Article December 24, 1979 Issue

Our real work can't be drudgery

BRUCE SCOTT BUTTERFIELD

Gone are those days of sleeping late, those long vacations around Christmas and Easter. Buckling down and really working for a short period before exams was OK, but the prospect of having to perform eight hours a day, five days a week, can make even a highly disciplined student wonder if he or she is really cut out for the working world.

It's easy to finish school, get ready to start a new job, and fall into a mental pit full of misgivings, doubts, and fears. But such mental doldrums can be overcome.

After finishing undergraduate and graduate work several years ago, I prepared to begin a new job. While many would have been excited at the prospect of working in a large city and starting a new position, I was weighed down with concerns about having to commute an hour to work every day, being assigned typing, scheduling, filing, and clerical tasks eight hours a day, and not having established friends around to talk to and be with. I had without doubt a negative attitude.

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