In The Interest of Discussion...

[Octavious]

I had this thought I was driving to my job today, figured I'd post my thoughts in hopes they can spark some good discussion. Little background on myself, I'm a 2nd year student in the College of Computer Science & Engineering at OSU, studying Software Engineering.

So, as I drove to my internship in web design today & content updates, I thought to myself why. Why do we, meaning humans, desire to keep going every day? Everyone seems to have a different reason they go to their jobs, I see so many people daily who 'hate' their job. Their job drives them nuts and they get no joy what-so-ever out of it.

I've also seen many people who actually enjoy their jobs, the team I work on seems to love web work, and enjoys doing it. What confuses me more, is the huge question of 'why do we do it' more clearly, why do we stick with jobs in our lives that we derive no joy from.

Our lives are but a short 70-100 years (if your lucky), yet we continue to work at things we don't enjoy. The end is inevitable, minus the small hope that there is something after this life. So, if there isn't the end is the end, figuratively speaking.

I keep trying to figure out what it is that ever keeps us going. Is it work ethic? Is it the brain that tells us to survive? We're working towards an inevitable end, so why keep going? Not to be overly-emo about it, just trying to understand.

So this morning I find myself driving down to the gym to work out before work to a job I actually enjoy, I still don't know why I do it. For fun? For money? For something to keep me browsing these forums and sharing life experiences? I really don't know why we keep going, but I do know that I don't think I'll stop anytime soon. Just taking a new perspective on life maybe, it's too short to shelf myself into a job that I don't like.

Does anyone here have a similar opinion? Or work a job they genuinely do not find enjoyable? C'mon share your views. After all, I need something to read at work. ~.^

[Norelco]

Dude, I'm a Software Engineer with a degree in Computer Science. I started out in the web field too, and let me tell you that you'll probably be wasting your talents there, and your time. That's just from my experience though, it may be different for you. All I know is I'm making alot more money doing C++ development.

[Raiko]

I don't grudge my job at all really, it sucks, but it pays me decent money for my age and pays for my weekends. As I get older maybe having a family will drive me to work, I don't know.

But for now I suppose I work for the weekends...

[Joran]

Well, all I know is if I didn't have anything to do with my time, I would probably eventually shoot myself or go on a killing spree. I just need something to keep my brain occupied from the fact that there is stupidity and retardedness everywhere around me. Obviously I'd make a terrible philosopher, or someone who gets paid to sit and think all day

Seriously, I just think there's a drive in all of us to continue. And its not just the primal urge to survive. So long as we're alive and mobile and capable of doing things we will do them. This drive to keep moving is probably a result of the primal instinct for survival, back in the day when we had to keep moving or risk losing the pack and dying to predators or the elements. But nowadays that we have no predators and could probably live comfrtably by not going anywhere or doing anything, we still follow the urge to be always on the move.

As for people for do what they do even though they hate it. Its just a shame that they can't figure out how to put all that energy they use on the job they hate into learning how to do a job that they love instead. At least it would make their life on the move a bit more comfortable.

[Octavious]

Dude, I'm a Software Engineer with a degree in Computer Science. I started out in the web field too, and let me tell you that you'll probably be wasting your talents there, and your time. That's just from my experience though, it may be different for you. All I know is I'm making alot more money doing C++ development.

Oh, I don't plan on going into Web Design. I'm doing my masters in Software Engineering after I graduate and I hope to go into development of some kind. This is just a summer internship for the year before I can get into a C++ Dev job.

OSU Does a lot to help out students with internships, however I couldn't get into the program this year due to myself being a transfer student from Ohio Dominican University.

Next year I can go through the ECIP (Engineering Co-Op & Internship Program) and get a job doing Dev Work. I am doing this to enhance my JavaScript/HTML Skills. Just to be able to market myself better.

Just trying to pad my resume a little while I can. I figured if I must wait before I can get into the ECIP program, I might as well make use of some talents and learn while I'm at it. The place I work at allows me to take online courses for HTML/JavaScript/C#/C++ on them, and offers courses on Ajax, Photoshop, and Flash. It's just one of those things I hope to give me some skills to add to my brain.

[Norelco]

Dude, I'm a Software Engineer with a degree in Computer Science. I started out in the web field too, and let me tell you that you'll probably be wasting your talents there, and your time. That's just from my experience though, it may be different for you. All I know is I'm making alot more money doing C++ development.

Oh, I don't plan on going into Web Design. I'm doing my masters in Software Engineering after I graduate and I hope to go into development of some kind. This is just a summer internship for the year before I can get into a C++ Dev job.

OSU Does a lot to help out students with internships, however I couldn't get into the program this year due to myself being a transfer student from Ohio Dominican University.

Next year I can go through the ECIP (Engineering Co-Op & Internship Program) and get a job doing Dev Work. I am doing this to enhance my JavaScript/HTML Skills. Just to be able to market myself better.

Just trying to pad my resume a little while I can. I figured if I must wait before I can get into the ECIP program, I might as well make use of some talents and learn while I'm at it. The place I work at allows me to take online courses for HTML/JavaScript/C#/C++ on them, and offers courses on Ajax, Photoshop, and Flash. It's just one of those things I hope to give me some skills to add to my brain.

