Reading 03 Prompt 2

I believe that in theory it is possible to “have it all”, but this almost never happens in practice. There are far too many aspects that can result in compromises and sacrifices being made at some point in one’s career. Even in terms of career planning, we have to consider factors that we prioritize over others that may still be important. These factors are exacerbated when unexpected situations arise. It is also important to consider the fact that one’s passions may not line up with his or her career. For example, one may be interested in fine arts but ends up pursuing engineering as a more “practical” approach to life. If one wishes to start a family, then the spouse’s interests and career choices will serve to complicate things further. As a result, few people actually end up with everything they desired from their career choice.

Burnout can be a common issue when one has to work every week for extended periods of time. Even the most enthusiastic employees will eventually get sick of what they do. Ultimately, despite how much money we make or what position we hold, we are all slaves to society. There will likely be something that we want to do but cannot due to our work commitments. I have not personally experienced burnout, but I do get tired of doing repetitive tasks for a long period of time. I believe that this can add up over the span of a few months or years, which results in a decline in productivity and desire to work. To some extent, we all believe that the “grass is greener on the other side”. Because of this, it is possible that some of us will always envision what “could have been” in terms of our career choice and opportunities in society despite being in a very privileged position. Most of us have a variety of activities that we want to accomplish in our lives. The unfortunate truth is that many of these activities will become unrealistic as we settle into our respective career paths.

Companies can help resolve burnout by both limiting work hours and increasing the variety of tasks if possible. Longer vacation times with an opportunity to bond with other employees might increase productivity after they resume work. I do not believe that there is an ethical requirement per se to restore balance, but I do believe that this will play a factor in terms of the productivity of employees. It should be in the best interest for companies to provide a balance between work and “life”. I strongly believe that an employee who is satisfied with his/her life will be more motivated and loyal than one who is forced to work long hours. At least, I do not see myself being loyal to a company that does not value my life and potential family obligations. This balance will be important for me when I enter the workforce, but I am not yet sure what I will do to maintain it. I do, however, intend to cherish my break and vacation time.

Related posts:

In this short tutorial we will show you how to use Custom Ranking for your activity streams and news feeds. By default all feeds on Stream are ranked chronologically. Custom ranking allows you to…

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a detailed commentary on the future flights of mankind to Mars and shared his vision of what exactly it will take to build the first full-fledged city on the red planet. The…

I never pictured myself as a boy’s mom. Growing up the oldest of 5 girls, I always imagined having daughters. Our second child was born a wonderful boy and being the mom of a boy is a very different…