Why having a job is important: 8 Importance of Jobs in Society

With the raving of business opportunities all over the place, you may want to ask and find out: Why is having a job important?

And whenever you mention the word job, many raise an eyebrow because they all think about the 9-5 jobs. These individuals don’t buy into the 9-5 job idea or mentality.

Well, this article is not to debate whose ideology is superior or better. Instead, it proposes to outline and explain the benefits anyone– including you– can get from having a job.

Why having a job is important

Many people have indeed streamlined the term job to a 9-5 job. But that’s not correct; for there are many freelance jobs from which many make a living. Without having to wake up so early in the morning to hurry to a traditional office. 

Consequently, in the rest of this post, when you come across the word job, you should look beyond the life of a 9-5 worker. A job is anything you do and for which you get paid. 

So, It doesn’t matter the duration it took you to get it completed. Neither does it necessarily have to do with the time you have to wait before receiving your payment. It could be a month– as it’s for a full-time worker whose worked-out remuneration plan is every month.

With all that said, below are the benefits you enjoy from having a job. 

8 Important Reasons for having a Job

#1. To pay your bills

It does matter where you stay in the world. You’d still need money to meet some of your needs and wants. Although, living costs in some places are higher than in other places. 

However, If you know someone living in a cave today, he would still have to pay for most of his needs. 

What’s the bottom line? We all need money to settle our bills. From utility bills, feeding costs, tuition fees for children (if you’re married and have kids) to any other primary expense essential to your daily living.

And to get the money to settle these increasing bills that keep shooting up correspondingly with your responsibility as a person, you need a job. A job allows you to make a living by selling valuable services or products physically or online.

For example, if you’re an independent content writer, creating valuable content for your clients is considered your job, even though you may call it a freelance business. While the terminology you prefer may not matter, the important thing is that you get financially compensated for whatever value you’re giving–either in products or services.

#2. Makes you feel good about yourself

In a study carried out in 2020, about 12 percent of the US. respondents suffered from a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder due to their unemployed status.

You may not have experienced that, but not having a job– that’s a legit and reliable source earning a living can be heartbreaking for anyone. With the heightened rate at which folks on social media, especially on LinkedIn, post their successes upon successes, a jobless individual can easily slide into depression.

With that, you can guess the happiness that such a fellow will experience when he finally gets a reliable job that helps him make a good living.

That is because having a job makes you feel good about yourself each morning. Even though you may not love your current job 100 percent, you still feel a sense of purpose and that you’re contributing value of some kind to whatever company you’re working for in return for your salary or wage. 

#3. Develop New Skills 

If you ask many people why they’re still doing what they are doing or working at their current workplace, chances are they’re learning some great skills.

While the salary size of a job can influence why anyone would want to have a job, no one wants to work in a company where there’s no opportunity for growth and learning new skills. Only that knowledge of that sucks big-time.

That’s because any ideal work environment or job should allow employees to grow career-wise as they learn excellent skills on the job. And some of these skills include communication, social, leadership, interpersonal, time management, and other technical skills you may conceive.

You see, you need a job, either full-time, part-time, remote, or freelance mode. Whatever option you choose, the truth is that the more you get meaningfully engaged, the more you develop some or all of those skills outlined.

#4. Challenge you intellectually for growth

Naturally, every workplace is assumed to be full of challenges. But as an intellectually sound person, you would no doubt want a workplace that challenges your intellect. 

Because that way, you don’t feel like someone who’s wasting away in monotony. Instead, you long and crave for situations in your workplace that help you stimulate your problem-solving skills and, of course, spur you to apply your initiative and innovative thinking.

While many don’t want to get overly stressed at their workplace, every diligent job applicant applies for a job with the goal of learning and advancing in their career.

#5. Afford your the opportunity to meet New People

In this modern age, most people rarely have time to move out to meet and make new friends. Because they spend most of their time on their computers, phones, and social media, getting along with the latest trends on social media. 

But a job allows you to meet and interact with customers, clients, and colleagues at work, especially if you’re a 9-5 worker. As you go out each day, you may also meet new people commuting to and fro from your work or even as you attend external business meetings.  

#6. Give you a sense of identity

Have you met someone at a networking event or any other place and asked this question: What do you do? 

Chances are that you probably might have heard something like this:

A: “I help people attain their financial goals by assisting them to keep part of their earnings into savings for meaningful investment opportunities.

B: “I bring light to children’s hearts and help them to get a better future as adults.” 

With those responses, you can sense purpose and identity. With the first one (A), you already know that such a person works with a financial institution, most likely a bank. On the other hand, the second response (B) tells you that such a person works in a school as a teacher or probably a counselor. 

You see that an individual’s job gives him some level of identity. I mean, you spend most of your time every day at your job. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher, management consultant, counselor, investment banker, front desk executive, or otherwise. 

#7 Helps you attain independence

Since having a job makes you able to make a living for yourself, it helps you live an independent life. I mean, when you’re able to make money for yourself and able to pay your bills, you are less of a liability to others. 

And more importantly, you can get what you want for yourself and your family and, of course, go where you want to go. In other words, you can afford the basic things vital to your existence. 

#8. Make you more self-disciplined and responsible 

Every workspace environment has its dos and don’ts, depending on the organization’s work ethic and policies. For example, if you’re a 9-5 worker, you already know you need the self-discipline to wake up early. Because that will allow you to prepare for work and arrive early at your workplace. 

And that would mean going to bed early. Remember the popular mantra, “Early to bed, early to rise.” 

Beyond having to arrive at work early, many other things demand self-discipline in a corporate setting. From how you interact with your colleagues, boss, and organization’s clients. 

Importance of jobs in society

Enhance Good health

Not having a job or a legit and reliable source of making money can negatively affect the health of a country’s citizenry. In other words, it makes them more susceptible to stress-related issues like high blood pressure, insomnia, and other heart-related diseases. 

And in some countries, especially in developing ones, unemployed individuals cannot take care of themselves, let alone afford a good and quality health care service. 

Strengthen family relationship

The stress of unemployment can be enormous on anyone, especially for someone married and with kids. It can be a frustrating experience. No wonder many unemployed persons in a country enjoy little or no family and marital satisfaction. 

True, you may want to say everything isn’t about money in a relationship. But we can’t sweep the reality under the carpet that the presence of money can influence the success of any marriage. And that’s one of the reasons jobs should be in society. 

With adequate jobs in society, spouses would be able to provide the basic needs of their family– and children, without having to argue or fight now and then on money matters.

Keep a check on poverty and social vices 

When there are jobs in society, poverty is alleviated, while social vices and criminalities like kidnapping, pointless violence amongst the youth, robbery, etc., are curtailed. That is true because when the populace is gainfully employed, they barely have the time to get involved in monkey businesses. That includes cybercrimes.

Underutilization of human resources

In a society where unemployment is so high, human resources are underutilized. As a result, the labor force gets wasted without constructive use. And, in turn, that negatively affects the economic growth of such a society.

A final thought on Why having a job is important

We mustn’t ostracize the term “9-5 job”. First, not everyone will become an entrepreneur. Secondly, it may interest you to discover that most business owners work so hard. They work their ass round the clock than most 9-5 workers.

However, it’s paramount to note that even though you’re a businessman. 

Your job is your business. And your business is your job. Consequently, you may want to mind your business by investing your time, energy, and resources in building and growing your business.