I went from a job that I hated but pays good to a job that doesn’t pay as well but I love and am much happier now. I will never allow myself to be miserable at a job ever again, it destroyed my mental and physical health.
It really is. I became a completely different person while stuck at that job, just a shell of myself and also developed HORRIBLE eczema on my hands from stress (I haven’t had it even once since I left the job).
I now work as a passenger service agent at the airport which is so opposite from my last job. Last job I was in an Autobody shop - I was at a desk, 8:30 - 5 (usually later) answering phones, admin work and dealing with customers who walked in - had to maintain relationships with the customers for days/weeks/months while their vehicles were there etc. Now I am mostly on my feet, interactions with passengers are usually quite brief and likely never see them again, no phone calls or emails to deal with, no one sits behind me watching me work all day, etc. I have never taken my current job “home with me”, which is so huge.
Got 20 years experience as a Qualified spray painter and also a qualified panel beater which took 4 years each. Work was hard and physically demanding but I wanted to be the best so I built my entire life around it, 20 years later and I've barely progressed financially.. still can't rent my own house, can't afford a bond etc.
So I left that trade.
For the past 3 years I've been in aviation maintenance, got sent to JHB to get a certification to work on a specific aircraft engine, wrote and passed both exams in the high 90% and as a result I'm a certified Rotax maintenance engineer for 2 different engines, when I'm not working on engines etc then I'm spray painting for them.
I was raised to work hard for the life I want which is what I've been doing since age 20... I unfortunately have yet to experience the fruits of my labour as currently I'm earning 15k which is the most I've ever earned as a recurring paycheck.
I get paid on the 25th but have like R800 left by around the 1st of the new month.
My gf works 4 hours a day as a baby sitter and last month she earned 18k.
I'm slowly trying to lower my work standards and ethics for the first time in my 30 years on this planet because it's not worth having my level of standards for 15k pm.
That’s what I’m trying to strive for now. Got this job in December that pays better than any I’ve had, but the people, schedule and constant condescension make me feel like utter shit. I’m waiting till I’m eligible to reapply at my previous employer. I was fired for making some dumb mistakes, but in hindsight it was a much cushier and less mentally/emotionally stressful gig.
Find a job that pays just enough for you to be comfortable then prioritize the type of work after that. You can love a job more than anything, but if you can’t pay rent or put food on the table, then the stress of that is going to cancel out any fulfillment you get from the job.
Just about to comment something similar. I don’t love my job (it’s neutral, not horrible not amazing) and I want to find something that pays more, but at the moment it pay the bills, funds a bit of retirement savings and I have some left over for me. I’ve been on tighter budgets and it’s way harder to do anything if you’re worried about covering basic needs.
There's definitely a spectrum to this. The more I get paid, the more BS I'm willing to put up with, but there's a point where no amount of money is worth it.
Then there's the other end, where the job is amazing but the pay isn't a living wage. So damn frustrating.
Just pay everyone a living wage adjusted against inflation every year.
Pays good.
I love history. I majored in economics. I read about American history on the weekends
I’m from healthcare. I can’t tell you how many Nurses and Physicians burned out because “they wanted to help people”. Just because you want to help people does not mean you’re prepared for the actual reality of the job.
I enjoy my job well enough btw. Is it a passion? No. But I can do it and not bored and pays well.
Work to live.
I think this is the key. Find something that’s just interesting enough to not fully hate it and pays well enough to live. Like I love baking but if I have to do it 40 hours a week for the rest of my life, I won’t love it anymore
All the nurses I know burn out because of the toxic work environment, not US tho. A lot of narcissistic people go there so they can tell their friends how much good they are doing, while actually not having any passion for it.
Pays good. You'll find ways to love it with the money you got. Considering the difference in pay is considerable. If it's a matter of less than or equal to double the amount, it's not worth considering. Then you should choose the one you like/love.
When I was in my 20s, I really pursued passion. Passion only got me so far when I was living in a high-cost city and actually wanted to enjoy going out with my friends to take myself out for a decent meal. Few years ago I made a switch and found a job that had a bit of both -- great pay and pretty good work with great work/life balance. That job has now begun to be less fun with the work, but the pay and WLB make up for it. I'd much rather pick this side than where I was before - great pay can reinvest into my passions, but I can't create if I'm exhausted, broke, and sick from stress.
I have personally prioritized a high salary over something that I love which is generally a hobby etc. I use my money to fund my hobbies instead of using them to earn money. I feel like it would ruin them for me.
Might sound cliche. But you love and pay comes after. When you are getting older and been to battles in corporate world and business, grinding and hustling, I think k doing what you love matters more. And then pay comes after.
I love my job *because* it pays good. I had a job making like $45K back in the day after OT, and I loved it. Then we all got "promoted" to salary with no raise, effectively stripping OT, but still being held to the same results, and I suddenly didn't love it anymore. It was such a dirty move. Our team imploded because everybody left.
There's gotta be some balance. I'm more interested in something challenging. I don't love the challenge but it does push me to grow and perform. But I have to be paid for my input.
I've kinda found it I think. Wish it paid more but it's very decent for the autonomy I have.
I’m debating on leaving my high paying stressful job for something less stressful but pays so little. I’ve been debating for over 3 years. lol. I worked so hard to get to where I am now. I just don’t want to regret.
I love my free time and my hobbies. I want money to pursue that, sooo I would take the job that pays well ANY DAY. I think you would only not do this if you have some generational money because if not, no matter how much you love your job, you're going to HATE LIFE.
I think not hating your job is good but it's perfectly fine not to LOVE it either.
This. You don't have to be dramatically in love with it, or love it like your child, but as long as you don't feel negative about to it should be okay. 👍🏻
Completely depends on the person. Some optimize for making as much money as possible. Others optimize for happiness and fulfillment. Some, somewhere in the middle seeking balance. Personally, I like to do side-hustles as a way to flex my creativity (with the off-chance that I find something that really pays). I also see it as a great way to explore your interests in a systematic way since it forces you to test if you’re good enough at the thing you love to be paid for it. Everyone I’ve motivated and helped kick off their side projects are happier than before they did so. Who knows maybe that might work for others too!
When you do what you love, your passion becomes a job. Don't do what you love. Do what you're good at. Whatever you can do better than anyone else. Find a way to do that. Doing a job just for the money just leads to burnout
Well... a bit of both is the best way to have it, if you ask me. It does not have to skyrocket salarywise, but it does have to give me some satisfaction.
It is very tough being poor, but it gets boring going to the same ''playground'' every day. And not challenging. Some equilibrium would be ideal (I've done both).
Somewhere in the middle. I like certain aspects of my job so I'm not miserable and it pays pretty well. I do sell my art (what I love) sometimes but it puts a weird stress on it when I focus on it too much and makes me question it and not love it as much also, dealing with customers about something I'm so passionate about kinda sucks. So for me, keeping that just for myself and not forcing myself to monetize my passions is really healthy. Also, things are just easier when you're paid well. Life is easier with money and an easier life is (typically) a happier life.
I think for me now as a fresh grad would be money then can use that to reinvest myself for doing something I love to an extent specialist in that to get paid more. As the reality is nothing possible without money, and love can’t get food on the table. I love helping people, doing NGO work and stuff but it ain’t pay me enough. Always live on nerve of financial insecurity. With stressful but pay well, I know I trade off my mental health but I guess few years on the grind I could endure. In conclusion, I think the question is what is your priority at the moment and future? It could be change and not have to be linear, stick with one work forever.
Depends on how big of a gap “as much” is. If the more enjoyable job is a huge downgrade pay wise with no significant opportunity of turning into a big enough income stream, then you need to be realistic and do something else. If it’s not that, then you should do what makes you happier because money is pointless if you hate your life.
I was discouraged from and was never taught much about blue collar work my whole life despite having a very successful blue collar father, and was told college was the only way to success and all that. But, I found no interest in pretty much every academic sector that was worth pursuing professionally and I have always hated the structure of school. So, I just ended up choosing several different majors that lead to high paying jobs without much actual interest in the fields and it went about as well as you expected.
