HOW WORK CAN SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF YOU…

I wish all aspiring b-schoolers the best when it comes to their lives and happiness. See, I believe that over half are going to b-school and yet they still have no idea what they want to do in the future. Further, I believe that most of them are going predominantly because they wish to advance up the corporate ladder.

Since I am a man of analogies and metaphors, let me say that going to school for this reason (mainly the bigger paycheck) will only result in you learning that your ladder is made of twizzlers (the licorice). Now try climbing it. (Ok, so the twizzler reference loses a bit because they’re tasty – but you get the point).

I should know. I am one who got an undergrad degree in something that I had little interest in but a) was good enough at math to do and b) had one of the highest starting salaries among undergrads (according to the Peterson’s career guide book we all look at in high school). Wow – I was going to be wealthy!

The money is not worth it. When you wake up every single day and simply cannot stand the work, it puts a drag on you. This drag flows over (or, BOILS would be a more correct word) into your personal life. You may feel depressed or helpless, and your energy to do things and socialize with others will dwindle. Remember, this is the stuff that will happen to you outside of work.

The irony is that there’s nobody to blame but you; despite the fact that most of the people you work with will, in some way, irritate the hell out of you. It’s not their fault, though! Unfortunately, you do both your employer and yourself a huge disservice when you enter a career that you aren’t passionate about, and I intend in my career – when I have the responsibility to do so – to hire people who are energetic about their field.

I used to work out religiously – it’s something I love to do (even today) but my workouts have come few and far between because of my lack of energy in general. I’m nowhere close to being in the shape I was in when I started this job. But, I can change it.

Don’t chase the money. Your personal life will go to shit. A b-schooler on BW forums has started a thread about some of the greatest one-liners ever. Which did I choose to post?

“THE MASS OF MEN LEAD LIVES OF QUIET DESPERATION.” - Henry David Thoreau (referenced in one of my favorite books, Come Into My Trading Room, By Dr. Alexander Elder)
Don’t be one of them.