Now that I have graduated and am prepared for what life has in store for me, I’ve been thinking a lot about work, ambition and what I consider success. For any graduate student, life after graduation is supposed to be picking the fruits of your hard work in grad school. Interestingly enough, some of us have realized halfway through our Masters that this really isn’t what we like… But we keep reminding ourselves that it is a good degree that will provide us with the security our parents want for us.

I used to think it was better to “work to live” – work was just something necessary to provide the conditions in which you can “live” between 5pm and 9 am. Life is what happens when you come home and kick your work boots off. This dependant relationship between the variables would imply that more work would equal more living. Unfortunately, there exists this inevitable constraint of time, where t = 24 hours (or even less, if we count sleep). So, technically, living is measured in terms of money, or ability to spend, and ability to spend transforms into standard of living. However, this hypothetical transitivity continues on without an actual improvement in one’s life.

I am also not naive enough to think that a good life is possible without work, or in this case, fruits of labour (read: money). My vacations, purses, books, computers – all things I value would not be available to me if I did not serve the man.

This trade-off between money and time is an interesting issue, however, it is much simplified. I recognize other variables that may increase the quality of my life. Do not misunderstand my lack of enthusiasm for the boring yet high-paying office job as laziness or rebellion. I simply believe I am capable of more. For such reason, I have changed my views. It’s easy to “live to work”, when you love what you do. This, I think, should be the main criteria for my future – whatever that may be.