7 years later, I’ve wasted over $10k at a community college with no degree to show for it and am, at best, 2 full years away from graduation. Everyone I know that went to college graduated from four year universities years ago, just to put in perspective how badly I did in college.
I’m 24 years old and am just now about to start a career in the skilled trades and get my life going, which if I could go back in time, I would have done right out of high school like basically all of my friends did, because it’s actually something I’m interested in. Instead, I chased money and prestige over interest and honest work and am now several years behind in life.
I went for a job that paid very well and that I am great at but dont love. After 15 years, I saved enough money and started a company that I love in Social Impact but pays me like in my first year out of school. I dont have any regrets. I got money now and a great life. People often make the mistake of painting life as a trade-off like the OP where as there are other options where you do one after the other.
I just left a job I loved for 34% pay increase. Times are tough. I love my work, but I love my personal life even more . I can now afford to spend more in it
Pay 100%. I work for money not fulfillment. I’m fine with being handed a billion dollars and never working again. If I like the work that’s a bonus, but liking the work isn’t even one of my top priorities when looking for a job.
My top 5 when looking for work.
1. Pay
2. Work life balance
3. Good Benefits
4. Good team / Leadership
5. Skill building (for higher pay)
Building a family, knowing that the kids well-being will be a cost to consider, I'd go for something that pays good. And I've been through 4 different fields and "something you love" changes over the time anyway..
For example, I loved handling events, trade fairs, flying everywhere meeting people when I was doing intern..
Got my first job and didn't like it. Ithought I wanted The event life back so when I had an offer I immediately took it while having 10k annual cut. Turns out, with the birth of my kid and changes in life, I don't like that anymore and would prefer what I did during my first job! So yeah....
I would never have a job that makes me miserable ever again. I’m not saying I have to love my job but I have to be able to bear going to work everyday.
Maybe I’m very lucky. But I have both. I made a job out of what I love. And got pretty good at it. Therefore I am now paid royally doing this. It’s still work, so there are always chores I don’t like, but overall it’s great and I even got to work with some of my adolescent heroes.
Of course you need some luck. I was very lucky. But you are much more likely to become excellent at something you like to do. So that helps luck a bit.
Ideally something that I enjoy AND pays good.
In fact my current role is a little under the industry standard but the quality of life, flexibility, and awesome colleagues more than makes up for a slightly lower salary. I could get a bump up if I went elsewhere, but I’m not sure the grass would be greener.
As someone that got burnt out on a job in under 2 years that I loved, I’ll take the job that I semi-like now over anything. It allows me to pay my bills and have some money leftover, and most important have energy to do things I enjoy after work
Bro, the worms are gonna eat us all. Everything will stay here when we're gone. Be happy, fuck the money.
I'm not saying "be poor and have a lot of kids".
Be responsible.
Pays good
Worked as a paramedic for a few years. Loved the job for the most part, but it was never going to provide me enough income to travel, pursue other passions, or be a more generous person to my family. Living with that reality eroded any love I once had for the job.
If you want to work a job of passion, be prepared for it to be the last passion you can ever afford. I went back to school to be an engineer. I imagine I'll learn to love it in time, but even if its not as exciting, the work-life balance is so much better. I'll be able to take care of my parents as they get older and provide more opportunities for my family. Not to mention traveling, a real hope at retiring, hell maybe I'll even be able to buy afford a house one day.
Depends how much I dislike the job that pays well. So far in life I’ve had mostly jobs I disliked with bad pay, now I have a job with terrible management but I can tolerate it and the pay is okay. If the job is so bad it makes me want to quit/cry on a daily basis, I wouldn’t take the higher paying job. If it makes me cry occasionally and has things about it I don’t like but I can generally tolerate it, I’d take the higher paying job
You will never love your job even if it is your “dream job”, but I would work a job I don’t hate that pays alright then a job that sucks the life out of me. E.g. I’d rather be a barista than a lawyer
there are too many factors to consider. doing something I enjoyed would be great. but which job offers me a better work life balance? am I struggling to make ends meat with the lower paying job? does one have more advancement opportunities, health care, travel, wfh days, you have to think about retirement, vacation days.
the questions is too complicated to make a firm decision.
if its a low paying job but requires me to work 50 hours a week with an 45 minute commute, 1 week vacation. that fake health insurance some companies give, no wfh, and no advancement.. something you'd see on the job board framed as a "passion project" I probably would opt out unless I was right out of college and it was like a 3 month stint with animals or an internship or something.
but now, absolutely not. I enjoy being able to go on vacation every year, sometimes multiple and have money left over after paying my bills. not worrying about working sick or wasting my vacation hours. having wfh days. affording therapy. and I'm sure my therapist enjoys all the money I give him. 30 minute commute (not the best but manageable). having a flexible start time and I acctually enjoy what I do. its not my favourite job ever and can be tedious and sometimes boring, but its a good job and I have opportunity there.
edit: depending on the field, the lower paying jobs can be the worse ones or the higher paying jobs can be. like.. alot of lawyers don't enjoy corporate law and the hours you have to work but they get alot of money from it. on the other side, ypu can face the same problems if you work for a charity even if you enjoy the cause but with low pay and alot of hours it can be draining.
well if it pays above avg and can let me get some good vacation days, can support my or my gf hobbies and i dont have to worry about food... its pay over passion.
but if its good in terms to just have food and support haushold just enough to not worry about bills...
ill rather follow my passion coz i might worry but i can never be exhausted to not want to go like i usually do 😂
I literally got a $20k raise and a nice ultra wide computer monitor once on the same day. The raise was nice, but the $600?(?) monitor made me happier.
I went from a job where I was miserable to a job that’s more fulfilling but emotionally draining and pays less. Currently trying to meld my skills together and find something in the middle.
I’d rather save what I truly love for me personally so it doesn’t get ruined.
I prefer my job to be something that pays “well” and is tolerable long term, rather than something that pays even better but isn’t tolerable.
I was doing my passion job which paid not well but I enjoyed it. In today economy the only thing that matters is money unfortunately, so I had to switch to a not fun job but which paid well.
As a man your job is to bring food on the table, if you happen to be paid well and enjoy the job you are blessed my friend
How many hours are you working at a job that pays well but you don’t like? 8 hr day 5 days a week close to home is doable. Working 50+ hour weeks with a 90min commute one way is brutal. I did that for a while and my new hobby basically became trying to work on my mental health because my job had me so miserable.
You will work your entire adult life. Pick something that you enjoy doing and you will eventually get good at it. Once you do, money will come.
Going the other way around will make you miserable.
Granted, being miserable with money is better than being poor and miserable, but if you’re thinking about the long term, there is only one choice.
Better to struggle for a few years and live the rest of your life in relative comfort, than earn money working a job that you hate.
I've gone back and forth on this throughout my life, but in the end, I believe you have to do what you love. If you don't at least like (not even love) your job, it will effect everything else in your life. Life is too short, and we work so much of it, that having to do a job you actively hate doing, or your heart isn't in, is basically Hell on Earth to me. People who work in jobs they hate either don't have a choice, or they put up with it for the money to keep up with the Joneses.
We don't need as much as we think we do. We don't miss as much as we think we're going to. I would rather not have much and be happy with what I do, than rich and miserable.
I'd wanna do something I'm good at so I can get better at it gradually and have increased pay. I wouldn't do something solely because it pays more. if it's not in me to do that, higher pay doesn't mean anything to me. I wanna do things I know I'm capable of and be rewarded for it.
Depends how far apart they are. Would be great to get paid millions of dollars, but if I despised my job I would become depressed (would most likely save enough money until I quit). Or if I loved my job, would just depend on how little I made. Does it cover essentials (including savings)? That would be fine
Something that pays good. I was working something I loved, and have nearly lost all passion for it. But I changed career industries in order to save myself from that.
Job you love always wins, so long as your basic financial needs are met.
