GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文三一

　　31. Financial gain is certainly one factor to consider when selecting a career. But

　　many people do not, and should not, focus on this factor as the main one. The role that

　　money plays in career choice should depend on the priorities, goals and values of the

　　particular person making the choice.

　　The main problem with selecting a career primarily on the basis of money is that

　　for many people to do so would be to ignore ones personal values, needs, and larger

　　life goals. Indeed, many people appreciate this notion when they choose their career. For

　　example, some people join one of the helping professions, such as nursing, teaching or

　　social work, well aware that their career will not be financially lucrative, Their choice

　　properly stems from an overriding altruistic desire, not from an interest in financial gain.

　　Others choose to pursue intellectual or creative fulfillment―as writers, artists, or

　　musicians―knowing that they are trading off dollars for non-tangible rewards. Still

　　others forego economic gain to work as full-time parents; for these people, family and

　　children are of paramount importance in life. Finally, many people subordinate

　　economic prospects to their desire to live in a particular location; these people may

　　place a high value on recreation, their physical health, or being near a circle of friends.

　　Another problem with focusing primarily on money when selecting a career is that

　　it ignores the notion that making money is not an end in end of itself, but rather a means

　　of obtaining material goods and services and of attaining important goals―such as

　　providing security for oneself and ones family, lifelong learning, or freedom to travel

　　or to pursue hobbies. Acknowledging the distinction, one may nevertheless select a

　　career on the basis of money―since more money can buy more goods and services as

　　well as the security, freedom, and time to enjoy them. Even so, one must strike a

　　balance, for if these things that money is supposed to provide are sacrificed in the

　　pursuit of money itself, the point of having money―and of ones career selection―has

　　been lost.

　　In conclusion, economic gain should not be the overriding factor in selecting a

　　career. While for a few people the single-minded pursuit of wealth may be fulfillment

　　enough, most people should, and indeed do, temper the pursuit of wealth against other

　　values, goals, and priorities. Moreover, they recognize that money is merrily a means to

　　more important objectives, and that the pursuit itself may undermine the achievement of

　　these objectives.