Discussion 5: What do you want most in a job?

Hi guys. Did you happen to see the students collecting money for the victims of the earthquake disaster in China on campus today? If you feel inclined, please make a small donation towards their cause. Actually, I believe that there were some camera crews from NHK and YAB on campus today to report on the donation campaign. So, if you watch the news this afternoon or tonight, there might be a segment on it.

Anyway, moving on to today’s topic: what we want most from our jobs. Again, I think it’s difficult to choose just one answer to this question, as most of us probably need a mix of things in order to feel satisfied. Personally, I guess the most important thing for myself is “challenge” – I don’t want to do a boring job – and relating from that, “satisfaction”. I want to feel that I have achieved something, or have helped someone, or have made some kind of important change, through my work. However, I’ve also recently come to realize that “money” is also very important. It’s unclear whether we will be able to get a pension or not when we retire, so it’s becoming increasingly important for us to consider our future financial stability from a much earlier age. As such, having a decent salary is quite important.

So, what do you guys think? Please leave your comments! It’s really hot today, isn’t it? Actually, I’m not feeling too well today because it’s so hot… I have a bit of a headache. But, I hope you are all enjoying the good weather.

Cheers,
Kris

Discussion 4: To quit or not to quit…

Hi guys. Did you enjoy your (extra) long weekend?? I didn’t get up to much. On Saturday I went to Karato and saw the “fune-gassen”. If you’ve never seen it before, I recommend that you watch from afar. It looks much more impressive if you see it from a distance. And after that I went to the new Indian Curry restaurant (Nandan?) in Karato. It is actually run by a Nepalese or Indian man, and all of the staff are Nepalese/Indian. It is really authentic… and the Nan is huge!! No joke!! I recommend that you try it out… especially at lunch time because they have a very good value lunch menu!! Anyway, I hope you all had a fun and relaxing break!! If only it was a bit longer…!!!

Okay, today’s discussion topic. What did you think about today’s story… about Soon quitting her job after only 1 year because she didn’t find it challenging enough? Do you agree with her decision? What would you have done if you were in her shoes? Would you have quit, or put up with it? Do you think that people should stay with the same company for their whole lives, or do you think it is quite normal, and perhaps a good thing, for people to change jobs several times during their lives?

Personally, I think it must be a difficult decision to quit your job, because without a full time job one can become very financially vulnerable. However, I also believe that it is important for one to find some sort of fulfillment through their work. We spend so many years of our lives working… so I believe we should do something which we enjoy or find challenging, and that totally uses our skills. Of course all jobs have some boring or tiresome points to them… but a job that offers no challenge at all must be very frustrating, especially for someone who really wants to be put to the test and challenged.

Anyway, let’s hear your opinions!!!

Kris