You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
When choosing a job, the salary is the most important consideration for many. Others, however, prefer different other aspects of a job over the salary they earn. In your opinion what are the most important aspects of a job?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1
Many people contemplate their salary as the most salient feature of their job while others believe that their contributions to society through their professions hold more importance. In my opinion, a job should have ethical demands and needs to be passion-oriented. Otherwise, it would be futile to work merely for wages.
Let us first examine why passion is a prominent part of people’s professional life. No doubt, passion acts as the fuel that drives people to withstand the caustic side of their work. If people chose a job that is not connected to their passion, they will fall victim to depression and perform poorly at their jobs. On the other hand, if we torch upon successful people’s stories, we would find that almost all of them have been in the career that they were passionate about. Suppose Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, both of them were tech enthusiasts, and therefore took technology as the means of their career.
Besides, a job needs to be ethically demanding where people need to find something to do for humanity and society. Doing something for people not only will provide mental satisfaction but also will strengthen the purpose of their job life. Take Mother Theresa or Nelson Mandala for an example. Both of them are highly admired for their works for humanity and they did their best because they knew they were doing something for others and to make the world a better place.
To conclude, salary is somewhat important for people to support their expenses but if they do not feel attached to their work, they will feel exhausted in their life. They will also be suppressed by the undue pressure that could have been avoided if they had the passion and ethical context in their job.
Sample Answer 2
We cannot deny that we work to earn money so that we can put food on the table for the family. However, we also look for job satisfaction, growth opportunity and social recognition from our careers.
Salary is important because without money we will not be working for a company at all. Some people are always after money and do not hesitate to change their job if they are offered a higher salary. However, to others, job satisfaction is equally important as it ensures work-life balance. Many people would not compromise their job satisfaction for the money they are offered. Many top executives, who resign from large corporations in order to work for smaller companies or run their own companies, are great examples of how much they value job satisfaction over the wages they earn.
Moreover, “growth opportunities” is another aspect people often expect in their careers. A moderate salary and a great career growth aspect are far better than a higher salary and no career growth – according to many professionals, and they are prudent enough to envision the future than to run after only money. Finally, people often want to be in a career that is socially appreciated and valued. For example, a few of my colleagues left high-paid private jobs to take government jobs only because that would give them social recognition, and I quite understand the rationale for their decisions.
In conclusion, besides salary, job satisfaction which ensures a work-life balance is also important. Moreover, career growth and social recognition often drive us to choose a job that brings us less money than we could actually make from other jobs.