Happiness vs. Responsibility

You be the judge, which is better? Being burnt-out in a job you don't particularly care for, with small amounts of holiday time, stress from your boss but loads of money to take care of family or maybe just on yourself to make you feel better? Or on the other hand, working that dream job, with less stress, more time off, and a better quality of life? The money's not there yet, but it will come. Or at least you hope so.

They call my generation, our generation, Generation X (age 19-30), and they give us such a bad rap. I was skimming through the channels one day on a layover in my hotel room, and saw that they're actually calling us the 'Slacker' generation. The Baby Boomers are safe, the Millennials aren't working as yet, but it's Generation X, that they say that is creating all the havoc. They exclaim that we have a sense of entitlement, that we have unrealistic expectations and we care more about our quality of life as opposed to our responsibility in life.

Yes, not only are jobs scarce nowadays, but the 'Slacker' generation would rather not work at all if the only jobs available are at McDonald's fast food restaurants. They would much rather renovate the basement into their own sanctuary, until that dream job or better job becomes available. True, some may still rely on the help of their parents, but they rather work in a position they're capable or happy about, than having their happiness spent in a place that is not stimulating or arousing. This worries parents, as in their 'Baby Boomer' generation, they did whatever it was they had to do to make ends meet. They were for the most part 'responsible'; they worked for years in jobs they didn't necessarily like to provide for their families, the problem they face now, is that they're in their 50's and 60's, and are still providing.

So what would be the right thing? Sitting on the couch, living and eating off your parents, until that dream job comes along, or taking some of the weight off your parent's shoulders, and work a job you may not necessarily care for, but on your down-time surrounding yourself and working towards that dream opportunity?