Why do you go to work?

Or in case you are looking for work, why are you looking for work?

And in case you cannot work for wathever reason, why would you want to work? (or why not)

Rosebolt said:

Or in case you are looking for work, why are you looking for work?

And in case you cannot work for wathever reason, why would you want to work? (or why not)

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1. Money
2. Somewhere to go / occupy myself
3. Conversation / meet people
4. Money

I work at home, so I don't technically "go" to work. lol Aside from that technicality, I work to take care of my kids. Make sure they have what they need and a little of what they want.

Mainly to pay the bills, if I won the lottery or something I would still 'work', but it would be something more like charity work (and less hours ) to give me a sense of purpose (possibly after a year out to travel the world)

(Looking for work) To finally have a life.

I never really had a good relationship with work. Don't get me wrong, I am not lazy. I work very hard and any boss I have ever had will tell you so. I just have never been motivated.

The only time I have been motivated was to attempt to move to a different country to be with my former partner. I had something to work for. Something to live for. Motivation. Now that it's over, I have less motivation than ever.

Work for me now is just a means to pay off debts incurred by simply existing.

I need a job to have a better life. Especially when living in a very expensive country. I want to feel that I'm needed, appreciated and accepted in some kind of social structure. It's a big part of my identity.

Rosebolt said:

Or in case you are looking for work, why are you looking for work?

And in case you cannot work for wathever reason, why would you want to work? (or why not)

Click to expand...

At the most basic level, I am looking for work because I need money to buy necessities since I have neither the knowledge nor the means to make them myself. Also, there are things that I want so there's that too. I'd like a new computer, more fuel-efficient car, to take real guitar lessons, to name a few.

To be honest I hate it, but I hate the idea of living on a low-tech commune or being homeless even more. But - I hate that the choice that I'm making is not based on what I like, but what I hate less. I want to like life again, like I did when I was 4 before I had to go to school every day. I want to have an interesting, exciting life, I want to be somebody. I want to create something really cool, I want to have achievements and memories and stories. I don't want to be like most people who are stuck in boring jobs that have nothing to do with who they want to be and eventually just give up on true happiness, telling themselves that booze and TV is good enough and it should be good enough for you too. I don't want to spend my whole life in a bored stupor feeling like a prisoner. But I worry that I'm just not smart enough or capable enough to escape the crappy lives that most people find themselves stuck in for their entire one existence.

My dream life is either finding a way to make enough money that I can retire early and don't have to work and am free to pursue any of my interests and travel wherever I'd like, or to at least make money doing something I love and working for myself, ideally doing something creative. As long as I am doing something that doesn't have anything to do with who I want to be and for someone other than myself, then I will not be fulfilled. I'll feel like a prisoner or a slave, a loser, a victim. I don't want to spend my whole life feeling that way. I wish I knew how to escape, I wish I knew that I was going to be able to be happy again.

Money.

Society requires that you have money. You get money by contributing (working). On average in the US, you can get by okay with $30k a year without having to sacrifice too much and money worries disappear completely once you make ~$50 a year (considering that you aren't wasteful/vain). After that much, more money won't make your life better.

Other than that, to not feel so bored.

Well, money, but I don't want just a "job" I'm after having a career. And I need something to keep me busy, or I go crazy.

money (at the moment too little)

experience, so that one day I will be able to get much more money working as little as possible (20h per week?)

career, I don't care, although I enjoy having people listen to me and ask for my opinion, so I guess I care a little bit. And I enjoy feeling useful, but that doesn't need to be a paid job.

Keeping busy is not an issue, I have so many interests that having to earn money is just an annoyance that keeps me away from them.

I love my job/career. And I make a decent income. It affords me an ordinary lifestyle with a paid off SUV and the means to take small weekend trips very often. If I could not afford my home, bills or responsibilities, I would be miserable. I've never not had a job since I was 14 and I can count on one hand how many jobs I have had in 20 years. So, it is a way of life to me. A comfortable life.