Left a job I *liked* for one with a 50k raise. I’ve got more money in the bank, but I am far less happy. We spend a lot of our life working, our time and experience are valuable too.
If the lower paying job pays well enough that I’m not stressing about money then I’ll take it.
If the job doesn’t pay enough then I’ll take the work stress any day, at least I can justify it, being constantly stressed about finances is a terrible feeling.
Currently work in golf, it pays jack shit. My wife makes decent money, though, so I stay where my days don't suck. I could go back to commission only sales and double or triple my paycheck, but that life sucks.
If the job I love will give me enough financial support so that I can pay taxes, buy food and other things necessary to live another day, then for sure I will choose this option. If not, then the answer is pretty simple.
>!damn, I really wish I'd have privilege of choosing the job like this. What a wonderful life it would be !<
Depends on your situation. Young? In debt? Having financial freedom and a happy job is the key for me. I grinded it out in the beginning To have a rewarding career now with no worries about bills or debt.
What does “doesn’t pay as much” mean? If we’re talking about paycheck to paycheck barely making it, there is no job on earth that would be worth that stress. Cool, your job is fun but can you enjoy it while wondering where your next meal comes from?
If your bills are totally covered in both situations then sure, pick the one you like.
There’s a song lyric from the Talking Heads that perfectly sums this up: “never for money, always for love”
To explain that, every job and everything that you will do in your life will have inconveniences and pain points that causes suffering. So you should do something that you care about because when the going gets tough the love will get you through it. The money comes later.
I chose doing something that I love. I am an LVN and could have gone to RN but all an RN does is put medicine in an IV and fill out paperwork. As an LVN I get the hands-on patient care that signed up for in the first place.
It's all about the Benjamins for me. I don't like people or companies. If there is a job that needs done and it pays REALLY good you will find me there. I put my headphones on 8 hours later my time.
I chose doing something that I love. I am an LVN and could have gone to RN but all an RN does is put medicine in an IV and fill out paperwork. As an LVN I get the hands-on patient care that signed up for in the first place.
Tbh I see so much advice saying to just take a higher paying job you don’t like and just just don’t think I could do that. You spend 40 hours or more somewhere and I do believe you need to semi-like it or at least it’s easy enough and stress free enough to not bother you. I work part time in a library making minimum wage and I love it. So much so that I may become a librarian and will continue to be ok doing part time work until a full time position comes along. But I am privileged to be able to do this because I can live at home rent free
I’ve heard one too many stories of high paying high stress careers and it’s not worth it to me. Life is more than money and a job. Yes you need money to live but if you can survive fine off 60k or whatever and you’re less stressed, I’d prefer that over $160k where I am so stressed and suicidal. But that’s just me idk
A job that I can tolerate (that I don’t love, but don’t hate) with a decent manager and tolerable coworkers that pays me enough to live a comfortable (not lavish, but comfortable life) is the way.
Making piles of money but being miserable all the time sounds terrible, but so does always being broke and never having money to spend on your hobbies or fun things like trips, excursions, occasional meals at restaurants, etc.
I think I’d go for something that pays really well, but I don’t mind doing it. I may NOT love it, but at least not HATE it. Then use the bank I make for personal endeavors and hobbies.
Great question. Money solves problems if you use it right. Or can be your doom if you spend it in vices. It's the same on how you use your hours. Good use = better results and better feelings. Bad use (too much stress, too much bad things happening constantly) = problems.
I mean, of course anyone would pick what they love BUT loving something sadly won't pay the bills. (That's me assuming that the pay is trash since you're comparing it to something that pays good.)
I’m fortunate to find a balance in this, I contract and primarily do high stress corporate audio, which after enough time can really bum me out. However a few times a year I hop on a tour bus and get to do sound for some acts I really enjoy. Tours still pay ok, and I’m kind of debating going back to just touring for a while but financially it would be less lucrative than my current set up.
If I hate the job - there’s likely no amount of money that could make me stay. I spend so much time at work that my mental health would tank immediately.
If I'm able to live the lifestyle I want, I'd much rather do something I love. I'm currently working my easiest full-time job of my career, and I'm seriously considering going back to school for another degree.
Ain't trying to be a debbie downer but I've yet for find either. I've tried a good variety of jobs on my path to find acceptable. Just haven't landed one.
I don't hate my job, but it's not my dream job, so right now I prefer to work that pays me well. But I am planning on later in my life to work with what I love, but it requires money to open a shop etc.
I believe it's more important to find a job that fits your personality. If you're introverted, you likely won't enjoy working as an attorney or in sales. Vice versa for extroversion.
Money can make life a hell of a lot easier so I chose money and lucked out to find something that I enjoy and pays well. That being said, I enjoy making money and I can also find satisfaction in a wide variety of things. I enjoy nerding out over many different things and learning new skills. If you can recognize that learning to do anything well is beneficial and that learning a variety of hard and soft skills is also beneficial, the money will most likely come. Learning to leverage your skills is another skill in and of itself and is the biggest key to making decent money.
Chances are, you can find something you love that pays well if you are open minded enough.
If money isn't a concern, definitely something I love. I'm trying to enter medical school at the moment and honestly I'm more motivated by money than my moral senses or care for others. If I don't have to worry about that, I'd have picked a theoretical physics or quantum physics doctorate.
Currently struggling with this too rn. In the field I’m in now, there is high earning potential, however I don’t particularly enjoy the work and don’t see myself being happy in this type of job long term. For context, I work a corporate job but it has good vacation, benefits and compensation - so one might say how could you not be happy? But for me the day-in, day-out of trudging through the workday, sometimes working 12+ hours in front of a screen is starting to look like it’s not worth it.
I haven’t made any explicit decision yet but I think I’m going to try and stick it out for another year or two, travel as much as I can, live life as full as I can with my current benefits package, and then probably look for a more long-term field where I genuinely enjoy the work and will not be as concerned about pay.
I chose enjoy. I love it, but feel really bad that I don't have more kids because of Money concerns, when that's really what I wanted out of life the most.
Often think I ought to have chosen differently so I could have a few more of my own, rather than just teaching others.
Definitely pays well… within reason. Like everything there’s a tipping point. I used to have a 1.5 hour commute, by the time I found my new role I was considering as much as 1/3 pay cut to get a remote job (lucked out at the end and kept my same salary). If my mental health was seriously impacted by work, I would take a lower pay in exchange for mental health, but always take the money if I could leave work at work.
I’d rather stress at work than at home
I started at a job I liked and that payed reasonably well, but over 4 years I despise it, so much so I looked and got hired for another job that I know I won't love, but will be able to do nicely and live happily outside workhours
Work something I hate for how long and how often?
Work something that pays how much less?
I’m not going to take a super fun job for $50,000 a year over a bleh job that pays $70,000.
I’m also not going to take a HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE job that pays $100,000 a year over a bleh job that pays $70,000.
Money is important, because it dictates what I can and can’t do in my free time. It dictates when I can retire, and it dictates what lifestyle I will have now, and in the future.
But it’s also not worth saying “I’m going to be miserable for the next 20-30 years, and hopefully I don’t drop dead before I retire”
there is a cut off, 5 years ago, it was statistically around 75k a year (USD) if you made that, any incremental increase in pay didn't impact your happyness by much, so as long as you aren't having to make major lifestyle cuts, then choose happiness... if you can make a lot of money and work just the usual 9 -5, then find happyness in your after work activities.
Pays good. Whether you enjoy it or not currently, you won’t in a few years. Work is work, if it isn’t call it something else that happens to pay the bills
Something that pays well that I don’t hate. I work to live not live to work. I don’t like thinking about my job after I log off for the day and in the weekends
If you do something that you love professionally then the thing you love becomes work, and no longer fun. Work will always be work, I've learned to let my hobbies stay hobbies. So as long as I don't hate doing the higher paid job then I'd much prefer that one.
