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High paying vs Happiness in career

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I don't make a lot of money for the hours I work, but I genuinely enjoy what I do. In just a couple years I'll finish my residency and whether or not I choose to do a fellowship, I'll be making a considerable amount of money to keep doing what I love.

...because I'm happpyyyyy
- clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
 
To me it kinda depends where you are at with compensation. There is a specific break point for most people (depending on the person / cost of living) where you really don't get that much more of a benefit from more money. Sure more cash is always nice, but (for example) the difference between 30,000 and 50,000 is pretty dang big with the life that you live, while the difference between 120,000 and 140,000 is what, a few more toys? A bit nicer of a house? The same 20,000 pay drop is not the same for both cases. My advice in general is to try to figure out that point, don't say "what can I make?" but instead "what do I need to live the life I want?" Then try to figure out the best job in that range that you can. Also make sure to be aware of some extra stuff like savings for kids if you have 'em and the fact that higher pay means that you might be able to retire early.
 
do the job that pays well for what you are required to do and make sure you love it and have the mental and physical profile to take on it properly without much of a problem.
 
CrankyJay said:
Right now work 35-40 a week, decent pay for the area, no dress code, no rigid time structure, work from home a couple days a month, close commute and my child's daycare is in the same building, laid back atmosphere...

I put like a 10-15k a year price tag on that for me to bother looking for work somewhere else.

Only downside is there's currently no upward mobility.
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Why do I end up working 45+ a week ... and still get 'in trouble' for work completed?
 
I'd choose money because I don't believe I'll be "happy" at any job ever. I mean it's work, I don't even understand there's an option to be happy.
 
If I'm doing something where my mind is required, I want to do something I like. I just can't stand being bothered with problems that I cannot muster an ounce of interest for. I would always chose "fun" or "passion" over money.

If I don't care about the job, I can much better deal with physical labour. I'd rather be a mailman or gardener than work at a company that needs my full (mental) attention on problems that I have no urge to dealing with.
 
yellow submarine said:
Just switch to a different company that WILL pay you more. Don't take a pay downgrade if you can help it, especially early in your career. It will compound itself over time, unless you are a master negotiator who never reveals her previous pay during salary negotiations.
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Not so easy. The salary is the easy part, it's the commission structure that's the challenge.
 
Is it a secure stable job?
Does it pay well?
Do you like it?

If you answer yes to none, quit as soon as possible.
If you answer yes to one, quit as soon as possible.
If you answer yes to two, keep the job while being open to new opportunities.
If you answer yes to three, keep the job.
 
Gustav said:
If you don't, it's not for you.
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I do. Sort of. I work in radio and it's fun. It's a job I don't hate at all but there's no money there. A side gig I have thought of would be doing voice work from my home studio but I'm not sure how to even get that going.

Either way I don't think I can handle another job I hate even if there is money there. Just seems like wasting my days away.
 
Jroderton said:
I do. Sort of. I work in radio and it's fun. It's a job I don't hate at all but there's no money there. A side gig I have thought of would be doing voice work from my home studio but I'm not sure how to even get that going.
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That's the spirit...

Either way I don't think I can handle another job I hate even if there is money there. Just seems like wasting my days away.
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....welp.
 
I have a decent paying job (probably slightly underpaid compared to the average Programming/Developer job). But I only do 40 hours a week, usually stress free with the exception of the few weeks surrounding a project deployment.

I started off as Salary Overtime Eligible, but from a few promotions, I am now salaried. But the most I have ever worked in a week was probably 42 hours. So it isn't too bad.

I enjoy having a life outside work and I am ok with my pay.
 
I took a pay cut to do my dream job (Graphic Design) because of my enthusiasm and love for my job I got promoted within 6 months and got more money than the previous job I left so I think Happiness rules over wage for me. That said, I left my previous job to go to a place with more opportunity which also paid off.
 
Money over everything, money on my mind

Seriously though, I find it ironic how the people stressing happiness over money are the ones making bank. I'd rather work my ass off for 8 hours a day if it means coming home to food on a table and no debts
 
I've been pretty miserable at work the past two weeks, and I'd never thought I'd connect to those people who are always angry and come home from work pissed off, but here I am. I think I need to make a change, because this is so not the type of life I have any interest in living. Being miserable and sad around everyone is certainly not worth the pay.

