schweblog

With it being the summer, I’ve been spending more and more time in the workplace–almost 40 hours some weeks!–earning money and speaking with my peers. Being a liberal arts major in an engineering complex, differences are bound to arise. But there’s one particular aspect that I share with very few people.

I don’t really care about money. Sure, it’s nice to have. And sure, the shit you can get with it is cool. And if you don’t have it, it sure as hell isn’t fun. But honestly, if it comes down to me having an extra $50 spending money or 5 hours of time that I can spend doing whatever the hell I want, I’ll usually choose the 5 hours, ceteris paribus.

This difference is most prominent in my familial relations. My brother is frequently working overtime. My dad farmed for over 30 years, putting in 60-70 hours some weeks. When it comes down to me–the college student that is interested in teaching–the obvious differences come up:

Me: Yeah, I’m pretty set on teaching.

Dad: So no more law school?

Me: Probably not. I know the money’s not as good, but I think I’ll enjoy the work more and I’ll make a bigger difference in life.

Dad: You’ll have all of those summers off, though.

Me: Yeah…I think I’d like to travel.

Dad: With that kind of salary, you sure as hell aren’t going to be able to afford a house.

Me: I don’t think that really bothers me all that much.

Dad: …

Me: …

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. If I amount to very little monetarily, I can be OK with that. Granted, I don’t want to be poor or live in the ghetto my entire life, but if it comes down to making a lucrative salary and spending 60 hours a week in the office or working 25 hours a week and making enough to eek by on, with just a little bit left over, I’ll choose the latter every time.

Filed under: general by Jesse