It is common belief that everyone should have a job because with a proper job, we are contributing towards society. Besides, we get reasonable remuneration for our work in making a living, and we take it as a normal way of life.

In reality, if we define work as solely a means of making a livelihood during our lifetime, then we are no different from cows and horses or cats and dogs. The job of cows is tilling the land or carrying cargo, horses race and carry people, dogs watch the house, and cats catch mice. Their owners provide them with food and shelter to sustain their livelihood, which is their right.

However, if jobs are only viewed from an economic perspective, then does it mean that our life in this world only has economic worth? Other than a job, we should also have careers in ethics, cultivation, studies, family, volunteerism, karma, and spirituality because we must view work from other angles of life as well.

When our knowledge and capabilities are not complete, even we get a job, it will not be a very important one. When our cultivation, ethics and character are not good enough, we may end up only doing hard labor. Therefore people may criticize, "This is not a good job or that is not proper work."

Members of a family will probably have different careers, and because of their work, siblings are often scattered in all directions of the globe with little chance of reunion. If there is a family business, though some people may be criticized as being clannish, as long as every family member has cultivation and morals, the development of a family business still benefits society immensely. As the saying goes, "When the minds of siblings are joined, their strength cuts through gold."

Some jobs may not be what the individual wishes. He/She may make a good living, but the nature of the work does not correspond to the person's interests and he/she may be thinking daily of finding a new job. Nowadays there are many more opportunities in new professions such as dot.coms, multi-media, merchandising, tourism, and other kinds of services. However, it is very frustrating and boring for anyone to be stuck in a job in which he/she has no interest.

In reality, the many professions are different in form only. There is also work that relates closely to cultivation and spirituality or even the future. We must be very cautious in this regard. For instance, being a medical doctor is naturally a career, which the practitioner should be interested in the first place. However, the quality of his/her skills is crucial. When the individual can cure and save other people, there is merit, but if the diagnoses are wrong and jeopardizes the lives of others, there is Karma. Therefore, interest is not the only standard for a job. We should also consider our work in terms of cultivation and spirituality.

In the media, there are many reports on the different walks of life with some of them only publishing the ills of others and not their goodness. Or they dig up gossip and secrets, slandering people with misinformation. The consequences of such practices are really hard to tally. When people are blinded by their greed, anger, and delusion, they may kill, steal, and rape, and their Karma is bad for the time being because their actions and the effects are easy to equate. However, with the media, their writings can last for years and affect many generations. The consequences are, therefore, broader and much more serious. Such spiritual Karma is serious, and retribution will take a long time to vindicate in the future.

We all need a job. However, we must take into consideration if the work involved is in accord with ethics and morals and not just for making enough money for a living. In addition to ethics and morals in work, karma affecting our future is also crucial because we must beware of various Karma. We are creating in our careers: good, bad, guiding, detailed, individual, and shared karma. So a job is not just a job. Other than a job, the cause, effect, and retribution of our Karma are also things we should be aware of?