Do I Have to Work For a Living?
World of Work Quiz
It may seem like a silly question, but do you need a job to survive or can you live without one? Many take the tasks of finding and keeping a job as a given ... while others care mush less than their families and bosses do.
But unless you have inherited money ... you will need to work for it ... or acquire it but some means. And common wisdom tells us crime doesn't pay (and here I would add the word "well" ... crime doesn't pay very well) ... so how much do you need a good job that will pay an honest day's wage?
To find out if you need to work for a living and if so, if doing a job you love is right for you ... take this workshop. The answers you arrive at might just help clarify a few things in your life.
Start The Quiz
To do this online quiz, you will need to get out a notebook or your work journal and start about thinking about your life and how you want to live it.
Below are 10 questions to help get you started thinking. Read each one and then write down your thoughts and ideas and insights about each one. Do them in order, so that you are able to follow the train of discovery.
Part One: Do You Have to Work or Not?
Question 1: Do you know how much money you and your family will need for the rest of your life? If yes, write the number below. If no, there is help below so you can figure it out later.
Question 2: Do you already have the full amount saved up or guaranteed to come to you? If not, subtract how much you already have from how much you need and you will determine how much you still need to get. Write down that number and circle it. That is the goal you are striving for.
Now write down how you plan to get it. Winning the lottery is not a viable plan ... nor is anything that is really a pie in the sky speculation or fantasy. Solid, viable dreams of a new profession, however , are fine.
Question 3: So do you have to work for a living? The answer is yes if you still need money ... because you will need to work for it, unless you plan to inherit it.
Part Two: If You Have To Work, Should You Choose A Job You Love?
You would think this is a no-brainer, but many people struggle with this one, thinking that they have to work at a job they hate because it will pay more, or that is what everyone else is doing.
But this question is worth taking a few moments to really think about.
Question 1: If the salary is higher at a job you love, would you choose to work at a job you are indifferent to or dislike? If so, state why.
Question 2: If the salary is the same, would you choose to work at a job you love or at a job you are indifferent to or dislike? Write down why.
Question 3: If the salary is not the same, how much extra would you have to be paid to work at a job you dislike? Make sure to put down a specific dollar amount that would make you happy to go to work everyday at a job you dislike, and the specific salary for a job you hate.
Question 4: Other than salary, is there any reason to work at a job you dislike? For some people it is benefits, flexibility in work hours, or time off to go to school or raise the kids.
If you have any reasons, list them along with how much income you are willing to give up for each.
Reason Income Given Up Long Term Costs Net Impact
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Question 5: If you created a list above in Question 4, take a moment and think about the long term costs of working at a job you dislike. Write down what these are in the space above, including the effects of job stress on your body, relationships, family, job performance, paychecks, confidence, and long term opportunities. Put a dollar amount on the cost of coping with all the anger, frustration, worry and stress of the job.
Question 6: Now take the income given up and subtract the long term cost on you and your family, the money you spend to relax, deal with the stress of the job and make up for the misery it causes (include the cost of entertainment, treats, and other coping mechanisms). For each line, or the total of all the reasons ... you will get a number. If it is positive, then you come out ahead. If it is negative, you are spending more money coping than it is worth ... and you are falling behind.
Question 7: Do you have a way to minimize, neutralize or reverse the negative effects of the working at a job you hate? Is this a permanent or temporary situation? Do you have a long term exit strategy?
Question 8: If you have to work but are not doing work you love, is it time to start thinking about finding your dream job or starting your dream business?
Interpret Your Answers
Part One
Question 1 - 3: Although there are many reasons to work, the primary one is to pay for the things you need and want. In modern life, we buy from others rather than make most of the things we use. So, these first questions clarify if you have a lifetime of money already accumulated for yourself and your loved ones.
If you do decide that you have to work, you might want to read about what you really get paid for so you can grow and stretch your paycheck.
Part Two
Question 1 - 2: These questions help you evaluate the importance and tradeoffs between what you earn (tangible money) and how you feel about your job (intangible feelings). Many people focus more on salary and forget to think about whether they love their work.
These questions also challenge the assumption that work you love pays less ... or put another way, work you hate pays more. That idea comes from the higher salary paid for unpleasant, risky or dangerous work. These higher salaries compensate people for bad work environments and higher rates of injury and death. Basically, if a job shortens your work life from 20 years to 10 years, they pay you more because you will not be able to work very long. This applies to athletes , under sea divers and anyone else who has a short lived career.
However, these are not the only way to earn a high wage. High levels of expertise, passion and excellence also earn a premium.
The "work you love doesn't pay" assumption may also come from people who are ill prepared or are willing to earn a pittance to do what they love. But doing what you love does not mean you have to be low skilled or lack the necessary preparation, planning, financing and business knowledge. And experience shows you will likely get fired or leave a job you dislike a lot faster than one you love -- meaning you lose seniority and benefits while gaining a reputation for changing jobs and the stress of lots of job hunting.
Question 3 - 4: These questions help you clarify what other work factors are important to you. There are many viable reasons for doing a job you do not like, including benefits, preferred lifestyle, flexible hours, short commute times, and accommodating special family needs. But often it takes putting things down on paper to clearly see the impact of the tradeoffs you are making. Having to put a monetary amount next to each can help you can get a real feel for the impact of your choices.
Question 5, 6 & 7: If you are doing work you do not love, there are also hidden, long term costs which you should consider. So by taking a look at the long term effects on your entire life - you can make more informed decisions and help minimize any adverse effects.
Question 8: Many of us are so busy with our lives, we have little time to give our dream work much thought. But by taking this workshop, you have already started the ball rolling. Even if you only start to mull over ideas while you take a shower, commute to work or take a lunch break -- you have started the process of thinking about your future.
next workshop: What is Holding You Back From Work You Love?
