[mping]

You don't want a job for job's sake. You want it to earn money to spend it somewhere else. Here's an heuristic for you: imagine you are old and are dying. What things would you like to say on your deathbed? "I had a great job, great career, earned lots of money"? Or maybe "I had a great life/kids/wife/contribution to society/whatever"? Before answering, take some time to really imagine the situation. Don't give a knee-jerk answer.

"

[itsboring]

Maybe those are your priorities, but I don't think you should apply them to everyone else and then accuse them of not taking time to think it through if they don't share your priorities.

Of the things you listed, only two are really concrete (wife, kids) and some people don't have those things, sometimes by choice. "Great life" could mean different things to different people and I'm not sure what "contribution to society" entails. Charitable works, volunteering? Again, this could mean all sorts of things; some people see raising good kids as contributing to society, while others might consider their work important to society (for example, medical research, clean energy, advancements in computer science, etc.)

If I spend at least 8 hours of every weekday working, that's an enormous portion of my life. So, going back to the death bed scenario, you better bet I don't want to be like "well, I spent a huge portion of my life sleeping, and another huge portion working a mediocre job, but the rest was pretty good." I'd rather be able to say that I had a rewarding and challenging career that gave me satisfaction (above and beyond just money for survival and comfort).

Many people value wife/kids and see their job as just a paycheck and there's nothing wrong with that. But some people look for different things, and yes, that can include one's career and professional life. And some people are a mix of the two. To assume that it's just about money is to project your own view on everyone else.

[mping]

It doesn't really matter what your preferences are. That's why I had the "whatever" option. I am just advocating that you have to be aware of what matters to you, always. It's pretty easy to get lost in everyday stuff, whether procrastinating on the internet or anywhere else. If you know what's important to you, by comparison you won't be bothered with the rest, and you'll spend your energy wisely.

[itsboring]

Fair enough, I can certainly agree with that.

[corin_]

Personally family/kids are a big part of what I want from life, but there are people out there who don't actually want that.

Job may not be everything, just as kids may not be everything (find my a homeless person who has had kids and tell me his life is perfect), but that doesn't mean that a career can't be enjoyable and a big positive in your life, not just a necessity.

[tzaman]

It's not one or the other. Having a good job/career and in turn $$$ means you can contribute more to the society, and provide for your family better.

So on my deathbed, I'd like to say: "I was good at making $$$ which allowed me to spend more time with my family, give some to charities and see a good portion of my mother earth with the ones I love."

[init0]

Will do it soon, thanks.