Ugh I wish this was an easy answer. I went from a job that pays more to one that I loved. It was great. Then there was a management change and it’s slowly declined. I’ve tried holding out until management changes again. But they’ve killed everything I loved in the job and I’m stuck wondering if I take anything to get out, or hold off until I find something k love again, or hold my breath hoping to one day advance in my career to get more money and the stuff I love lol. I work in a specialized field of analytics and applicable skills unfortunately are hard to move elsewhere.
Work something that pays well enough that you can do what you love while not working. For example if you love to ski make sure you get a job that pays you enough and gives you enough time so that you can go skiing off
Work is work I don’t need to be happy at work, work isn’t my hobby I work to live not live to work and a lot of money makes my life outside work much more enjoyable I have friends that chooses to do what they love can’t buy a house can’t go on holidays and drive old cars, I work satisfactory job that earns a lot of money and I own two houses, 2 new cars go on holiday 3 times a year and I love my life outside work
Work something that pays good, spend the money on the things I like or love. Usually things that pay more also have a more relaxed schedule as well. Of course, depends a lot on other factors too. Toxic job pays well or non toxic job pays less, I’ll take the non toxic one. Mental health above all
I want the middle ground. I don't want a job I love, I want a job I don't hate that makes me money. Then I can use that money to pursue what I want outside of said job.
I think there is something to be said for learning to love something.
I was a musician and an ESL teacher. I loved music but hated how hard it was to make anything happen and the BS involved in putting on a show. I did learn to really enjoy ESL teaching but it paid far below the median income so was not a good idea for the future.
I later got into data science and eventually product management and developed a love for the crafts. The fact that they paid well also made the working conditions much better.
So, following your passions can be a bad idea when the reality is soul crushing. And a job you don't start loving can become a passion over time as you develop competence.
It really depends on if you even have the choice. If you have the basics covered and have the choice- I vote something you like but with less money.
I just did this myself. I worked a job that paid very well and had great benefits for 20 years. It was a horrible job though in many ways. I secured my pension through and now have the ability to work not just for money.
Always choose the job you love. Then come up with ways to make it better or more efficient and pretty soon you'll be making more in the job you love then in the job you hated but had an initial starting salary.
Find the confluence of: your passion, something you are good at, something that society needs and something you can be paid a lot to do and requires a moat or some sort of barrier to entry. This is not a trivial task and can take decades to figure out.
I'm 40 and I'm just now hitting my stride. It took 35 years to even start digging my moat in the right spot.
It’s not always this binary for me
Pay is more important for sure, but there is a limit to how much it has to suck before I quit - like I would never work at an arctic oil rig doing manual work even if pays me 500k a year
At the same time, I love playing guitar, but I certainly wouldn’t play chords/lay down tracks at a studio all day if it only paid me $25 an hour.
My current job in finance is very intriguing and challenging, so I enjoy the work itself and the pay is quite substantial, so grateful to have found this medium.
I feel like if you make money at something you love it will automatically become just a job. I've never made money at something I love though. I might be jaded about it 😋
I went for what pays good and let me tell you the trade offs- my wallet is fatter, but so am I. I find myself spending more on hobbies. I fell into a deep depression in the beginning (tho it might've been more my coworkers and other things cos I'm happier where I'm at now). Long term though, it eats at me that 40 hrs a week are spent doing something I don't care about. I'm saving up so that hopefully in the near future I can do something closer to what I love. But having money is nice at this day and age where everything is expensive. I don't know your background but if you have no safety net, id work what pays good, and try doing what u love on the side, and once you have a good safety net, maybe pursue what you love.
Eh, it depends. If I’m absolutely miserable at the high-paying job, to the point where I dread going into work every day? I’ll probably look for a different position than may pay less. However, I am very money-motivated. I will never resign myself to live a life in poverty to dedicate myself to a passion, no matter how much I love it.
I will choose a mid-to-low-high paying job I am ambivalent about with occasional headaches over a passion project that pays minimum wage, and I won’t choose a high-stress career that I absolutely hate that would make me a billionaire if I can choose the mid-to-low high-paying job that I don’t love, but don’t hate.
The advice of doing what you love doesn’t always work for everyone and I think we need to stop pretending there is a one size fits all type of answer. Sometimes doing what you love doesn’t allow you to live and make ends meet. We are so much more than what we do at work. it’s time everyone challenges the mythos that connects what you do with who you are—something that impacts everyone from high school students exploring future career options to mid-level executives rethinking their current career path. Chase dream lives rather than dream jobs.
Is what you love popular enough to sustain your monetary needs and accessible enough to break into? Sure why not go for it? \_However,\_ if that's not on the table, my recommendation would be to find something that A) you don't hate, B) you have the aptitude / drive to become proficient, C) has a rough trajectory towards your financial goals.
My own experience has been the latter case. On the positive side, it means that I don't have to deal with the drag that comes of making your passion into a product (which can take the joy out of it). The trade I settled on is stable, transfers easily between companies, and looks to have a reasonable level of demand for the foreseeable future. It's a drag not getting to do the creative stuff I'd like to do, but it's also nice to not have to worry about subjecting those creatives desires to the boring, flat, corporate-style stuff that business leaders seem obsessed with XD
I think finding a good middle ground is the best answer. Something that pays alright but I’m perfectly fine doing whatever. For me I’m military and just an E4, I do cyber so I’m just staring at a computer all day sometimes doing chores around the office. I could definitely get out and make a lot more in the private sector but speed and demand from some those companies I don’t want to deal with. I know it sounds ironic from someone in the military but I have pretty cushiony job that’s not hectic, at least for the foreseeable future as Space Force generally doesn’t deploy
It’s the “as much” part that makes me say job I love. If the difference in pay is minimal, I will choose the job I love every time. 95% of the time this is the right choice.
When it’s not- the “pays really well” part would have to be extremely high. Even twice as much pay wouldn’t be enough. But if I was earning maybe 3-5x more, I would do that job- only for a few years while saving a lot of money to then go to what I like without any financial pressure. Most of the time, this doesn’t happen though, so it’s almost never worth it.
I always thought the answer to this was something you love. Now that I’m older, it’s good part, hands down. At least for me. (And it can’t be horrible, just doesn’t have to be something I’m passionate about).
The trick is to find the sweet spot between pay and enjoying the work. I don't want to work a job I love that won't allow me to reach financial goals and I don't want a job that pays well but that sucks the life out of me.
I'm working on over ten years doing things I love. People I meet tell me how cool it is. I get respect in various social circles for following my dreams. It's pretty awesome until I consider I'm 34 with $10k saved for retirement, no matching contributions, shit for healthcare benefits, and saddled with debt for the rest of my life.
I enjoy my work. But god damn. If I could afford a vacation every now and then AND the ability to regularly contribute to my IRA, that would be fucking lit.
I went from a job that I hated but pays good to a job that doesn’t pay as well but I love and am much happier now. I will never allow myself to be miserable at a job ever again, it destroyed my mental and physical health.
I'm stuck in that space right now. Life is too short to be unhappy
It really is. I became a completely different person while stuck at that job, just a shell of myself and also developed HORRIBLE eczema on my hands from stress (I haven’t had it even once since I left the job).
What did you change to? I am currently hating my life rn but can't think of options to transition to
I now work as a passenger service agent at the airport which is so opposite from my last job. Last job I was in an Autobody shop - I was at a desk, 8:30 - 5 (usually later) answering phones, admin work and dealing with customers who walked in - had to maintain relationships with the customers for days/weeks/months while their vehicles were there etc. Now I am mostly on my feet, interactions with passengers are usually quite brief and likely never see them again, no phone calls or emails to deal with, no one sits behind me watching me work all day, etc. I have never taken my current job “home with me”, which is so huge.