TheSkaFish said:

To be honest I hate it, but I hate the idea of living on a low-tech commune or being homeless even more. But - I hate that the choice that I'm making is not based on what I like, but what I hate less. I want to like life again, like I did when I was 4 before I had to go to school every day. I want to have an interesting, exciting life, I want to be somebody. I want to create something really cool, I want to have achievements and memories and stories. I don't want to be like most people who are stuck in boring jobs that have nothing to do with who they want to be and eventually just give up on true happiness, telling themselves that booze and TV is good enough and it should be good enough for you too. I don't want to spend my whole life in a bored stupor feeling like a prisoner. But I worry that I'm just not smart enough or capable enough to escape the crappy lives that most people find themselves stuck in for their entire one existence. I wish I knew how to escape.

My dream life is either finding a way to make enough money that I can retire early and don't have to work and am free to pursue any of my interests and travel wherever I'd like, or to at least make money doing something I love and working for myself, ideally doing something creative. As long as I am doing something that doesn't have anything to do with who I want to be and for someone other than myself, then I will not be fulfilled. It's frustrating because I don't know when or if I will be truly happy again.

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To start of, i hope i am not going to sound arrogant in this response, this is not my intention.

I can relate very much to what you're saying. I've felt like that for most of my life.

But i got out of it. Because i found out who i want to be, and all i do, works towards that. Every second of every single day.

I don't think i am particularly smart, or, 'capable'. What i do know is what i want, and that for me, it's either that, or death. And death is not that appealing to me anymore. For example, i just got a new job. I'm now cleaning at a four star hotel. Repetitive, high pressure, and it's hard work. But i love it. Because i am working towards something, and i know that what i do learn here, everything i learn there, is something i can use to achieve that goal i have. And i'm paid more than at my previous job.

So my advice to you, would be, don't strive to get as much money as possible so that you might be able to travel later on. Start traveling now. Right here, right now. Find out what you need, and get it. It's easier said than done, i know that. But would you rather be a prisoner?

Because collecting bottles and cans out of dumpsters doesn't pay all that well.

RockerChick said:

I love my job/career. And I make a decent income.

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May I ask what you do?

Solivagant said:

RockerChick said:

I love my job/career. And I make a decent income.

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May I ask what you do?

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Sure. I am a paralegal.

RockerChick said:

Sure. I am a paralegal.

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Thanks. =] I always try to find out when someone says they love their work and also make decent money.

Rosebolt said:

To start of, i hope i am not going to sound arrogant in this response, this is not my intention.

I can relate very much to what you're saying. I've felt like that for most of my life.

But i got out of it. Because i found out who i want to be, and all i do, works towards that. Every second of every single day.

I don't think i am particularly smart, or, 'capable'. What i do know is what i want, and that for me, it's either that, or death. And death is not that appealing to me anymore. For example, i just got a new job. I'm now cleaning at a four star hotel. Repetitive, high pressure, and it's hard work. But i love it. Because i am working towards something, and i know that what i do learn here, everything i learn there, is something i can use to achieve that goal i have. And i'm paid more than at my previous job.

So my advice to you, would be, don't strive to get as much money as possible so that you might be able to travel later on. Start traveling now. Right here, right now. Find out what you need, and get it. It's easier said than done, i know that. But would you rather be a prisoner?

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Well, you're right of course. I know that unless you can somehow produce everything you need for yourself, you need something to trade with, which is where money comes into play. It's how the world works, and money is more efficient than the barter system. I do have a plan now too - just get a decent job that pays me enough to take care of myself and enough to do things that enrich my life, and try to find a way out every day in my off hours. It's the uncertainty that bothers me though.

Traveling is something I'd like to do but it's more of a secondary goal - traveling won't help if I'm the same me with the same problems everywhere I go. For me to get the most out of traveling I feel I need to have changed who I am. I want to become a person who has good ideas, a person who has interesting thoughts. Creative things have always appealed to me because I've always liked making up things and am drawn to stories that have lots of detail. I also want to make something - I want to do more with my life than just eat food, read, and play video games. I want to be more than just a passive consumer, I want to be able to make something really neat.

So, if you don't mind sharing, who do you want to be? What is it that keeps you going through your job?

Museum archivist

Solivagant said:

RockerChick said:

Sure. I am a paralegal.

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Thanks. =] I always try to find out when someone says they love their work and also make decent money.

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No problem! With my line of work, it really depends on the attorney you work for. I lucked out. Twice. Once place was pure hell. It can go like that.