Especially when I look back at myself 2 months ago and how much I was enjoying life then. It's quite the sad shift.
 
I'm not at the point where I've decided that happiness is far more important to me than money. My wife and I are saving for a new home, so I can't exactly go down that path yet, though. But my goal within the next 3-5 years is to start working towards things that make me happy and give me satisfaction, rather than just doing it for the paycheck.

I don't know if I realized it earlier or later than most of my peers, but we only get one life. I want to try and fulfill all my dreams while I can.
 
hope32 said:
Just faced a similar situation recently. Took a $20K pay cut to move to a company with better hours(every other friday off and 5 weeks vacation) and culture. So far I have no regrets.

Had to decide if I wanted more money, responsibility, lots of recognition but crazy hours and no free time vs. decent money, much less responsibility/recognition but great work/life balance.

I felt time spent with my wife was worth much more than what any job offered.
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you sir, made the correct choice, if I knew you personally I'd be proud of you.
 
carfo said:
I would choose a less paying job that I'm happy at over a well paying job I hate any day
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Yeah. It can be fucking annoying, but yeah. While my job won't make me rich anytime soon and it throws curveballs at me every now and then, I generally love it. Mostly due to amazing collegues and some cool other things. Sometimes I complain, sometimes I'm genuinely angry, but after about 4 years I still go there happily almost every day, so it can't be that bad.

I couldn't work in a job I hated. I'm pretty sure of that.
 
Yeah, I'm having this dilemma right now.

My Dad is pressuring me to go for a job at the State's Attorney's Office (criminal prosecution). He knows a guy there. It pays about $40k a year, and you work about 40 to 80hrs a week. After about 8 years you can make up to $70k. You can also go out into private practice and make more, but you still have to stay there a few years.

Currently, I'm teaching biology adjunct at a university. I make considerably less, but am very happy. They are extremely good to me, and told me that entering the PhD program is a forgone conclusion if I want it. If I started the PhD I'd make a bit over $20k a year for the 5 years. I absolutely have the drive for both the PhD and all the post-doc work.

Since, if you are reading this and are confused, I have a MS in biology, I went to law school thinking I could be a patent attorney, but no one two years after graduation want to hire me as one.

So, this is the issue in front of me. I'm as hesitant as I am about the SA's office because I was extremely depressed in law school. I also never took any crim classes, and it's something I never thought about doing. I didn't make either Moot Court or Mock Trial, and I'm don't have acting skills*. I also don't really feel that the incentives are that great. 40k for 60hrs of intense work isn't very good. But I'll admit there is clearly more proximate benefit, and there may be more long-term benefit.

I've got no bones admitting my heart is in science, but I'm willing to do something else if there is a better rational reason.

Anyway, if you want to throw an opinion at me, that'd be fun. The best advice I've gotten so far is that, "It doesn't matter. They are both good options. You end up at different - but both good - positions in the end".



*interestingly, teaching is like stand-up comedy not acting. I can see why brilliant comics often make terrible actors.
 
genjiZERO said:
Yeah, I'm having this dilemma right now.

My Dad is pressuring me to go for a job at the State's Attorney's Office (criminal prosecution). He knows a guy there. It pays about $40k a year, and you work about 40 to 80hrs a week. After about 8 years you can make up to $70k. You can also go out into private practice and make more, but you still have to stay there a few years.

Currently, I'm teaching biology adjunct at a university. I make considerably less, but am very happy. They are extremely good to me, and told me that entering the PhD program is a forgone conclusion if I want it. If I started the PhD I'd make a bit over $20k a year for the 5 years. I absolutely have the drive for both the PhD and all the post-doc work.

Since, if you are reading this and are confused, I have a MS in biology, I went to law school thinking I could be a patent attorney, but no one two years after graduation want to hire me as one.

