Balamb and SeeD. It seems like it's just a military academy and just a job. But to Squall, it's the only thing's he's got. A place where he can call home, and the only career that suits him. Now, Balamb may not seem like home, but as an orphan, it would be easy to understand why. Squall was never adopted by anyone, so he stayed at Balamb with nowhere else to go.

As a mercenary, it's his job to follow orders. Follow the leader, not be the leader. In the middle of disk two, Cid promotes Squall to commander of Balamb Garden. Basically, Cid chickened out and left Squall to do the dirty work. He wasn't exactly one to gladly accept though. He didn't expect this sort of drastic change, nor did he want to adjust to it.

Quistis: "Greetings commander!"
Squall: "Don't call me that."

One thing's for certain: he puts his duty before anything else. The dance, meeting Rinoa on the train; he claims was all work-related. It makes you wonder if this guy thinks about anything for himself. If you listen carefully to Squall trying to "encourage" Irvine during the attempt to assassinate sorceress Edea, it seems like he's being nice to him. I wouldn't say he was being a good guy, but simply because it was his job. Being a guy who doesn't care, he just goes out and does his job, no questions asked. His motivation to complete it is what keeps his mind off himself.