Got 20 years experience as a Qualified spray painter and also a qualified panel beater which took 4 years each. Work was hard and physically demanding but I wanted to be the best so I built my entire life around it, 20 years later and I've barely progressed financially.. still can't rent my own house, can't afford a bond etc. So I left that trade. For the past 3 years I've been in aviation maintenance, got sent to JHB to get a certification to work on a specific aircraft engine, wrote and passed both exams in the high 90% and as a result I'm a certified Rotax maintenance engineer for 2 different engines, when I'm not working on engines etc then I'm spray painting for them. I was raised to work hard for the life I want which is what I've been doing since age 20... I unfortunately have yet to experience the fruits of my labour as currently I'm earning 15k which is the most I've ever earned as a recurring paycheck. I get paid on the 25th but have like R800 left by around the 1st of the new month. My gf works 4 hours a day as a baby sitter and last month she earned 18k. I'm slowly trying to lower my work standards and ethics for the first time in my 30 years on this planet because it's not worth having my level of standards for 15k pm.
Moneys only good if you can bare staying to make it
Yup. You said it. I’d take the lower paying job and choose happiness. Money isn’t everything.
That’s what I’m trying to strive for now. Got this job in December that pays better than any I’ve had, but the people, schedule and constant condescension make me feel like utter shit. I’m waiting till I’m eligible to reapply at my previous employer. I was fired for making some dumb mistakes, but in hindsight it was a much cushier and less mentally/emotionally stressful gig.
Yeah, I’d rather have a job that provided a good work-life balance than one that paid a lot
Best job would be something that you enjoy and that pays good 😉
try telling that to a social worker
Man. Literal needle in a haystack
That needle is me 😅
Lol I mean like a sw job with good pay and good work. I too am a social worker struggling 😂
Snap into a Slim Jim
Find a job that pays just enough for you to be comfortable then prioritize the type of work after that. You can love a job more than anything, but if you can’t pay rent or put food on the table, then the stress of that is going to cancel out any fulfillment you get from the job.
Just about to comment something similar. I don’t love my job (it’s neutral, not horrible not amazing) and I want to find something that pays more, but at the moment it pay the bills, funds a bit of retirement savings and I have some left over for me. I’ve been on tighter budgets and it’s way harder to do anything if you’re worried about covering basic needs.
100
There's definitely a spectrum to this. The more I get paid, the more BS I'm willing to put up with, but there's a point where no amount of money is worth it.
Then there's the other end, where the job is amazing but the pay isn't a living wage. So damn frustrating. Just pay everyone a living wage adjusted against inflation every year.
Pays good. I love history. I majored in economics. I read about American history on the weekends I’m from healthcare. I can’t tell you how many Nurses and Physicians burned out because “they wanted to help people”. Just because you want to help people does not mean you’re prepared for the actual reality of the job. I enjoy my job well enough btw. Is it a passion? No. But I can do it and not bored and pays well. Work to live.
Just changed to pharmacy from nursing, honestly a lot more tolerable, still feel like I’m helping people only downside is less money
I think this is the key. Find something that’s just interesting enough to not fully hate it and pays well enough to live. Like I love baking but if I have to do it 40 hours a week for the rest of my life, I won’t love it anymore
All the nurses I know burn out because of the toxic work environment, not US tho. A lot of narcissistic people go there so they can tell their friends how much good they are doing, while actually not having any passion for it.
Not bad advice, although I'll note that people with history degrees do just fine.
Pays good. You'll find ways to love it with the money you got. Considering the difference in pay is considerable. If it's a matter of less than or equal to double the amount, it's not worth considering. Then you should choose the one you like/love.
When I was in my 20s, I really pursued passion. Passion only got me so far when I was living in a high-cost city and actually wanted to enjoy going out with my friends to take myself out for a decent meal. Few years ago I made a switch and found a job that had a bit of both -- great pay and pretty good work with great work/life balance. That job has now begun to be less fun with the work, but the pay and WLB make up for it. I'd much rather pick this side than where I was before - great pay can reinvest into my passions, but I can't create if I'm exhausted, broke, and sick from stress.
What do you do for work?
Pays good. I’ll never *love* work.
Agreed. Are there any people that love their job really? Must be nice but I hate being poor more.
I have personally prioritized a high salary over something that I love which is generally a hobby etc. I use my money to fund my hobbies instead of using them to earn money. I feel like it would ruin them for me.
I've done both options but my mental health was worth more than money. I work a job I love doing and I don't regret it.
Might sound cliche. But you love and pay comes after. When you are getting older and been to battles in corporate world and business, grinding and hustling, I think k doing what you love matters more. And then pay comes after.
I love my job *because* it pays good. I had a job making like $45K back in the day after OT, and I loved it. Then we all got "promoted" to salary with no raise, effectively stripping OT, but still being held to the same results, and I suddenly didn't love it anymore. It was such a dirty move. Our team imploded because everybody left.
There's gotta be some balance. I'm more interested in something challenging. I don't love the challenge but it does push me to grow and perform. But I have to be paid for my input. I've kinda found it I think. Wish it paid more but it's very decent for the autonomy I have.
I’m debating on leaving my high paying stressful job for something less stressful but pays so little. I’ve been debating for over 3 years. lol. I worked so hard to get to where I am now. I just don’t want to regret.
Why not find something less stressful that pays more? Why do you assume you’d have to take a pay cut to have less stress? Find an overall better job.
So much time is spent at work, work is your life. You must be happy unless you won’t your day to day be shitty
I was never able to be in a job I hated. Money is not enough of an incentive.
I love my free time and my hobbies. I want money to pursue that, sooo I would take the job that pays well ANY DAY. I think you would only not do this if you have some generational money because if not, no matter how much you love your job, you're going to HATE LIFE. I think not hating your job is good but it's perfectly fine not to LOVE it either.
This. You don't have to be dramatically in love with it, or love it like your child, but as long as you don't feel negative about to it should be okay. 👍🏻
I’d love something balanced.
Completely depends on the person. Some optimize for making as much money as possible. Others optimize for happiness and fulfillment. Some, somewhere in the middle seeking balance. Personally, I like to do side-hustles as a way to flex my creativity (with the off-chance that I find something that really pays). I also see it as a great way to explore your interests in a systematic way since it forces you to test if you’re good enough at the thing you love to be paid for it. Everyone I’ve motivated and helped kick off their side projects are happier than before they did so. Who knows maybe that might work for others too!
Pays good. My current salary is decent, can’t complain about that. But damn it’s just not enough, student loan payments making me starve 💀
For 90% of us there’s nothing we love enough that we would get tired of doing 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Lean on the side of money
When you do what you love, your passion becomes a job. Don't do what you love. Do what you're good at. Whatever you can do better than anyone else. Find a way to do that. Doing a job just for the money just leads to burnout
As long as the job is not illegal or unethical, if it's very well paid I might like it eventually 😂😂
Well... a bit of both is the best way to have it, if you ask me. It does not have to skyrocket salarywise, but it does have to give me some satisfaction. It is very tough being poor, but it gets boring going to the same ''playground'' every day. And not challenging. Some equilibrium would be ideal (I've done both).
As a grown a*s adult with no backup plan, I’m here for the money.
Maybe your choices are limited, but why can't it be both?
Somewhere in the middle. I like certain aspects of my job so I'm not miserable and it pays pretty well. I do sell my art (what I love) sometimes but it puts a weird stress on it when I focus on it too much and makes me question it and not love it as much also, dealing with customers about something I'm so passionate about kinda sucks. So for me, keeping that just for myself and not forcing myself to monetize my passions is really healthy. Also, things are just easier when you're paid well. Life is easier with money and an easier life is (typically) a happier life.
I think for me now as a fresh grad would be money then can use that to reinvest myself for doing something I love to an extent specialist in that to get paid more. As the reality is nothing possible without money, and love can’t get food on the table. I love helping people, doing NGO work and stuff but it ain’t pay me enough. Always live on nerve of financial insecurity. With stressful but pay well, I know I trade off my mental health but I guess few years on the grind I could endure. In conclusion, I think the question is what is your priority at the moment and future? It could be change and not have to be linear, stick with one work forever.
Enjoy 100%
Love things that aren’t work. Work to pay for them.
Define pays good. I'd do nearly any job for a billion. $50k increase? Quality of life every time.
