This article provides a reaction to the three articles that form the Major Contribution on HIV and working (Maguire, McNally, Britton, Werth, & Borges, 2008; Werth, Borges, McNally, Maguire, & Britton, 2008a, 2008b). This reaction explores the lessons in survival so eloquently conveyed and evident in the descriptions and analyses regarding the challenge of working for people with HIV. Using the taxonomy from Blustein's psychology-of-working framework, it examines the complex relationships between working and HIV/AIDS, highlighting the ways in which the needs for survival, relatedness, and self-determination form core experiences for people with HIV.