mountain to climb yet.


But to reach even the foot of a mountain after swimming from the bottom of the deepest sea is a monumental achievement.

It's all about perspective bro. :wink:
Original post by Jay84
Do you have two healthy kidneys? I find it hard to understand why you don't sell one of them when you have the ability to make good money for it.

You have the ability to live a comfortable lifestyle with one kidney yet choose to walk around with two and pass up on the extra cash. Are you just scared?

...

An extreme analogy perhaps but the same point applies.


How much and where do I sign up. Even so, this is irrelevant, anyone could feasibly do this out of desperation, I'm not desperate.



Original post by AimeeGleek123
Why is going into teaching lazy??????


Just in example I'm using relative to the usually rigorous environment of the well paid professions.

Despite what people say it's a much easier lifestyle than those 18 hour days in the office working on multi-million pound deals.
Mo money mo tax

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