Some people spend most of their time at work for $3K monthly salary

When people meet each other, they often ask about the job, where they work, and how much the salary is. Few people ask, "Do you have any fun these days?" Perhaps they use salary and job conditions to determine whether someone’s life is good or bad.

I have a friend who works in a key position at a foreign company, with a monthly salary of VND70 million (US$2,750)—the dream number of many people in Vietnam, including me. My friend managed to buy a house, is married, but he is very busy.

Every time he comes home, his wife has already put their child to sleep. If he wants to hold the baby for a while, he has to wait until the weekend. Even on weekends, he often has to work on his laptop if there is urgent work.

I advised my friend to work less. But he said that working less or moving to another job would not allow him to earn enough to maintain family expenses.

Previously, I worked two or three jobs simultaneously, besides selling products online, and was on the verge of achieving my friend’s current income. But I also realized I was in the same situation as my friend, having no time for family and myself.

I remember my childhood days, living in the loving and caring arms of my parents. My parents worked as farmers and worked hard, rain or shine, to give me a good education.

Farming is hard work, but they’re mostly busy during the harvest season. They worked until the afternoon and never had to work overtime until 7-9 p.m. We always had dinner together early, then my father made tea, and enjoyed it with my mom or the neighbors while watching the evening news on TV.

Entertainment at that time only came from the tiny TVs, but I remember how everyone was happy.

Now, material life has improved significantly. Young people today have more opportunities to study and develop themselves than previous generations.

They have access to modern education and can experience many dynamic and creative working environments. However, with those opportunities comes increasing work pressure. Young people have to spend a lot of time working to earn a living and prove themselves. Especially when their family is used to a certain lifestyle, they don't dare to find another job with less income.

Balancing life and work is a difficult problem that today's generation faces. We need to arrange our time reasonably, spend time with family, and share housework and child care with family members.