Writing Feedback / IELTS essay: Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction [5]

Need some feedback.

As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individual well being.
What factors contribute to job satisfaction? How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers?

Mostly, whenever people look for a job, they think about their long term future. As such, it becomes imperative for them to find a job which is interesting and fulfilling on a personal level. In other words, they must be satisfied with the job they want to spend their life on.

There are many factors which have impact on the job satisfaction of an employee. Financial security is probably the primary and most important of them all. If a person is not paid adequately so that he can prosper and enjoy life's perks, he will hardly be satisfied with his job.

Secondary factors like, a compatible working environment is essential to the happiness of an employee. Unfriendly colleagues and unnecessary competition often give rise to a hostile atmosphere, resulting in conflicts, reduced performances and depression. The number of working hours also has an effect on the likeability of the job. A person is not likely to enjoy his work if he does not get enough time to spend with his friends and family. Another significant factor is the relevance of the job to the employee's background. Working in a different field to one's educational background may involve several adjustments, which some people may not be comfortable with.

The extent to which workers can expect job satisfaction may depend on the location of their work. Someone from a developed country, like the US or UK would have better financial stability and less competition than workers from developing countries. People from poor countries usually think about the money they will earn rather than how much they will like the work. Secondly, an employed worker from such a country hardly looks for other avenues as laziness or complacency creeps in. There is also fierce competition in overpopulated places, which makes any job seem priceless.

In conclusion, I have to say that job satisfaction is a very important aspect of a worker's life. The factors discussed above can provide it to some level. While the concept of job satisfaction is prevalent in the developed countries, there is still very little scope for expectation in the developing countries.

Writing Feedback / The Odyssey Years, drifting through life without a tangible goal in mind [11]

Hello! I got really bored after analyzing tensors, so I started analyzing something else. This is what came out. I'd really like some feedback.

The odyssey years, as the phrase goes, mean the years of drifting through life without a tangible goal in mind. Rachel, Chandler and Phoebe were depicted to be going through such a phase in the popular sitcom Friends. In fact, most people, except the blessed few, have to deal with it at some point of their lives. It is open to debate as to what causes them to lose the dreams and ambitions they had in their childhood.

As the term implies, people sail through these years without knowing their destination. It is an odyssey through the wilderness of doubts and uncertainties, but one that does not lead to the Promised Land. People change their jobs frequently; take up different courses without knowing whether these will improve their resume and often take up a career which is entirely different from their background. Students experience simultaneous interest and disinterest in their chosen disciplines. The recent trend of taking a "gap year" epitomizes the extent and the gravity of the situation.

So, what are the reasons which make us live our lives like a rudderless boat? The first reason would be an over-dependence on the family. As our each and every want is fulfilled by our parents, we do not feel the need to go in search of one on our own. Secondly, the pressure from our peers motivates us to take up a particular career without giving much thought to its suitability. A third cause, which is more prevalent in countries like India, is the parental pressure. Parents often force children to take up careers which adhere to the social norms (the most common being engineering and medicine). As a result, they soon lose track of their original goals and mechanically work to make their parents happy.

It takes a good deal of self-introspection to come out of this phase. Unlike the adolescent years, these can continue past the middle age. Therefore, it is essential for students and parents to really think about the destination before embarking on the journey. Of course, it helps if you've got Monica, Ross and Joey to guide you.

Grammar, Usage / General writing advice: Addressing the audience [7]

Hi everybody!

**For the sake of simplicity, let's term my next few lines as advice(s). Actually, I'm not sure what they are. **

The advice I am going to give doesn't just apply to English, but to other languages as well. I can say this because I am fluent in three Indian languages viz. Hindi, Bengali and Assamese. Additionally, I know some Sanskrit and passable Urdu (I can read Arabic but that doesn't count as I don't understand it). All these languages have taught me the importance of addressing the audience appropriately. So, the advice is about how to communicate with people who have varying levels of knowledge, intelligence and grasp of language.

We know from our everyday knowledge that, we have to vary our vocabulary, sentence structure and tone to suit the person who is listening. We do not use the same linguistic range when addressing children, as we do with adults. On the other hand, we don't use a patronizing tone when talking to our parents, as we use with our younger siblings. This convention can be applied to writing as well.

Take the example of a technical school/college essay. When I write such an essay, I already know that the person who is going to read it, i.e. the professor, knows a lot more about the topic than me. So, in most cases, I can be creative with the language. I can use all the terms associated with the subject, fancy words, complex structures, metaphors...blah, blah, blah. But if such an essay is fed to my neighborhood guy who studies art, he will either stick it up my backside or gulp it and flush it down his toilet (I may be wrong, but I wouldn't risk it).

Hence, it is advisable to first assess the capacity of the audience before communicating with them, irrespective of written or spoken means. Some people think that if they don't express themselves at the peak of their abilities, their stature will be downgraded. This is a wrong notion. When we use simple words and sentences to address someone with inferior knowledge/intelligence/linguistic ability, we just demonstrate our versatility. We show that we can adapt to the demands of the reader (this is why I admire people who write Children's literature).

So, how do we do it? We do it the same way as we assess a listener, i.e. by noticing his/her background, intelligence and usage of the language. Therefore, I suggest we should always think about what category of people will be reading our essays/reviews/comments/junk piece like this one, before we actually write it.

**If anyone didn't understand something due to my poor sentence construction/bad grammar etc., please forgive me and if possible suggest corrections**

P.S. I hope that I have addressed the audience properly.