In education and employment, some people work much harder than others. Why do they work much harder than others? Is it always a good thing to work hard?
In both academic and professional settings, it is common to see that a proportion of people invest substantially more effort than their peers. This essay will examine the underlying reasons for this phenomenon and argue that relentless hard work is not always a positive practice.
Two core factors drive people to work extra hard. The first motivation stems from clear personal goals and aspirational targets. For students, this may mean earning admission to top universities or securing competitive scholarships, while for employees, it often involves chasing promotions, pay rises or building a stable career to support their families. For instance, many first-generation university students from low-income backgrounds study 10+ hours daily, as they see academic achievement as the most reliable path to lift their families out of poverty. The second factor is external competitive pressure. As education admissions and job markets grow increasingly saturated, average effort is often insufficient to stand out: an entry-level graduate role in popular industries may receive hundreds of applicants, pushing candidates to take extra certifications or work overtime to build a competitive edge.
However, working excessively hard is not always beneficial, as it can bring unsustainable costs. Long-term overwork frequently leads to severe burnout, chronic health problems and strained personal relationships, which eventually erode long-term performance. A well-documented example is the "996" work culture (9am to 9pm, 6 days a week) common in some tech industries: many young employees who follow this schedule report experiencing insomnia, anxiety and reduced work efficiency after 1-2 years, with some even facing life-threatening health conditions. Moreover, hard work without clear direction or strategic thinking is often wasted; spending all night memorising textbook content without understanding core concepts, for example, rarely leads to better academic results than focused, targeted study.
In conclusion, people work harder than others due to personal aspirations and competitive pressure, but hard work is only beneficial when balanced with rest and guided by clear goals, rather than pursued blindly to the point of harm.