How important is wealth?

[Φρανκομβριτ]

A lot of people have different views on wealth. Some people need money to be happy, some people are happy to live off of nothing.

It's clear that having money can make life much easier for us all, but how important is wealth to you?

Also, would you rather work a job you hate to make more money, or would you be happier to settle in to a lower pay bracket for a job you enjoy?

For me personally, it doesn't matter. I'm currently sitting on a ballance of 6$ not including debt, and to be honnest, it doesn't really bug me that much. I have no desire to become a millionaire or anything to that extent. I am happy to make a lower wage that I can scrape by on comfortably, especially if I enjoy what I'm doing.

[Gigablue]

I want to have enough money to be able to live comfortably and not have to worry about running out, but any more is unnecessary. I think that it's more important to enjoy your job, but the job that I want, doctor, pays well anyway.

[Jean Poutine]

I need a certain standard of living. I wouldn't necessarily want to strike millions (although it'd be nice if it happened) but I don't want to be poor either.

I think lawyering is an amazing example. I have almost zero interest in business law, but that is where the money is. Business lawyers make millions charging clients by increments of 6 minutes, doing drudge work, filling paper trail and after trail, doing soulless work for megacorporations. A lot of my classmates aspire to the big articling spot in a big business firm that deals with big corporations with big problems and endlessly deep pockets. I don't.

I want a public law job, either labor or criminal, where I can deal with the Constitution, where I can help real people with real problems, where I know I will make a difference. Labor pays peanuts, and criminal only pays good if you are 1) good and 2) shameless. I want to work for the government at the Normes du Travail or as a crown attorney, or as a public defender. I don't care if I win fuckall compared to what I could win (because, trust me, I am good and could actually easily get those big jobs), as long as I wake up every morning, make breakfast, and go on my way to work completely fulfilled, feeling like I'm actually doing something that matters.

[Iron Man]

Obviously, I don't want to be penniless/living paycheck and owe everyone money at the same time. I would like to live in a nice medium when it comes to wealth.

[Human]

I guess it's pretty important to me. But when I have a proper job and when I'm 18 I'm making sure I don't get a credit card early on so I don't run into debt. I want to try and live minimalistic except for spending the majority of my money on a nice computer.

[Φρανκομβριτ]

All awesome answers. I appreciate the insight. It's nice to see some people aren't completely driven by it.

I need a certain standard of living. I wouldn't necessarily want to strike millions (although it'd be nice if it happened) but I don't want to be poor either.

I think lawyering is an amazing example. I have almost zero interest in business law, but that is where the money is. Business lawyers make millions charging clients by increments of 6 minutes, doing drudge work, filling paper trail and after trail, doing soulless work for megacorporations. A lot of my classmates aspire to the big articling spot in a big business firm that deals with big corporations with big problems and endlessly deep pockets. I don't.

I want a public law job, either labor or criminal, where I can deal with the Constitution, where I can help real people with real problems, where I know I will make a difference. Labor pays peanuts, and criminal only pays good if you are 1) good and 2) shameless. I want to work for the government at the Normes du Travail or as a crown attorney, or as a public defender. I don't care if I win fuckall compared to what I could win (because, trust me, I am good and could actually easily get those big jobs), as long as I wake up every morning, make breakfast, and go on my way to work completely fulfilled, feeling like I'm actually doing something that matters.

That's a respectable career path to choose. My sister is studying law right now, and that is one of the major bridges she has had to cross. I don't think I oculd be a lawyer solely for the fact that if I didn't believe in a case, I wouldn't be able to deffend it. Your line of work should still sit you in a comfortable position, at least en la Québec

Obviously, I don't want to be penniless/living paycheck and owe everyone money at the same time. I would like to live in a nice medium when it comes to wealth.

Not obviously. Some people are perfectly happy living this way. They may complain about it, people complain about lots of things, but they choose to live this way to purchase the goods they want and without a plan to exit this lifestyle.

I guess it's pretty important to me. But when I have a proper job and when I'm 18 I'm making sure I don't get a credit card early on so I don't run into debt. I want to try and live minimalistic except for spending the majority of my money on a nice computer.

I really like what you said there. Credit cards FUCK so many people, including myself. It's easy to say "never put something on your credit card unless you have the money to pay it off already", but when you're sitting there with no money and no food, what do you do? Avoid them like the plague untill you are set up well financially.

[Charles Finley]

To paraphrase a wit: "Wealth isn't everything; it's the only thing."

[Hypers]

To me I just need enough money to live a nice steady life and be happy.

I would rather work happily but get paid less.

[Silicate Wielder]

I'm poor as it is. my mom only has 50 dollars extra each month to spend on extra things and most of that goes for the Internet, so we only have like 25 dollars extra each month.
the only times we get nice unused stuff is on Christmas and when we get the income tax check.

I've learned to scavenge for stuff, I got a really nice wireless headset for 5 dollars a while back, although it would have been nice if he had known where the transmitter was from the start...

Yeah I would like to get a nice pay, just enough to live on, and for my otaku hobby.
computer engineers get like 54,000 a month in missouri (if I read correctly) which is more than I would ever neeed, probably would just put whater extra money I have each month in a backup fund incase anything were to ever happen.

[Maverick]

Being financially healthy is more important to me than wealth itself. If I'm making a ton of money but I'm in debt then I'm not better off compared to a guy making $40,000 a year debt-free. Debt can be a very bad thing and I am more so worried about accumulating too much debt rather than just getting rich. If I can pay my bills at the end of the month and I don't owe anything to anybody then I am a happy camper.

[WaffleSingSong]

Personally, I would not mind being loaded if I did so in a legal and honorable way, even then, I would donate 45% of my profit into trusted charities :P

[Cognizant]

I'll be honest... I'm greedy for money.
And not as so rich that I'm living in a 30 room mansion in Atherton, but maybe in a nice high-rise somewhere, with enough money to buy all the furniture/goods that I want.

[Sugaree]

I'll be honest... I'm greedy for money.
And not as so rich that I'm living in a 30 room mansion in Atherton, but maybe in a nice high-rise somewhere, with enough money to buy all the furniture/goods that I want.

Dude, you live in Palo Alto. People are ALWAYS greedy there.

For me, wealth isn't a major issue. Sure, I'd love to be rich and have nice things (who wouldn't?), but wealth is just a material thing. It doesn't really reflect the type of person you are. You can have all the money in the world, but you can still be a total cunt.

I just got back from dinner at a Chinese place, and my fortune cookie reads "Happiness measures a person's real wealth," which, I think, explains why I feel wealth is not important.

[Human]

The only thing I'm bothered about is not getting into debt

[Twilly F. Sniper]

Wealth has no importance at all.