As I write this, I am currently bent over my computer, at an obscene hour of the morning - drinking an unhealthy amount of coffee.

Why?

I am attempting to write the job application from hell. Let me just reiterate the job application from hell.

Which led me to wondering. Exactly what is it, that inspires people to wade through 130 page legal documents outlining the terms and conditions of applying for a particular job? Why do people murder their brains in futile attempts to grind out butt kissing statements such as 'My major flaw is perfectionism' or my personal favourite 'I believe I have the superior qualities embued within my very soul, that will enable me to succeed for you, your company and for my empty bank account.'

Do we suffer for the prestige of a particular job? Or for the (pittance) money.
Do we (sometimes) degrade ourselves to slot ourselves into functioning society and to be a good citizen for 'the man'?

Or do we merely suffer because we love our coffee and OH MY GOD I NEED MORE?

If anyone finds this thread completely confusing, you are not alone. My simple question is 'Why do we need jobs?'

[Ps. Please don't hurt me XD]

We need jobs for money.
We need money to persue our dreams.
Jobs give us something to do other than day time television.
It's something that must be done due to history and the creation of modern society.
Gives us a social aspect, human contact and responsibility.

Okay fair enough, we all need money. But I'm not sure money is needed to persue dreams, although it does depend - if we're dreaming of kicking back in the Bahamas then yes money is needed, but if I'm dreaming of becoming taller, then it's not really helpful (lets not bring operations that break knees into this, because anyone who wants an operation like that hates themself).

I was thinking maybe the reason people study hard in universtiy for prestigous jobs like Lawyers or Doctors - do they do it because they want the job to be part of their identity?

Like 'Hey, I'm a lawyer/doctor/retailer/accountant/mad scientist, therefore I am cooler than you.'

Because jobs help form our social ranking in that kind of way.

The idea of a good job like that is that your sure to be needed somewhere. whereas if you have an old outdated skill your going to find yourself stacking shelves eventually.

call your efforts an investment.

It doesn't feel like an investment. It's going on 5am and all I can think is; 'Die, die! Burn in hell!' The job I'm applying for isn't even that important! It's a typist for god's sake! Why the hell do I need to go through all this rigmarole? I don't think typing is a particularly valuable skill (at least not as a job option).

Studying at University is an investment, that I understand (and have been lectured about it every single day of my life since I was born. No joke. Since I was born.).
But this seems a bit ridiculous. For a job that doesn't lead to a momentus career.

This is someone's idea of sadistic fun, I swear.

Food for thought: What makes a good job?

I want to be a doctor because I want to help people.

And the money's good too.

I want to become a statistician because I didn't know what to do after my A levels and a spokesperson came into my college and said there was an internetional shortage in statisticians. I decided to simply fill in a gap.

@Mourning Glory: I wanted to be a Lawyer/Barrister because of that; wanting to help people and get good pay. But then I realised if you want a lot of money, you really have to work your butt off and even then there's no guarantees. It's funny though how jobs mean material wealth - Doctors do a valuable service in the operating room, but private practices earn tons without really doing anything. =_= (is biased because her Doctor is lame).

I'm the one who's goingto be the mad scientist XD I already am cooler than you. IM KIDDING. Don't hurt me :P

We need jobs because it gives us money to do stuff.

This could also tie in with the whole "What is the point of it all?" and "What is the meaning of life". I see that it's like, 5am, a very good time to get all existentialist, particularly when annoyed and sleep deprived. I suffer from bouts of existentialism during particularly streeful exam periods.

Discalimer: I know Star irl, therefore I can be an ass around her XD

I really wish I knew what I wanted to be. Life would be so much easier. I need a job though, but once you start working you can never go back. I hope my first job isn't a total disaster.

Actually, the worse your first job is, it means it can only get better XD My first job was at an ice rink, and I was doing to job of like, three people coz we were so understaffed: Serve long lines at the kiosk, give out and put away skates in skate hire, clean etc. Pay was terrible, always too much to do, but damn I did my best. Probably kept the place the cleanest it's ever been XD But nothing beat the experience it gave me, work-wise. After that, I could handle almost everything and nothing - nothing, no job, seemed bad XD

I hate employment.

I've been unemployed for a while now. My theory is it's because when I do manage to score an interview, they don't hire me because I refuse to be a butt kissing puppet like everyone else. If they ask me a question, I answer honestly. If I wanted to act, I'd apply at theaters.

And it freaking pisses me off that everywhere you look, the hardest workers are making the least money. People like me are busting our asses in retail and food service jobs while others are making ten times as much just sitting at a desk acting like king shit all day.



