Throughout college and even in high school, many students are given advice as they look at potential career opportunities to pursue after they finish their education.
A commonly heard saying is “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” which masquerades as advice, even though it is a fat, dirty lie.
Maybe that”s a bit harsh. I”m sure the people who give this advice genuinely believe it. But I”m also sure these people must not love their jobs, because if they did they would realize that having a great job still requires a lot of hard work.
Erin Bamer
Although I”m still a young, fresh-faced college student, I”ve had a lot of different jobs. This semester alone I have juggled four jobs at once.
My first real job I got during my junior year of high school at a Wendy”s restaurant. I absolutely hated it.
It wasn”t really because of anything to do with the company or the people I worked with, I just hated my job from the first day, and it showed. I only took the job because my parents were nagging me to get one, and it was a lot more difficult and stressful than I ever gave it credit for. Though I didn”t last long there, I found a new respect for fast food workers that I don”t think will ever go away.
The funny thing is, I didn”t realize how much I really hated that job until I came to the University of Idaho and started working at The Argonaut.
This is my third year working at The Argonaut, and I”ve loved every minute of it. Working here has taught me I am a journalist at my core, and it has given me the opportunity to do what I”m passionate about. However, that does not mean it has ever been easy.
Searching through hours of audio to find the right quote or working with designers late into the evening to get a page looking just right is not my idea of fun, but I do it because I love it.
Even though my work definitely feels like work, that doesn”t make me any less passionate or enthusiastic about my job.
It is dangerous to tell people who will soon join the workforce, like college students, that a good job won”t feel like hard work because it creates flawed perceptions and unrealistic expectations. Why would someone want to settle for a rewarding but difficult job they may enjoy when they”ve been told that they will eventually find a living that is all play and no work?
There is value in hard work and maintaining a good work ethic – that should be obvious. Employers value it and employees will realize the value of it when their hard work inevitably pays off.
Instead of telling students that their perfect job won”t feel like hard work, students should go after an occupation they love enough to want to work hard at it every day.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer