這是一篇今年11月份《21世紀》報和新東方合辦的“大學英語四六級作文征文比賽”中我看到的一位同學的作文。盡管是一位英語專業同學寫的，有牛刀宰雞之嫌，但確實不失為一篇好文章，甚至可以作為專八作文的范例。作文題目的大意是問你是想找一份掙錢多的工作還是感興趣的工作。原文如下(略有改動)

　　Prevalent is the controversy which should come first，profits or personal interest, when one is to plunge into the job market.

　　People who focus on monetary rewards contend that a job is mainly a supplier of bread and butter in our lives and thus other factors should reasonably come later. After all, one can do nothing without money. While others maintain that career goes beyond merely a means of earning a living, and you can never fully realize self-value unless in a position which is intrinsically attractive to you.

　　Indeed, “A profitable job or a job I love”, a question every graduate will inescapably be confronted by, can boil down to the choice between financial benefits and other factors that one relishes more in an occupation. Given the context of the global financial crisis, a profitable job should logically top our priority list as far as I am concerned.

　　The bankruptcy of thousands of businesses and the volatility in stock price has been relentlessly reminding people that the fallout of this credit crunch will not easily and soon evaporate. Ongoing cutbacks in jobs and sliced payrolls have made a lucrative job increasingly tantalizing. No one can turn his or her back on the harsh reality which forces us to exert and exhibit sobriety when making such a life-altering decision. I can hardly think of a person who remains cheerful and jubilant when he has no stuff to fill the stomach and no shelter to hide in. After all, economic foundation determines the superstructure. Any enjoyment obtained on the spiritual quest fades when the person fails to reach the subsistence level.

　　Besides, a profitable job and a beloved one are not mutually exclusive. A clean, compact office environment, intimacy among colleagues, interest and proficiency in the job itself, all those can be cultivated through individual efforts, and then will surely make the job more appealing and love-worthwhile. So, when offered an option of a financially decent living while not losing the opportunity to make the occupation more ideal, is there anyone willing to turn it down?

　　In a nutshell, “a profitable job” gains more weight when compared with one in which a person merely has some interest. Only by being visionary and taking the long-term interests into account can we fulfill the universal dream of a blissful life.