So, this is the issue in front of me. I'm as hesitant as I am about the SA's office because I was extremely depressed in law school. I also never took any crim classes, and it's something I never thought about doing. I didn't make either Moot Court or Mock Trial, and I'm don't have acting skills*. I also don't really feel that the incentives are that great. 40k for 60hrs of intense work isn't very good. But I'll admit there is clearly more proximate benefit, and there may be more long-term benefit.

I've got no bones admitting my heart is in science, but I'm willing to do something else if there is a better rational reason.

Anyway, if you want to throw an opinion at me, that'd be fun. The best advice I've gotten so far is that, "It doesn't matter. They are both good options. You end up at different - but both good - positions in the end".



*interestingly, teaching is like stand-up comedy not acting. I can see why brilliant comics often make terrible actors.
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PhD program if you can make the 20k work for your financial situation.
 
Idk...I've never had a high paying job and been not too happy at almost every one of them. Still managed to maintain some semblance of overall happiness. I figure I'd succeed in a high paying gig I didn't enjoy. I'm pretty good at acclimating my mindset to fit my circumstance.

The only thing I want to do write movies... until then any other job is just a job at this point.
 
depends on the level of unhappines in the high paying career.

If I got paid a million pounds a month for somthing I found really wrong, I think i would work there for a month then spend the rest of my life in the real estate business.
 
It really depends on where you are in life and your own relationship with money.

If you are not deeply in debt, have some savings/investments and your loved ones are doing okay themselves, then you probably think very differently of money than someone who's deeply in debt or grew up poor and welcomes the responsibility of taking care of their loved ones financially.

Choose the job that will make you happier if you can afford it. Good luck!
 
Going from less than 7k a year (part-time minimum wage) to 30k a year (full time $14 per hr plus commission) is going to fucking change everything. So yeah, MONEY is important to me right now.
 
Philia said:
Going from less than 7k a year (part-time minimum wage) to 30k a year (full time $14 per hr plus commission) is going to fucking change everything. So yeah, MONEY is important to me right now.
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Congrats you sob, it's going to make a big difference bro.
 
Happiness all the fucking way. I'd give up money, girlfriends and kids
that's assuming i'd have them which is not likely
for my desired career if i could support myself with the money. And i can live with very little.
 
At least you aren't a resident, aka the worst of both worlds: shit pay and zero happiness. I'm salaried for 40 hours. Realistically I work 80 hours a week. I fucking hate my pager, hate my life, hate everything...and I've only been at this for 1 month.
 
I used to make 40k/yr doing medical tech support. Some days were stressful when a particularly difficult problem came up and assignments were always stressful. Monotony on most calls sucked. It wasn't that bad and overall I was generally happy but the corporate politics stressed me out beyond belief. I was on the way to a promotion to make 60k/yr and my boss found out something she shouldn't have about her boss and everything went to shit. New management came and laid everyone off. Haven't been able to find a good job since.

Now I'm working pizza delivery. Its mindless, its easy, and its fun. 2 years and I honestly haven't had a single day where I/ve said "I dont want to go to work today". Other than the usual management BS, I love this job. I work part time and probably make roughly 25k/yr. After bills I'm not making any less money because my bills were a lot higher in the big city. I probably wouldn't have chosen this route if I had gotten the promotion but I don't wish I had. The free time and general happiness I feel on a day to day basis is worth it, even with student loans shadowing my life.

Unless you are going to be making a TON of easy money, I feel being happy trumps a stressful high paying job. Do what makes you happy. The free time you will have is worth it. Your loved ones will thank you for it.
 
I left consulting for a company of ~40,000 people and took a $50k pay cut to work for a small company of around 400 people because it was less boring and let me use more of my skills. My job at the big company was like a "George Jetson" type of job - I just sat there all day and pushed the same button, over and over. The work life balance thing is mostly unchanged, still mostly do 40 to 50 hour weeks. Most of the time closer to 40.
 
I went from 35k (pounds) to random monthly incomes as an indie developer and the freedom I have now is just amazing. The question is, am I happier because of it? In certain ways I am, in other ways it's pretty much the same.

I coded apps in an office in central London, now I code apps in my own office in Brazil. Life was good before, life is good now.

Never really struggled with money as I am quite good with finances and saving so I guess that's a reason why I don't really know
 
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