That's not really the point I was trying to make. I also know people who have chosen lower paying jobs based on criteria other than pay. I've even done it myself. But it's still a job and I was still still being paid.
My point was that if it were possible, the vast majority of people would prefer not to work at all and would like to spend their time on entertainment and leisure activities.
The vast majority of people think they would prefer that because it's not a realistic option for them. But a lot of people who actually have that option choose to work anyway (quite hard in many cases). Any many of those who actually do choose to spend their time entirely on "entertainment and leisure activity" become deeply unhappy.
When money isn't an object, people would probably do things like ski and hike and travel until it became boring. Then they would happily work, especially if money isn't being worried about. When people are struggling, they will want to work, but will probably want to make as much money as possible.
I know I use "probably" a lot, but it is what I would do. I could imagine others following the same path. Just my $.02.
He never said he was doing code and math for his employment. He may be coding on his own projects. I guess this could still be considered as "improving their skillset"
jlarocco, I'm like you. I work for the money. If money were no object, I'd be spending my time skiing, rock climbing, and snorkeling in interesting spots all around the world.
I do wonder if the "vast majority of people" are this way, though. I've read that a lot of people derive great satisfaction from the social interactions they have at work, and that their work gives them meaning; when removed from work via retirement they just can't think of anything else to do with themselves.
Other people have the happy coincidence that they love doing exactly what they can be paid for (e.g. software development). It would be super nice if I could just get paid to go skiing every day, but alas that is not the way the world works.
What jarek said! ("And I'm sure his job duties never cause him stress and decrease his enjoyment of the skiing...")
I like skiing, not teaching people how to ski. I _have_ debated trying to get an instructor job in order to get more time on the slopes. But I've never lived close enough to a ski area to make this feasible. And in truth, I'm in no position to teach anyone how to ski; my skills are at the intermediate level.
Recently I moved pretty close to a ski area. Next season, I do plan to look into work as a ski instructor, teaching raw beginners. It should be interesting to see how this pans out, or whether I can even get a job doing that.
I have tried to get a job at a rock climbing gym in order to get more time climbing. I applied, without mentioning my dislike of customer service.... But I was turned down. I'm suspicious it might be because of my age - not young enough - or because, as a long-time software developer, I have completely the wrong background for it. Hard to say. But there you go, even getting an entry level job requiring minimal skills and paying a low wage isn't so easy.
My interest in programming was pretty high when I got into it. After years of working in jobs with various levels of aggravation and stupidity, my interest has waned to the point where it's hardly a bearable way to make a living. So for me, doing something for money can turn it into a real chore. At some point you just get a visceral nasty feeling when even thinking about this thing that used to excite you.
At this point in my life, I'm going to be extra careful about what I do for a living. I don't want to lose my love of rock climbing, skiing, or travel, by performing contortions to try to make a living out of those things.
In my experience, people who get paid for their hobbies still love the hobby, and accept that the job portion of it carries some extra responsibility which is pretty easy to accept when compared to "how would I ever get to ski this much or at this level without the job". Because in general the other aspect not being discussed, is full time leisure may not increase ability as much as having the accountability on it. Not everyone wants to be best, but it keeps the hobby interesting.
> In my experience, people who get paid for their hobbies still love the hobby
There is a world of people who liked programming and ended up burned out and unable to program after CRUD-for-enterprise jobs that would suggest otherwise.
"How would I ever get to program this much or at this level without the job," they ask. They've probably accepted it comes with responsibilities and managers and dealing with clients and clients not knowing what they want.
My point was that if it were possible, the vast majority of people would prefer not to work at all and would like to spend their time on entertainment and leisure activities.