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

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.

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	Others
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 Response Structures    

Sample 1 

【Thesis】It may sound counterintuitive, but I think a hard-working specialist has 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 simple and monotonous, giving the worker little 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 human nature. On the other hand, higher-paying jobs with long working hours allow workers to be voluntary, proactive, and creative. Challenging job assignments help keep the spirit high, and in the end, will contribute to contentment.

【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. Not only the job satisfaction I mentioned above but also abundant remuneration saves the workers and their family from fears of precarious life, unlike those with lower-paying jobs. In addition, labor law protests workers from working extremely long hours.

【Conclusion】Therefore, I would rather pursue job satisfaction and stable life by working long hours.

 

Sample 2

【Thesis】Considering the balance between work and life, I would choose a lower-paying job with shorter working hours because time is life, as the author of Momo says.

【Working hours】This insightful children’s book which is intended for adults to read questions values of capitalist society, suggesting sacrificing time is the root cause of unhappiness in today’s world. Adults in the village in this story, recruited for business, lose time to spend with their children, who get agitated with this neglect. Momo, a girl who is not related to the villagers and their activities, alone is saved from losing time and remains happy. As we can see in this story, keeping the natural, relaxed lifestyle is the key to happiness. Therefore, work with shorter hours is preferable. The flexible hours and less responsibility allow more relaxed lifestyle.

【Income】 Lower income may not promise a life free from anxiety. However, it is also doubtful whether high-income jobs promise it. Companies can go bankrupt, or injury or illness can easily lower their status. If you are money-oriented, this downfall will be your death sentence, while prioritizing time at least saves you from phycological fragmentation.

【Conclusion】After all, even if you have a lot of money, if you do not have time to spend it to enjoy life, your life is a failure. To stay as human as possible in this modern world of insanity, I would be happy to be less paid and have more leisure time.

 

 

Drill  Which of the two answers below is better as a response to the following question? How can you improve it?

Question: Would you like to stay in a foreign country for a year or travel around the world during your high-school sophomore year?

 

Answer A: I would like to stay in a foreign country for a year rather than travel around the world 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 build intimate relationships with the people there. If lucky, the country would be my second home. On the other hand, if I travel around the world for 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT