A school of thought holds that work plays the most vital part in people’s life, and hence the failure of the career would make life meaningless. While this notion is valid to a certain extent, I would contend that whether the meaning of life could be discovered depends on various factors other than a successful career path.
On the one hand, there are several compelling reasons why some subscribe to the view that work is the most crucial thing in life, and without the success of a career, life becomes meaningless. The key rationale is that having a job warrants people income to make ends meet. Also, the more success people achieve in their career by getting promotion, the more money they are inclined to earn, leading to higher life quality. Furthermore, employment brings workers networking opportunities, which not only motivate individuals but also necessitate personal growth. To illustrate, being in a supportive working environment can allow a fresh university graduate to gain a plethora of valuable knowledge and experiences from senior staff in the company.
On the other hand, I strongly believe that the success of a career is not the sole determinant contributing to a meaningful life in light of a host of other important factors. The first and foremost one is health since people’s health tends to be largely ignored when work is put too much emphasis on. As a result, overworking could result in detrimental health problems and thus deprives people of time spent on other recreational activities to enjoy life. Additionally, focusing too much on how to achieve success at the workplace can take a heavy toll on family relations as hectic work schedules may cause isolation between parents and offspring. Therefore, children are likely to be affected by toxic influences from their peers and media consumption, consequently resulting in increased worry among parents.
In conclusion, notwithstanding the pros of leading a successful career path, I am convinced that it is not the key factor in how to make life meaningful, and it would be optimal for employees to achieve work-life balance.