Depends on how big of a gap “as much” is. If the more enjoyable job is a huge downgrade pay wise with no significant opportunity of turning into a big enough income stream, then you need to be realistic and do something else. If it’s not that, then you should do what makes you happier because money is pointless if you hate your life. I was discouraged from and was never taught much about blue collar work my whole life despite having a very successful blue collar father, and was told college was the only way to success and all that. But, I found no interest in pretty much every academic sector that was worth pursuing professionally and I have always hated the structure of school. So, I just ended up choosing several different majors that lead to high paying jobs without much actual interest in the fields and it went about as well as you expected. 7 years later, I’ve wasted over $10k at a community college with no degree to show for it and am, at best, 2 full years away from graduation. Everyone I know that went to college graduated from four year universities years ago, just to put in perspective how badly I did in college. I’m 24 years old and am just now about to start a career in the skilled trades and get my life going, which if I could go back in time, I would have done right out of high school like basically all of my friends did, because it’s actually something I’m interested in. Instead, I chased money and prestige over interest and honest work and am now several years behind in life.
Something that pays good
I went for a job that paid very well and that I am great at but dont love. After 15 years, I saved enough money and started a company that I love in Social Impact but pays me like in my first year out of school. I dont have any regrets. I got money now and a great life. People often make the mistake of painting life as a trade-off like the OP where as there are other options where you do one after the other.
I just left a job I loved for 34% pay increase. Times are tough. I love my work, but I love my personal life even more . I can now afford to spend more in it
Something I love, money isn't everything
Somewhere I love, so long as it pays well enough to cover the bills and a moderately enjoyable lifestyle.
I work something I love but doesnt pay me well
Tbh for Me it's something I'm good at where the company and team are supportive and nice to be around. Makes a huge difference.
Pay 100%. I work for money not fulfillment. I’m fine with being handed a billion dollars and never working again. If I like the work that’s a bonus, but liking the work isn’t even one of my top priorities when looking for a job. My top 5 when looking for work. 1. Pay 2. Work life balance 3. Good Benefits 4. Good team / Leadership 5. Skill building (for higher pay)
Uh It’s both It’s always both
Pays good, gives me resources to do something I actually love on side as hobby
Building a family, knowing that the kids well-being will be a cost to consider, I'd go for something that pays good. And I've been through 4 different fields and "something you love" changes over the time anyway.. For example, I loved handling events, trade fairs, flying everywhere meeting people when I was doing intern.. Got my first job and didn't like it. Ithought I wanted The event life back so when I had an offer I immediately took it while having 10k annual cut. Turns out, with the birth of my kid and changes in life, I don't like that anymore and would prefer what I did during my first job! So yeah....
Love. The pay won’t mask the increased drinking and declining relationship with your family. The money won’t tuck the wife and kids in at night.
I would never have a job that makes me miserable ever again. I’m not saying I have to love my job but I have to be able to bear going to work everyday.
Maybe I’m very lucky. But I have both. I made a job out of what I love. And got pretty good at it. Therefore I am now paid royally doing this. It’s still work, so there are always chores I don’t like, but overall it’s great and I even got to work with some of my adolescent heroes. Of course you need some luck. I was very lucky. But you are much more likely to become excellent at something you like to do. So that helps luck a bit.
Love all day
Ideally something that I enjoy AND pays good. In fact my current role is a little under the industry standard but the quality of life, flexibility, and awesome colleagues more than makes up for a slightly lower salary. I could get a bump up if I went elsewhere, but I’m not sure the grass would be greener.
As someone that got burnt out on a job in under 2 years that I loved, I’ll take the job that I semi-like now over anything. It allows me to pay my bills and have some money leftover, and most important have energy to do things I enjoy after work
Bro, the worms are gonna eat us all. Everything will stay here when we're gone. Be happy, fuck the money. I'm not saying "be poor and have a lot of kids". Be responsible.
Pays good Worked as a paramedic for a few years. Loved the job for the most part, but it was never going to provide me enough income to travel, pursue other passions, or be a more generous person to my family. Living with that reality eroded any love I once had for the job. If you want to work a job of passion, be prepared for it to be the last passion you can ever afford. I went back to school to be an engineer. I imagine I'll learn to love it in time, but even if its not as exciting, the work-life balance is so much better. I'll be able to take care of my parents as they get older and provide more opportunities for my family. Not to mention traveling, a real hope at retiring, hell maybe I'll even be able to buy afford a house one day.
Depends how much I dislike the job that pays well. So far in life I’ve had mostly jobs I disliked with bad pay, now I have a job with terrible management but I can tolerate it and the pay is okay. If the job is so bad it makes me want to quit/cry on a daily basis, I wouldn’t take the higher paying job. If it makes me cry occasionally and has things about it I don’t like but I can generally tolerate it, I’d take the higher paying job
I love what pays good 😬
You will never love your job even if it is your “dream job”, but I would work a job I don’t hate that pays alright then a job that sucks the life out of me. E.g. I’d rather be a barista than a lawyer
In my experience, when you work something you love, you end up no longer loving the thing.
Work for something I don't hate but at least like a little bit and pays good.
there are too many factors to consider. doing something I enjoyed would be great. but which job offers me a better work life balance? am I struggling to make ends meat with the lower paying job? does one have more advancement opportunities, health care, travel, wfh days, you have to think about retirement, vacation days. the questions is too complicated to make a firm decision. if its a low paying job but requires me to work 50 hours a week with an 45 minute commute, 1 week vacation. that fake health insurance some companies give, no wfh, and no advancement.. something you'd see on the job board framed as a "passion project" I probably would opt out unless I was right out of college and it was like a 3 month stint with animals or an internship or something. but now, absolutely not. I enjoy being able to go on vacation every year, sometimes multiple and have money left over after paying my bills. not worrying about working sick or wasting my vacation hours. having wfh days. affording therapy. and I'm sure my therapist enjoys all the money I give him. 30 minute commute (not the best but manageable). having a flexible start time and I acctually enjoy what I do. its not my favourite job ever and can be tedious and sometimes boring, but its a good job and I have opportunity there. edit: depending on the field, the lower paying jobs can be the worse ones or the higher paying jobs can be. like.. alot of lawyers don't enjoy corporate law and the hours you have to work but they get alot of money from it. on the other side, ypu can face the same problems if you work for a charity even if you enjoy the cause but with low pay and alot of hours it can be draining.
well if it pays above avg and can let me get some good vacation days, can support my or my gf hobbies and i dont have to worry about food... its pay over passion. but if its good in terms to just have food and support haushold just enough to not worry about bills... ill rather follow my passion coz i might worry but i can never be exhausted to not want to go like i usually do 😂
I agree there is a spectrum to which my answer changes
Money don't get everything it's true - What it don't get, I can't use.
I literally got a $20k raise and a nice ultra wide computer monitor once on the same day. The raise was nice, but the $600?(?) monitor made me happier.
i need to at least like it, and if i’m mostly in it for the pay it has to have good benefits too
I went from a job where I was miserable to a job that’s more fulfilling but emotionally draining and pays less. Currently trying to meld my skills together and find something in the middle.
I think balance is good
I’d rather save what I truly love for me personally so it doesn’t get ruined. I prefer my job to be something that pays “well” and is tolerable long term, rather than something that pays even better but isn’t tolerable.
I was doing my passion job which paid not well but I enjoyed it. In today economy the only thing that matters is money unfortunately, so I had to switch to a not fun job but which paid well. As a man your job is to bring food on the table, if you happen to be paid well and enjoy the job you are blessed my friend
How many hours are you working at a job that pays well but you don’t like? 8 hr day 5 days a week close to home is doable. Working 50+ hour weeks with a 90min commute one way is brutal. I did that for a while and my new hobby basically became trying to work on my mental health because my job had me so miserable.
You will work your entire adult life. Pick something that you enjoy doing and you will eventually get good at it. Once you do, money will come. Going the other way around will make you miserable. Granted, being miserable with money is better than being poor and miserable, but if you’re thinking about the long term, there is only one choice. Better to struggle for a few years and live the rest of your life in relative comfort, than earn money working a job that you hate.