...and I'd like a job somewhre in the medical field. :) I'm always watching the health channel. All those autopsy and operation shows are quite fascinating. Only problem is I can't stand needles. :/ A shot in the shoulder is perfectly fine, but an IV or bloodwork has me out cold.

You'd also need an education unless you get hired by the Mob :\
the easiest job i've seen so far is in super markets. Office jobs can be hell but at least in jubs such as shops or resturants you have oppertunities for fun and it's always an option to quit so no "butt kissing" required.

My recommendation for the lost souls here is to start your own company, have you given it any thought? I don't know about how it is in the USA, but over here people who attend a certain 'open-for-business-class' for a couple of months will subsequently get funded by the government to start your own business (that is, you don't have to pay them back). I guess their idea is that you'll make it up to them by paying that arsed tax (note; Taxes in Sweden are the highest in the world).

Anyway, back to the subject matter...

You're probably one of the 99% of the people who won't get rich by working. You become rich by taking initiative and investing yourself. Ingvar Kamprad thought of the idea to sell cheap furniture, self-service style. It resulted in IKEA (Ingar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) which is now a world-leading company and Ingvar himself is the richest man in Europe.

Someone mentioned lawyers and their good pay; be aware that quite many lawyers are self-employed. The ones who start working in a firm usually have an insulting pay in regard to their education costs/time consumption. Though, if you're not very ethically bound or are willing to kiss some serious arse, you'll climb the ladder upwards (and ironically, eventually descend down to hell) and recieve a bigger paycut.

If sucking up to people in higher positions is out of the question, then think about starting your own thing. You'd probably need some funding, so get working a while before you do so. No need to try to advance since it's a temporary job to invest in your idea.

Once you're rich and famous, gimmie 5% royalty.

You'd also need an education unless you get hired by the Mob :\
the easiest job i've seen so far is in super markets. Office jobs can be hell but at least in jubs such as shops or resturants you have oppertunities for fun and it's always an option to quit so no "butt kissing" required.

Supermarket jobs are not easy. Although, in England, you get to sit down and don't have to pack the bags... so I guess they are rather easier there, lol.

Here, checkout work is standing in a 3-foot-square patch of ground for 7+ hours (usually), scanning people's groceries and packing them into plastic/canvas bags, trying to please everyone in the way that you pack - getting abuse from people because the lines are too long, you've put something in a bag they wanted in a DIFFERENT bag, they're having a just plain bad day and decided to take it out on the poor checkout chick, you're packing too slow (on a couple of occasions, you're packing too FAST - go figure. I'm fast and even that gets complaints). Oh, and you get crap all pay ^_^

Pick the 4-year veteran of supermarket work!

Oh, and if it's quiet, you get shoved into any other department that needs help, or get to scrub the insides of the checkouts with a toothbrush and homebrand glass cleaner, because that's the only cleaner that they'll let us have even though it doesn't have any cleaning power at all.

Tell me why I want to go back to that? x_x Oh yeah, I don't - but no-one else wants to hire me in retail because I'm 19 years old and they have to pay me too much. And I can't really go for any other jobs at the moment because I don't know what hours I'm going to be doing at Uni until I'm enrolled in all my courses <_<

gah! i have a profession at job hunting
yes, thats what i learnt today during my training today... rather than saying "hi there im unemployed" or "hi im a doll bludger"... just saying it in a more errrr, professional way makes you sound smarter, makes the person think about your 'profession'.. and then laughs which then gets both talking about jobs in hopes that your profession as a job hunter will soon be over!
of which after saying all of that i probably made absolute no sense

but yes, people work for money
okay so there are people who work because they enjoy it, because its what they love, its their passion or whatnot
but overall.. they also work for the money

its all about the bottom line... ofcoarse all the other aspects come into account.. but.. money is the reason

yeh.. you can enjoy life without money... but you can enjoy life more with it

If you don't work, you don't eat.

I don't work and I eat quite well. Now if you'll excuse me, my mooching sacs need dry-cleaning.

Japanese proverb :)

Japanese proverb :)

Only reference I ever found of it being said was in a computer game based on the novel of the three kingdoms. Any idea of a better origin? :huh:

I'm going to get a job in the summer purely for the cash. Most likely in a super market. Money money money.

I don't work and I eat quite well. Now if you'll excuse me, my mooching sacs need dry-cleaning.

obviously you rely on someone elses money, which they work for.. to eat.. to feed you

but hey, luxuries of youth

Ha, he's 23.
I wanna join him -.-

oh lol!
WELL! actually.. yeh im unemployed and i still eat...
but thats not the point!

careers are just too stressful..

Stressful? I wanna get my career on the road before I'm too old! I'm happy to juggle Uni work but because I'm going to be stuck there so long....it's hard to find "professional" work for a Full time student. *blah* -_- Therefore, here I come Accounting...*cries*