3 ms·

Rather than nitpick on the wording, I think you should try to see the underlying point. It's unfortunate phrasing, but the point isn't about how hard you work o

Rather than nitpick on the wording, I think you should try to see the underlying point. It's unfortunate phrasing, but the point isn't about how hard you work or whether it's important to have a good work ethic. I liked this article better, and it conveys more or less the same point as the topic link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/opinion/how-i-learned-to-take-the-sat-like-a-rich-kid.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/opinion/how-i-learned-to-... The problem is that hard work makes a dent, but not a very big one if you don't understand the "game" that you need to play. It's easy to take this for granted if you grow up in an environment with many people who understand it because you learn it by osmosis.

clock_tower 10y ago
This is either a nitpick of your post, or a complete agreement with it, but I'm not sure which: "work ethic" or "Protestant ethic", in Weber's original understanding, had three parts: hard work, deferred consumption, and reinvestment. Using "have a good work ethic" to mean "work hard", without the other two elements, is a good way to stay poor -- which is to say, a good way to fail to understand how to play the game, in the way you mention. More accurate sociology would probably mean more upward social mobility.
- munchbunny 10y ago
  I would argue that deferred consumption and reinvestment would help further, but still not necessarily enough. Jumping into the article that I linked, the author was missing a critical chain of thought: that currently in the United States, the path to an "upward mobile" job generally follows these lines: 1. Get good grades in high school 2. Score high on the SAT (which has to be practiced), then get lots of help writing your college essay 3. Pick an area of study that corresponds with a well-paying occupation, and then get into a college that is solid in that department 4. Leverage the career and alumni network to find a well-paying job, or apply to business/law/medical school. At each step, you have to prioritize how you spend your limited time and energy. I grew up with parents who understood this point and focused my energy into each step when it was time to do so, so I was very lucky in that sense. I also worked my ass off, but steps 1 through 3 were very much helped along by parental guidance.

clock_tower 10y ago

This is either a nitpick of your post, or a complete agreement with it, but I'm not sure which: "work ethic" or "Protestant ethic", in Weber's original understanding, had three parts: hard work, deferred consumption, and reinvestment. Using "have a good work ethic" to mean "work hard", without the other two elements, is a good way to stay poor -- which is to say, a good way to fail to understand how to play the game, in the way you mention. More accurate sociology would probably mean more upward social mobility.

munchbunny 10y ago
I would argue that deferred consumption and reinvestment would help further, but still not necessarily enough. Jumping into the article that I linked, the author was missing a critical chain of thought: that currently in the United States, the path to an "upward mobile" job generally follows these lines: 1. Get good grades in high school 2. Score high on the SAT (which has to be practiced), then get lots of help writing your college essay 3. Pick an area of study that corresponds with a well-paying occupation, and then get into a college that is solid in that department 4. Leverage the career and alumni network to find a well-paying job, or apply to business/law/medical school. At each step, you have to prioritize how you spend your limited time and energy. I grew up with parents who understood this point and focused my energy into each step when it was time to do so, so I was very lucky in that sense. I also worked my ass off, but steps 1 through 3 were very much helped along by parental guidance.