Good deal man. Anyway, to keep this on topic...I know alot of people in my major who have fizzled out and left the IT field altogether. Others have gone into law using their comp. sci. degree to become computer patent lawyers etc. There's a ton of options if you find yourself questioning the daily drive back and forth.

My hope one day is to own my own business. Whether it's IT related or not I don't care, but I figure working for yourself is probably the most rewarding thing you can do. It would probably change your perspective.

[Octavious]

Well, all I know is if I didn't have anything to do with my time, I would probably eventually shoot myself or go on a killing spree. I just need something to keep my brain occupied from the fact that there is stupidity and retardedness everywhere around me. Obviously I'd make a terrible philosopher, or someone who gets paid to sit and think all day.

I kind of agree. I think one reason we keep going is so we don't have to be kept alone with ourselves for too long. It'd drive any normal person crazy @.@

[Devek]

Just remember that someone in a different country will do your job for $100/year.

[Izzy]

OP: I used to think about this stuff all the time. I don't know what it is. I really had issues motivating myself to move or get up or do ANYTHING and I couldn't understand why everyone else could do it but I couldn't. I eventually found something worth working for and now it's not so bad. Guess you just gotta have something to work for, maybe it's just to stay alive, maybe it's for shinies, or maybe it's for another person.

[Skyylya]

From a psychology perspective, (and these are generalizations mind you) people have many things at work that drive us to keep going. Survival, evolution (not always biologically but in terms of way of life and technology), fear of death, need to reproduce. There are a lot of things going on inside your brain that tell you without telling you that this is what you need to do in order to survive in today's world and pass on your gene's.

Also, religion plays a large part in it as well. I'm not religious in any way, but a lot of people feel that you have to do what you do in order to fulfill some prerequisite to get into the afterlife or be able to live their lives morally or what-have-you. I'm not religious as i said so this part is just my opinion in a way.

Biological evolution is at work here too. People with chemical imbalances who dont' have this drive to live and off-themselves or have lived solitary confined lives throughout the ages have generally either died off young or died off without passing on their gene's. Also, people with that sort of mentality don't generally have people close to them to pass those idea's onto. We are raised to do what we're told, go to school, get married, get a job, live til you're old. In most cases that proves enough for us, some people don't like it though and do end their lives early.

There are also emotional bonds that hold us here. You may hate your life and want to end it, but you know inside that if you do you'd ruin the lives of many people around you. paradoxically you keep yourself here for the people you care about, even though you know that it won't matter to you because you'd be dead. Unless you believe it'll affect you in some kind of afterlife.

Humans would rather live miserably, than die happy. Quite the conundrum.

[Devek]

I think that is just a maturity issue.

When you fear things worse than death, you can call yourself a man.

[Octavious]

Don't tell me that, I'd much rather fear death then the future bills i'll have, my college / masters loans, and the fact that I still have to meet and hopefully marry someone before I turn 25 >.> or that kind of thing usually doesn't appen post 25. Statistically anyway... ( -_- )

[Intense]

But for now I suppose I work for the weekends...

EVERYBODIES WORKIN' FOR THE WEEKENDS

[Devek]

Don't tell me that, I'd much rather fear death then the future bills i'll have, my college / masters loans, and the fact that I still have to meet and hopefully marry someone before I turn 25 >.> or that kind of thing usually doesn't appen post 25. Statistically anyway... ( -_- )

I was thinking more about how happy and squishy our society is today. You never really get put in situations where you have to pick life or death so you never really learn to appreciate yourself for who you are. I can say with certainty that I would rather die than sacrifice my integrity cause I was there, but not everyone gets blessed to experience such things

[Skyylya]

I think that is just a maturity issue.

When you fear things worse than death, you can call yourself a man.

When you realize there's nothing to fear, you can call yourself a man.

[Devek]

When you realize there's nothing to fear, you can call yourself a man.

Or insane, fear can be healthy and helps keep us from jumping off bridges.

[Octavious]

When you realize there's nothing to fear, you can call yourself a man.

Or insane, fear can be healthy and helps keep us from jumping off bridges.

Funny thing is for physics, I jumped off a bridge 10ft into the water to video tape harmonic motion in water via a canonball >.> Doing something stupid...maybe thats why we stay alive, for the rUSH!!

[Skyylya]

When you realize there's nothing to fear, you can call yourself a man.

Or insane, fear can be healthy and helps keep us from jumping off bridges.

touche my good man, touche.

Jumping off of bridges can be healthy for society though if the ones jumping off are insane, think about it.

[Skyylya]

When you realize there's nothing to fear, you can call yourself a man.

Or insane, fear can be healthy and helps keep us from jumping off bridges.

Funny thing is for physics, I jumped off a bridge 10ft into the water to video tape harmonic motion in water via a canonball >.> Doing something stupid...maybe thats why we stay alive, for the rUSH!!

10 ft isn't a rush, go over 50ft and that's a rush

[Octavious]

10ft is a rush when you don't know how deep it is... >.> And I'm just doing it for science, not to hit the water from 50ft above >.>