Why Do We Need to Work?

Money? Growth? Recognition? Appreciation?

Or is it all of the above?

This question bugs me lately. Why do I work? If money is not required for living, will I still be on the same job that I’m doing right now? Does my personal growth always have to be in line with my career growth? What is it that I seek out of my employment?

In trying to answer that, I came up with several list of things that I actually benefited from having a job.

Feeling Needed

This is the one benefit that I notice the most out of my job. I need to feel needed. I think, to some extent, everyone does. That’s why I think I can never be in a job that doesn’t provide me with this feeling.

Sense of Improvement in Life

I think, without this, life will feel flat. Like stale water, it will get ugly fast, and swarming with bacteria.

Being Appreciated for What I Do

This is not quite obvious but I do feel the need to have this out of my job, or everything else for that matter, or I will lose motivation fast. Not blind appreciation though, credit where credit’s due.

Keeping My Mind Busy

This is quite important especially for me. My mind is a mess when I’m not actively trying to tame it. Working on a job that requires higher order thinking help keeps me sane.

Sadly, Also Money

The sad fact of life is that we need money to live. So yes, my job is helping me in removing another unnecessary stressor.

Finally, Doing Something That I Actually Love

This is quite obvious if you know me at all. I LOVE my job, not my current job per se, but what I do as a Software Engineer overall. I was hesitant to turn my hobby into my career, and glad that I did it.

So the answer to the question “Why Do We Need to Work?” is not that simple for me, because I have mashed my needs, my hobby, and my life into this career. I don’t know if it will be a good thing in the long run, but so far this seems to work fine. 🙃

(PS: That emoji is also something that I picked up from work. Small improvements.)