Why Today's Society Does Not Encourage Hard Work

We've been raised to believe that if we work hard, someone will take notice and we will be rewarded for our efforts. That if we take the initiative and create our own success, we will end up on top. Unfortunately, this isn't the necessarily the mindset of society today.

Until recently, I had always found truth in the saying, "The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen." (Sarah Brown) Growing up, I always worked diligently at everything I did. Homework, chores, even at play. Even though my father was a bus driver and my mother a stay at home mom, I was convinced that my hard work would pay off. I was offered the opportunity to advance a year in elementary school (which I declined, because in third grade I much preferred my friends over more homework with strangers). I was an honors student both years of middle school. I was the first chair clarinetist. I was accepted into an Arts Academy for high school. I took Advanced Placement courses all four years, so much to a point that I ran out of courses to take my senior year and had mostly half days. I graduated in the top four percent with honors, and received multiple scholarships for my college education. I went on to study in and receive degrees from two programs, simultaneously, in two years with the help of summer courses and an overload of work my entire college career. I did everything right. And what has that done for me today?

Now I am a legal assistant at a small law firm (which could not be further from my degrees in Web Development and Professional Writing), live paycheck to paycheck in a small apartment with the cheapest rent I could find that doesn't put me in the "ghetto", and I'm constantly wondering if I truly ever did anything right. If you ask my father I have. But when you compare your quality of life with your accomplishments, it can be a bit disheartening if you're not where you thought you'd be. It can be even more discouraging when you compare your life to those of celebrities, or high-level executives. While it's undeniable that they have worked hard to get where they are, how much do they really have to do to maintain their status?

It's sad to say, but in the hierarchy of the business world, once you reach the top, you tend to remain there based on reputation. Take celebrities for example: once they've won that Emmy, they're going to be making royalties from their performances and be handsomely compensated for making brief appearances at their leisure. And we all know that takes less work than working sixty hour weeks as an accountant to make ends meet.

Reputation and eminence are valued more widely over hard work and accountability. But if anyone can prove me wrong and provide me with a comfortable salary and renowned accountability, I will accept the offer and happily restore my faith in mankind.