Jobs have been around for ages and people have debated over whether to get a job that makes more than enough money to support one’s self and future family or love what they do but be living paycheck to paycheck. There are benefits that come with both types of jobs, but what’s best for somebody’s situation all depends on each person’s personality, how they work, and their work ethics.

“I honestly think people should go into something they are passionate about,” said Senior Joshua Beckstead. “If they aren’t passionate about their work, then they won’t care about it enough to do the job correctly.”

When contemplating what career to go into, it is important to consider all the present and future factors that come into play throughout their lives. Whether or not people do or are going to have a family is a big factor to consider when thinking of a career choice.

It is necessary to have enough income from work to be able to support everyone that needs to be supported. Having too low of an income to be able to take care of a family is, unless you have some savings or a backup, going to be very problematic, but not only is it necessary to be able to coexist in society, for some, money is way too important.

Making a lot of money is great, but making more could potentially result in much longer work hours and spending less time with your family. When choosing a job that results in a larger income, there is always going to be a trade-off of either time, effort, or happiness.

A good number of people prefer being able to have a big sum of money and spending it as they please. Research on lottery winners has found that they had a substantially higher life satisfaction rate than before they lucked out on lottery winnings.

“Researchers have found something interesting: having no money (or a very low income) makes people miserable,” said an article written by Katie McBeth from Classycareergirl.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has mentioned loving one’s work, gets them into a state of mind in which he calls ‘the flow’. People in this state are very focused and are much more productive than people who dislike the work they’re doing.

“If people want more money, that’s what they should aim for,” said senior Nizhoni Guthrie. “If you want to do what you love, go for it.”

Research done at Michigan State University found that people who enjoyed doing the puzzle they were given, performed the best and it, for them, wasn’t as mentally exhausting as it would’ve been if they hadn’t liked it.

“People should go into careers that make them happy to preserve their mental health,” said Sophomore Zachariah Sandage. “Do what you’re interested in.”

In the end, it really is the choice of each individual to decide which job field to go into. Some people enjoy the thought of having a lot of money. Some people really like the idea of being able to get up in the morning and be excited to go do their job. It all depends on the goals and wants of each person. So, whichever choice sounds more appealing, make sure it’s the right one.