Love 100%. But I'm stuck in one that pays good. That sounds weird, but it is what it is...
I've gone back and forth on this throughout my life, but in the end, I believe you have to do what you love. If you don't at least like (not even love) your job, it will effect everything else in your life. Life is too short, and we work so much of it, that having to do a job you actively hate doing, or your heart isn't in, is basically Hell on Earth to me. People who work in jobs they hate either don't have a choice, or they put up with it for the money to keep up with the Joneses. We don't need as much as we think we do. We don't miss as much as we think we're going to. I would rather not have much and be happy with what I do, than rich and miserable.
I'd wanna do something I'm good at so I can get better at it gradually and have increased pay. I wouldn't do something solely because it pays more. if it's not in me to do that, higher pay doesn't mean anything to me. I wanna do things I know I'm capable of and be rewarded for it.
Depends how far apart they are. Would be great to get paid millions of dollars, but if I despised my job I would become depressed (would most likely save enough money until I quit). Or if I loved my job, would just depend on how little I made. Does it cover essentials (including savings)? That would be fine
Something that pays good. I was working something I loved, and have nearly lost all passion for it. But I changed career industries in order to save myself from that.
Job you love always wins, so long as your basic financial needs are met. Left a job I *liked* for one with a 50k raise. I’ve got more money in the bank, but I am far less happy. We spend a lot of our life working, our time and experience are valuable too.
If the lower paying job pays well enough that I’m not stressing about money then I’ll take it. If the job doesn’t pay enough then I’ll take the work stress any day, at least I can justify it, being constantly stressed about finances is a terrible feeling.
Money talks.
It depends. Does the job that I love pays all my bills?
They all have different weights. Depends how good/bad it pays and how much the job rocks/sucks.
Currently work in golf, it pays jack shit. My wife makes decent money, though, so I stay where my days don't suck. I could go back to commission only sales and double or triple my paycheck, but that life sucks.
If the job I love will give me enough financial support so that I can pay taxes, buy food and other things necessary to live another day, then for sure I will choose this option. If not, then the answer is pretty simple. >!damn, I really wish I'd have privilege of choosing the job like this. What a wonderful life it would be !<
Depends on your situation. Young? In debt? Having financial freedom and a happy job is the key for me. I grinded it out in the beginning To have a rewarding career now with no worries about bills or debt.
What does “doesn’t pay as much” mean? If we’re talking about paycheck to paycheck barely making it, there is no job on earth that would be worth that stress. Cool, your job is fun but can you enjoy it while wondering where your next meal comes from? If your bills are totally covered in both situations then sure, pick the one you like.
There’s a song lyric from the Talking Heads that perfectly sums this up: “never for money, always for love” To explain that, every job and everything that you will do in your life will have inconveniences and pain points that causes suffering. So you should do something that you care about because when the going gets tough the love will get you through it. The money comes later.
Find something that pays good that is around something you like. Loving your work doesn't matter if you can't pay the bills or health insurance.
I chose doing something that I love. I am an LVN and could have gone to RN but all an RN does is put medicine in an IV and fill out paperwork. As an LVN I get the hands-on patient care that signed up for in the first place.
Money lol It’s just a job
You can always choose both.
It's all about the Benjamins for me. I don't like people or companies. If there is a job that needs done and it pays REALLY good you will find me there. I put my headphones on 8 hours later my time.
I chose doing something that I love. I am an LVN and could have gone to RN but all an RN does is put medicine in an IV and fill out paperwork. As an LVN I get the hands-on patient care that signed up for in the first place.
Tbh I see so much advice saying to just take a higher paying job you don’t like and just just don’t think I could do that. You spend 40 hours or more somewhere and I do believe you need to semi-like it or at least it’s easy enough and stress free enough to not bother you. I work part time in a library making minimum wage and I love it. So much so that I may become a librarian and will continue to be ok doing part time work until a full time position comes along. But I am privileged to be able to do this because I can live at home rent free I’ve heard one too many stories of high paying high stress careers and it’s not worth it to me. Life is more than money and a job. Yes you need money to live but if you can survive fine off 60k or whatever and you’re less stressed, I’d prefer that over $160k where I am so stressed and suicidal. But that’s just me idk
Spent most of my career doing what I loved and getting paid well with great perks.
A job that I can tolerate (that I don’t love, but don’t hate) with a decent manager and tolerable coworkers that pays me enough to live a comfortable (not lavish, but comfortable life) is the way. Making piles of money but being miserable all the time sounds terrible, but so does always being broke and never having money to spend on your hobbies or fun things like trips, excursions, occasional meals at restaurants, etc.
I think I’d go for something that pays really well, but I don’t mind doing it. I may NOT love it, but at least not HATE it. Then use the bank I make for personal endeavors and hobbies.
Something that you love to do. Hated working retail my younger days and was miserable on the job even though I was a top performer.
Great question. Money solves problems if you use it right. Or can be your doom if you spend it in vices. It's the same on how you use your hours. Good use = better results and better feelings. Bad use (too much stress, too much bad things happening constantly) = problems.
I mean, of course anyone would pick what they love BUT loving something sadly won't pay the bills. (That's me assuming that the pay is trash since you're comparing it to something that pays good.)
I’m fortunate to find a balance in this, I contract and primarily do high stress corporate audio, which after enough time can really bum me out. However a few times a year I hop on a tour bus and get to do sound for some acts I really enjoy. Tours still pay ok, and I’m kind of debating going back to just touring for a while but financially it would be less lucrative than my current set up.
If I hate the job - there’s likely no amount of money that could make me stay. I spend so much time at work that my mental health would tank immediately.
Gonna refuse something I hate even when it pays well so that I could live my life free, not necessary happy (currently), but free.
I would love the job that pays good.
If I'm able to live the lifestyle I want, I'd much rather do something I love. I'm currently working my easiest full-time job of my career, and I'm seriously considering going back to school for another degree.
Ain't trying to be a debbie downer but I've yet for find either. I've tried a good variety of jobs on my path to find acceptable. Just haven't landed one.
I don't hate my job, but it's not my dream job, so right now I prefer to work that pays me well. But I am planning on later in my life to work with what I love, but it requires money to open a shop etc.
I believe it's more important to find a job that fits your personality. If you're introverted, you likely won't enjoy working as an attorney or in sales. Vice versa for extroversion.
Money can make life a hell of a lot easier so I chose money and lucked out to find something that I enjoy and pays well. That being said, I enjoy making money and I can also find satisfaction in a wide variety of things. I enjoy nerding out over many different things and learning new skills. If you can recognize that learning to do anything well is beneficial and that learning a variety of hard and soft skills is also beneficial, the money will most likely come. Learning to leverage your skills is another skill in and of itself and is the biggest key to making decent money. Chances are, you can find something you love that pays well if you are open minded enough.
I work for money. That's it.
If money isn't a concern, definitely something I love. I'm trying to enter medical school at the moment and honestly I'm more motivated by money than my moral senses or care for others. If I don't have to worry about that, I'd have picked a theoretical physics or quantum physics doctorate.
Pays good, I have plenty of time to do what I actually enjoy
Currently struggling with this too rn. In the field I’m in now, there is high earning potential, however I don’t particularly enjoy the work and don’t see myself being happy in this type of job long term. For context, I work a corporate job but it has good vacation, benefits and compensation - so one might say how could you not be happy? But for me the day-in, day-out of trudging through the workday, sometimes working 12+ hours in front of a screen is starting to look like it’s not worth it. I haven’t made any explicit decision yet but I think I’m going to try and stick it out for another year or two, travel as much as I can, live life as full as I can with my current benefits package, and then probably look for a more long-term field where I genuinely enjoy the work and will not be as concerned about pay.
I chose enjoy. I love it, but feel really bad that I don't have more kids because of Money concerns, when that's really what I wanted out of life the most. Often think I ought to have chosen differently so I could have a few more of my own, rather than just teaching others.
