The Value of Work and Money - Essay Example

It is always a regular battle for people to find jobs, even to those who graduated from universities. For this reason, some are challenged to take jobs with low salaries or that are not related to their education at all. Some try to make sense of such circumstances, considering it to be a stepping stone, a way of taking some experience on work for them to eventually land the job they want, in time. The perseverance that I have seen in most Chinese makes a one who would not easily give up, no matter how difficult situations are.

If John Updike considers that “one of the advantages of having been a child in the depression is that it takes very little money to gladden the heart” (Updike, 125), I, for one who was raised in a country where applying for one position in a restaurant is a competition among hundreds of applicants, consider it a joy to have a job, no matter how difficult it is. It also follows that regardless of the salary, it easily gladdens the Chinese heart for one to have a job. This probably reflects as well the Chinese upbringing of never being ashamed about small beginnings as most wealthy Chinese worked their way to where they are now through hard work, perseverance and not being choosy of the demands of work.

I always considered this to be an admirable character so with the same principle, I volunteered for odd jobs in the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. The jobs were physically demanding. At night, as I rest on my bed, I felt like my body was badly beaten during the day. Nevertheless, there was the feeling of satisfaction that boosted my value and importance. I usually congratulated myself for a job well done during the day and treat myself to a restful night for me to be able to face another day of hard work.

In such times, I felt like I was a true Chinese. I was proud of myself. In addition, I worked for a few days at a Chinese restaurant. There, I learned a lot not only about work but about job. I was challenged to continue with my studies as I observed that a university education greatly helps in the success of a person. I realized that I could actually work hard, maybe in a different manner as when I am an employee at a restaurant; that I could equally be tired but would be more financially rewarded.

What I mean is that, if I have a good education that will propel me to get a white collar job, I may work as hard as a waiter, tired as dog by the end of the day, but well compensated. If I have an education that will make me stand out among others, I will not be like most who are just able to work with their hands, feet and common knowledge but I will be armed with a special knowledge and skill that would give me the chance to earn better salaries. I know I can get to the point of being the one giving a tip to the restaurant employee and not the one taking it.

I do not mean to minimize the value of such job and situation; I just want to have a higher value for what I do. Studying in the United States, I am considered to be stingy. I do not see it that way, though. I understand that the worth of every cent I spend is the value of my parents’ sweat, hard work and long nights. If Updike says, “coins were once worth their weight in silver or gold”, they are worth my parents’ dreams for me. Nowadays, money can be easily spent. There are a lot of things to buy, many malls and places to go to.

Coins and paper money can easily disappear from one’s wallet. Yet, as a person raised in a family where money is spent only in meaningful and