Work

OK Kids, I'm at work and trying to figure out why

I think that people go to work for three main reasons.

1. Money, People expect to get paid for time away from home, they will take a job they don't like for more money, or they will quit a job that doesn't pay them enough. I think that generally people get the best paying job they qualify for and hate it because it isn't what they like but the money is good. Conversely, people will take an easy job that is enjoyable for less money. I have done that. I took easy jobs that I didn't enjoy for easy money, I have taken really hard jobs that I hated for more money. I think the balance is to not take the highest paying job but one that keeps you at a fair misery/money ratio. I also think it is not a strait line but a logorhythm, like  a squared relationship type thing, increases in pay are exponentially harder.

2. The challenge. You will take a job because it gives you something else. The challenge of trying to solve a puzzle, or a series of questions, or because you like the end result. You might take a job for the chance to be a part of something bigger. The chance to say you built the hoover dam or Statue of Liberty. I would probably do that job for free. I think that service also comes in here, I think the part of your brain that has reward centers is stimulated by challenges or but service and I think that you can take a job where you are serving like with the Green peace or WHO or doctors without borders and that fulfills this section of reward/work

3. Experience. Internships/residencies are great examples of this, You have nothing to do but get in the way and you get a chance to work on something and learn how to work. In old timey days I think this was the apprenticeship. Everyone should have to work for free at some point, education is the reward. the other thing is that your job can have a valuable experience for your life. WOrking on something you couldn't do elsewhere. I worked at UTMB and got to do a Burr Hole. No where would I get to do that. That experience was good.

You might say that people work for the love of what they do, like musicians and like charity workers, But I think they are sacrificing money for challenge and experience. I think that the key to happiness in a career is to find a balance that allows money, challenge and experience to balance each other. I have had jobs high in money challenge and experience and it was more than I could handle, and not enough challenge makes misery.

 I think my jobs in residency the pay was adequate, work was hard for the experience, challenge was there but we were miserable because I was working way harder than the money, but I wasn't worth more money. so the balance was off. leading to unhappiness, but prepping for future improvement in pay/challenge/experience ration.

Other jobs have had good experiences, lots of challenges but money didn't pay well. Other jobs payed very well for the work and lacked in challenge and no novel experiences, so I did not enjoy those.

Currently, I feel the work experience is fascinating and I enjoy the challenge, Yesterday I saw a lot of rare cases and enjoyed the challenge, and the experience, I feel Im Adequately compensated, so right now I am happy with work at work.

But, that results in me being away from my family. Unfortunately that is every job outside of agriculture.

Along those lines, I don't know what career to recommend to you. I think engineers have a good balance and they all seem happy.

Farmers seem to be happy, and they lack in money.

Those are my thoughts, Love you kids, wish I knew what your future held,