Academic Discussion and Writing Which would you choose: a high-paying job with long working hours or a lower-paying job with shorter working hours?

Drills

Drill 1  Which of the two answers below is probably more accurate as a response to the following question? How can you improve it? Would you like to stay in a foreign country for a year or visit all continents during your high-school sophomore year?

 

Answer A: I would like to stay in a foreign country for a year rather than visit all continents during my sophomore year in my high school. There are two reasons. First, I would like to study English overseas so that I can get a higher score in the college admissions test. To be fluent in a language, it takes time. Therefore, I need to stay in an English-speaking country for at least a year. Second, I want to make friends with people in a foreign country. Friendship takes time to build. Thus, I would choose a one-year stay.

Answer B: If I stay in a foreign country for a year, I would be able to learn the culture and the language well. I may also be able to become very close to the people there. If lucky, the country would be my second home. On the other hand, if I visit all continents in a year, I would be familiar with a variety of climate types and societies. I would choose the latter because I want to see the world first, and then think about whether to stay in a foreign country for a long time and which country I should stay if I do it later.

 

 

Lesson 1  Which would you choose: a high-paying job with long working hours or a lower-paying job with shorter working hours? 

 

 

☆Let’s think

1.       What is the difference between a low-paying job and a lowest-paying job?

Note: A lowest-paying job usually does not allow you to make ends meet and you will probably be a working poor, while a lower-paying job will probably not put you in such a situation.

2.       Complete the table below imagining the lives of these two types of jobs.

	Disposable income	Amount of free time	Stress level	Job satisfaction	Leisure activities	Affordable purchases	Retirement
High-paying job Examples:
Lower-paying job Examples:

 

3.       Which working condition would you rather choose? Why?

4.       Explain why you do not care about the disadvantages?

 

☆Hints for Points

Reasons to choose a high-paying job with long working hours

1.       Life planning is the key. It is common sense to choose a job with regular working hours for stability. I would like to live in a safe and comfortable place, wear stylish clothes, and eat safe food to live a long healthy life. I would also like to get married and have children as a respected citizen.

2.       I would like to contribute to society as a specialist. I like working. I would spend long hours to learn the job, gain knowledge, and improve my skills.

3.       All I want to do need money rather than time, so a lower-paying job is not my choice.

 

Reasons to choose a lower-paying job with shorter working hours

1.       Unless life becomes precarious, I would like to continue my study over the next ten years. .

2.       My nature defines my lifestyle. I just cannot work regularly. I am not inclined to long working hours. This does not mean that I am lazy. I have a strong power of concentration, while my body clock is just not suitable for a regular life pattern.

3.       I would like to enjoy leisure time with modest income. It is healthier both mentally and physically than to have a high-paying job.

4.       As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

 

 

☆Sample Essay Structure

Sample 1 

【Thesis】It may sound counterintuitive, but I would rather choose to work long hours as a specialist to live a well-rounded life.

【Reason】Lower-paying jobs with shorter hours often require the worker to be a small part of the whole operation like a cog in a machine. The tasks are too simple and monotonous to give the worker much joy of labor. They are often either always sedentary or always itinerant. Chances to interact with other humans through normal discourse are limited. All of these are stressful to the human nature, which is stressful to most humans or even dehumanizing. On the other hand, higher-paying jobs with long working hours allow workers to be voluntary, proactive, and creative. Challenging job assignments or allocations help keep the spirit high, and in the end, will contribute to happiness.

【Counterargument-treatment】Although Mia assumes personal fulfillment and well-being relates to jobs with shorter working hours, jobs with long working hours are also accompanied by them, especially in terms of relationships with client, awareness of being part of community service, pure joy of acquisition of skills and knowledge, and even self-esteem. After all, a happy worker makes others happy, too.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】Therefore, I would rather choose to pursue job satisfaction by working hard.