Why do you work?

[Virginia Dare]

I was talking with someone this weekend who had to come out of retirement and go back to work because his (much younger) wife got laid off. It got me wondering how many others there are out there.

[Catherine Vincent]

1. This reminds me of when Anderson Cooper was on Oprah's show.

At one point she basically said it's obvious he doesn't need to work (his family is loaded) and wanted him to explain the drive he had to travel to warn torn countries and videotape it himself so that he can get promoted from his desk job. Cooper tried to persuade the audience he was pretty much like everyone else and that his parents said we'll pay for your college but after that you're on your own. That may be fine and good but we all know darn well if he was struggling to find a job and had no money, his mother would have no problem taking care of him. She also had to tell him once to not be ashamed that he was wealthy.

[Jara sang]

7. Poor little rich boy.

Fuck him.

[hfojvt]

20. how do you know what his parents would do?

His parents are the wealthy ones. Do they send him $1000 a month or $10,000 a month? Connections perhaps greased his way to the jobs he has had, but he is probably paying all his own bills at this point. You cannot assume that his parents are extra generous.

[ikojo]

29. I have a friend who doesn't have to work

thanks to wealthy parents and wealthy grandparents and so forth and so on...but she chooses to. She works in early childhood education and those kids are lucky to have her.

When she returned to school to get her teaching certificate her parents paid for EVERYTHING. She didn't have to dip into her trust fund for A THING. They paid her rent..paid for her insurance..sent her a monthly check to live on and even gave her money when she did well in school. It was like she was 18 again, even though she was almost 40 at the time.

I do not have such benefits. If I don't work...I don't eat it is as plain and simple as that.

[cyberswede]

2. Other: My partner and I are equal breadwinners

We couldn't live on what either of us makes individually - I guess we supplement each other. :)
thx -

[EFerrari]

3. Me, too, cyberswede. And welcome to DU.

:)

[unpossibles]

26. me too

I voted for #2, but it's somewhere between 1 and 2. Technically I make slightly more than my wife, but it's pretty close and both are needed equally.

[Xenotime]

4. I work because * has raised the price of everything in this country.

gas, healthcare and overall cost of living has tripled since he took office.

[imax2268]

5. I work...

so I can pay my bills and keep food on the table...

[SmokingJacket]

6. My husband makes a lot more than I do.

It's getting so that what I bring in is like nothing in comparison.

But what am I gonna do, schlump around the house all day?

[bridgit]

8. other: we operate our own business model, but as to why well...

we are not independently wealthy and this society is such that money is required for the exchange of goods & services :-)

[paparush]

9. Code Monkey get up, get coffee... Code Monkey go to job..

Code Monkey have boring meeting, with boring manager Rob.
Rob say code monkey very diligent, but his output stinks.
His code not functional or elegant, what do code monkey think?

Code monkey think maybe manager wanna write goddamn login page himself.
Code monkey not say this out loud, code monkey not crazy, just proud..

Code monkey like Freetos!
Code monkey like Tab & Mountain Dew
Code monkey very simple man, with big warm fuzzy secret heart, code monkey like you...

<<skipping down some>>

Much rather wake up eat a coffee cake, take bath, take nap.
This job fulfilling in a creative way, such a load of crap!

=======================

This is my job.
This is my life

My sincerest thanks to Jonathan Coulton for nailing it!!
Please listen to this and many more of Jonathan's songs at:
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2006/04/14/thing-a-week-29-code-monkey/

[MrSlayer]

10. To support my family.

It would be nice to not have to work but as it is, those bills aren't paying themselves.

[AngryAmish]

11. So I can buy beer

Why else? The poll confuses me.

[Exiled in America]

12. Other: I need to work, but to work that I want to do

I have no choice but to work to survive. But, I am currently foruntate enough to be doing work I believe in, working for a campaign against our states proposed marriage amendment.

[Jed Dilligan]

13. Interesting question but

Haven't you ever heard of a situation where two partners of equal income share expenses equally?

[Virginia Dare]

17. No, as a matter of fact I haven't...

but I'm sure it's possible. Most partnerships I know, one makes significantly more than the other. Enough to make a difference anyway.

[Jed Dilligan]

24. Well, here I am!

My girlfriend and I make almost exactly the same amount of money and share all expenses equally. I guess the norm would be for couples to consist of a man and a woman of the same social class, with the woman statistically likely to make less than the man. But honestly, I don't know anyone like that. I know a few women who support their boyfriends (often in-kind, like living in an inherited house rent-free), but none vice versa. Then there are gay couples whose earning potential is presumably the same as long as (like most couples) their educational and social backgrounds are similar.

[Virginia Dare]

33. Yes, I know quite a few couples...

where the woman makes more than the man, just none that are equal. Maybe it's just an anomaly in my life, because apparently you all are out there.

[lukasahero]

31. Let me introduce you

Husband and I both work, salary level is equal, expenses are shared equally.

[Virginia Dare]

32. That works out well...

hopefully you're both equally as happy in your chosen careers too. I honestly don't know anybody like that, but like I said I don't doubt you all are out there. I like to hear some good stories every now and then ;)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. The happiest day of my life was when I turned 55.

7 years ago. Fortunately, my wife and I started preparing for retirement at a young enough age and with enough diligence to provide for what we wanted. But, I know a number of my ex-coworkers who'll be working until they drop just to make ends meet.

[Lilith Velkor]

15. I don't

I got treated like shit when I had a job, so I went nuts.

Apparently, I'm expected to go through life with absolutely no emotional support, but unfortunately, I'm a human being and not a machine, so I broke down. C'est la vie.

[4_TN_TITANS]

16. I work to buy gas...

or so it seems lately.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

18. for money

thats about it.

[karlrschneider]

19. I'm "semi-retured", sufficiently comfortable but I do work some because

I still enjoy it. :D

[hfojvt]

21. still?

I have always found it impossible to enjoy it for more than, say, two hours of the Goddamned workday.

[karlrschneider]

30. Heh, well, a couple hours is a pretty typical "day" for me.

(I'm a backup pilot for a couple of companies, they holler at me when they're shorthanded)
;-)

edit: sp.

[B Calm]

22. Two stolen pensions from two jobs, thanks to filthy corporate crooks!

[doc03]

23. I work for Health Insurance! I am 58 and could draw a pension

today but the cost of insurance would eat up about 1/3 of it. So I am forced to work to at least 62 or maybe even 65.

[kineneb]

25. member of underground economy

Please pay cash. It helps buy groceries and gasoline. I voted "other".

Hubby gets $1199/mo. in SSDI. If we make over $1437/mo., he looses Medi-Cal, and no job I could get would possibly make up the difference. I have to take him to so many medical appointments, that I would seldom be at work. So I teach piano lessons and make craft items which I sell for cash. Nice thing about all of this...I can take an afternoon nap.

[Arugula Latte]

27. Well, see, actually, I'm a Welfare Queen.

I know how to work the system to my advantage and I rake in BIG, BIG $$$$. Every month my personal limo driver takes me down to the government office to collect oodles of checks. Bwa ha ha! Boy, there are a lot of us, just living in the lap of luxury while those hard-working Republican guys pay our way.

:sarcasm:

Kidding ... The Mr. and I both work.

[ThatsMyBarack]

28. I work because....

....no one else can do my job as well as I can! O8) B-) :popcorn:

[RB TexLa]

34. To make money!