I agree with the statement, “when choosing a job, it is more important to like the job than to make a certain amount of money.” This statement hints at an underlying obsession with gaining wealth in capitalist cultures that does not improve the quality of people’s lives. When considering this statement, it is very important to define “liking” as it relates to job satisfaction.
Enormous pressure exists in our culture for indivdiuals to to attain high-paying jobs, but science, history, and experience clearly point out that high-paying jobs do not improve the quality of people’s lives. A recent study showed that feelings of “happiness” do not increase if household income is above $70,000. Looking into America’s past, a significant number of European settlers disappeared into the woods to live with Native American tribes and assume their simpler lifestyle. Some settlers who were captured by Native Americans forcefully, assimilated into a tribe and later rescued and brought back into a European colony, would flee back into the woods to rejoin their tribe. In tribes, people worked around 20 hours a week and enjoyed immense satisfaction in their community and lifestyle. There were no divisions of wealth. Taking an extreme example, consider Warren Buffet. One of the richest men in the entire world chooses to live relatviely humbly and gives generously to charitable causes.
Considering this statement, it is important to define “liking.” Sure, some people might truly “like” their job in the sense that it is “fun.” An example might be Anthony Bourdain, who literally travels and eats for a living. Not all of us are so lucky, but we could more realistically stand to gain satisfaction in our workplace from achieving or working towards a goal, being involved in a community, or developing a skill. The hours for medical professionals are very long and greulling, but one would agree that they “like” restoring people to good health. In terms of community, take start-ups for example. A workplace can be incredibly hectic, but some people will put up with it because they “like” working among enterprenuers.
The student states clearly that he agrees with the question prompt. He follows up with specific examples that support his position. He also makes an interesting point: It is necessary to define what “like” means in order to address the question. This is a good way to discuss a topic when a certain word could be interpreted differently by different people. He could improve his opening paragraph by restating the prompt in his own words rather than quoting it directly.