… while working late last night I was having a discussion with a friend over the reasons for potentially accepting employment outside of my field. I was struck by their attitude of jumping from one job to another with money being the major motivator. For them work was solely about the money.
Was curious how other people view ‘work’. Would you take a position outside of your field simply because the salary was substantially more than you might make otherwise? What if one of the main reasons you would get this job is because you are a foreigner?
Boring questions I suppose but I’m curious if people work because they love to it or do they choose employment simply based on what pays the most.
I guess the question is your career more important or is the money more important. I usually go with the money with the caveat that it is a secure income. One month of more money could actually be less than 1 year of less money.
But now you also have the whole added dimension of immigrating agian. I hate that part of the relocating process.
All jobs to me are just “day jobs”. Work is just something you to earn money so you can do the things you really want. Some jobs are better than others but they’re all just J-O-B-S. 95% of people only do their jobs for the money. Only 5% or less actually love their jobs. If they won the lottery or got paid to sit on their ass watching TV all day at their current salary, 95 people out of a hundred wouldn’t give a second thought to quitting their jobs.
I guess I am one of the 5% who loves my job. My primary occupation is that of a teacher. One of my master’s degrees is in Social Science Education and I was a high school teacher in Georgia before coming here. I actually have to say that I prefer working here than I did stateside because most of my students are Asian and the Americans I have are very well behaved!
I was offered a job in the US a few months ago for what would pay in 3 days what I make here now in a MONTH.
If you are smart, or a Chinese Communist leader, you can always make money. Interesting situations are harder to pull out of a hat.
It would have lasted a year or two, or longer if I finessed it.
The job is boring, detailed legal abstract work.
The living situation is isolation – living out of hotel rooms as you travel around the upper Midwest.
The people you work with or deal with have often very narrow life experiences. Many think that a trip to New York City would be something akin to going to the Moon.
There is nothing cultural or stimulating in this area unless you are a big fan of high school sports and pheasant hunting.
It would be temporary and to go and do this, I’d have to give up what I have going here. It doesn’t pay that much, but then I don’t work many hours either. I enjoy my free time and while I am not really challenged workwise here as I could somewhere else, it has suited me for a long time.
You need enough money to survive and you also have to think about retirement. One downside of living and working in Taiwan, unless you become a national, is that you get no payments into any pension scheme. Every year you get a new contract and start from scratch. (I am talking about working for a company here, not working here for, say, Motorola.)
Funny thing is that although the job is specialized, If you are halfway intellegent, I can teach you what you need to know (on site, unfortunately) in about a day or two.
Did I mention that on top of the salary you get hotels paid for, a meal allowance and mileage? Basically you pay for nothing.
Maybe I should teach people here how to do this for money and send them there so that they can make that nice NT$8,500 a day plus perks…
I don’t really have anything against work. It’s just jobs I dislike. I really hate having to get out of bed or otherwise interrupt my leisure schedule to go and work for someone. My job at the moment is one of the best I’ve ever had, bith in terms of being quite enjoyable and rewarding as well as having a relaxed enough schedule not to interfere with the things I actually want to spend my time on, but I still resent not being able to spend 100% of my time doing the things I enjoy.
Now if only someone would pay me for reading, studying history and languages, watching films, going for bike rides and swims, hanging out in cafes, talking to friends, sleeping etc I would have a jop I TRULY enjoyed.
Whats that? 