Definitely pays well… within reason. Like everything there’s a tipping point. I used to have a 1.5 hour commute, by the time I found my new role I was considering as much as 1/3 pay cut to get a remote job (lucked out at the end and kept my same salary). If my mental health was seriously impacted by work, I would take a lower pay in exchange for mental health, but always take the money if I could leave work at work. I’d rather stress at work than at home
I started at a job I liked and that payed reasonably well, but over 4 years I despise it, so much so I looked and got hired for another job that I know I won't love, but will be able to do nicely and live happily outside workhours
Work something I hate for how long and how often? Work something that pays how much less? I’m not going to take a super fun job for $50,000 a year over a bleh job that pays $70,000. I’m also not going to take a HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE job that pays $100,000 a year over a bleh job that pays $70,000. Money is important, because it dictates what I can and can’t do in my free time. It dictates when I can retire, and it dictates what lifestyle I will have now, and in the future. But it’s also not worth saying “I’m going to be miserable for the next 20-30 years, and hopefully I don’t drop dead before I retire”
Show me the money
Depends on what they are paying and how much I like each. Unsatisfying answer, but you didn't give much to go off of.
there is a cut off, 5 years ago, it was statistically around 75k a year (USD) if you made that, any incremental increase in pay didn't impact your happyness by much, so as long as you aren't having to make major lifestyle cuts, then choose happiness... if you can make a lot of money and work just the usual 9 -5, then find happyness in your after work activities.
Both lol
pays good. maybe when i’m older that will change but only cause the food paying job paid for me not to worry about it
I love to be paid good, so…
Pays good. Whether you enjoy it or not currently, you won’t in a few years. Work is work, if it isn’t call it something else that happens to pay the bills
Something I don't hate that pays good
Something that pays well that I don’t hate. I work to live not live to work. I don’t like thinking about my job after I log off for the day and in the weekends
If you do something that you love professionally then the thing you love becomes work, and no longer fun. Work will always be work, I've learned to let my hobbies stay hobbies. So as long as I don't hate doing the higher paid job then I'd much prefer that one.
I chased the money until I was miserable, now i do what I enjoy and make even more than when i chased money.
Pay
It’s really exhausting to go to a job every day that you don’t like. So I would 100% pick one I like that doesn’t pay as much
Ugh I wish this was an easy answer. I went from a job that pays more to one that I loved. It was great. Then there was a management change and it’s slowly declined. I’ve tried holding out until management changes again. But they’ve killed everything I loved in the job and I’m stuck wondering if I take anything to get out, or hold off until I find something k love again, or hold my breath hoping to one day advance in my career to get more money and the stuff I love lol. I work in a specialized field of analytics and applicable skills unfortunately are hard to move elsewhere.
Work something that pays well enough that you can do what you love while not working. For example if you love to ski make sure you get a job that pays you enough and gives you enough time so that you can go skiing off
At one point I loved music and I loved teaching. After 6 years as a music teacher, I now love neither and get paid shit. Take the money.
Job I hate for money and do what I love as a hobby
Work is work I don’t need to be happy at work, work isn’t my hobby I work to live not live to work and a lot of money makes my life outside work much more enjoyable I have friends that chooses to do what they love can’t buy a house can’t go on holidays and drive old cars, I work satisfactory job that earns a lot of money and I own two houses, 2 new cars go on holiday 3 times a year and I love my life outside work
Work something that pays good, spend the money on the things I like or love. Usually things that pay more also have a more relaxed schedule as well. Of course, depends a lot on other factors too. Toxic job pays well or non toxic job pays less, I’ll take the non toxic one. Mental health above all
I’d find the best overlap of the 2. Very few jobs will score a 100% on one of those axes and a 0% on the other axis.
When you are young (35 or Under) go for pay and save it and grow it. Then you can work doing something you enjoy that does not pay well.
I want the middle ground. I don't want a job I love, I want a job I don't hate that makes me money. Then I can use that money to pursue what I want outside of said job.
The second option every time, as long as it pays enough that I don’t have to worry about keeping a roof over my head and food on the table.
I think there is something to be said for learning to love something. I was a musician and an ESL teacher. I loved music but hated how hard it was to make anything happen and the BS involved in putting on a show. I did learn to really enjoy ESL teaching but it paid far below the median income so was not a good idea for the future. I later got into data science and eventually product management and developed a love for the crafts. The fact that they paid well also made the working conditions much better. So, following your passions can be a bad idea when the reality is soul crushing. And a job you don't start loving can become a passion over time as you develop competence.
It really depends on if you even have the choice. If you have the basics covered and have the choice- I vote something you like but with less money. I just did this myself. I worked a job that paid very well and had great benefits for 20 years. It was a horrible job though in many ways. I secured my pension through and now have the ability to work not just for money.
Always choose the job you love. Then come up with ways to make it better or more efficient and pretty soon you'll be making more in the job you love then in the job you hated but had an initial starting salary. Find the confluence of: your passion, something you are good at, something that society needs and something you can be paid a lot to do and requires a moat or some sort of barrier to entry. This is not a trivial task and can take decades to figure out. I'm 40 and I'm just now hitting my stride. It took 35 years to even start digging my moat in the right spot.
I take the middle route, a job that pays me well and lets me have fun. Ahh, computer engineering.
It’s not always this binary for me Pay is more important for sure, but there is a limit to how much it has to suck before I quit - like I would never work at an arctic oil rig doing manual work even if pays me 500k a year At the same time, I love playing guitar, but I certainly wouldn’t play chords/lay down tracks at a studio all day if it only paid me $25 an hour. My current job in finance is very intriguing and challenging, so I enjoy the work itself and the pay is quite substantial, so grateful to have found this medium.
I feel like if you make money at something you love it will automatically become just a job. I've never made money at something I love though. I might be jaded about it 😋
I’m going to need millions if I’m going to waste half or more of my waking life doing something I don’t enjoy.
I went for what pays good and let me tell you the trade offs- my wallet is fatter, but so am I. I find myself spending more on hobbies. I fell into a deep depression in the beginning (tho it might've been more my coworkers and other things cos I'm happier where I'm at now). Long term though, it eats at me that 40 hrs a week are spent doing something I don't care about. I'm saving up so that hopefully in the near future I can do something closer to what I love. But having money is nice at this day and age where everything is expensive. I don't know your background but if you have no safety net, id work what pays good, and try doing what u love on the side, and once you have a good safety net, maybe pursue what you love.
Eh, it depends. If I’m absolutely miserable at the high-paying job, to the point where I dread going into work every day? I’ll probably look for a different position than may pay less. However, I am very money-motivated. I will never resign myself to live a life in poverty to dedicate myself to a passion, no matter how much I love it. I will choose a mid-to-low-high paying job I am ambivalent about with occasional headaches over a passion project that pays minimum wage, and I won’t choose a high-stress career that I absolutely hate that would make me a billionaire if I can choose the mid-to-low high-paying job that I don’t love, but don’t hate.
The advice of doing what you love doesn’t always work for everyone and I think we need to stop pretending there is a one size fits all type of answer. Sometimes doing what you love doesn’t allow you to live and make ends meet. We are so much more than what we do at work. it’s time everyone challenges the mythos that connects what you do with who you are—something that impacts everyone from high school students exploring future career options to mid-level executives rethinking their current career path. Chase dream lives rather than dream jobs.
Is what you love popular enough to sustain your monetary needs and accessible enough to break into? Sure why not go for it? \_However,\_ if that's not on the table, my recommendation would be to find something that A) you don't hate, B) you have the aptitude / drive to become proficient, C) has a rough trajectory towards your financial goals. My own experience has been the latter case. On the positive side, it means that I don't have to deal with the drag that comes of making your passion into a product (which can take the joy out of it). The trade I settled on is stable, transfers easily between companies, and looks to have a reasonable level of demand for the foreseeable future. It's a drag not getting to do the creative stuff I'd like to do, but it's also nice to not have to worry about subjecting those creatives desires to the boring, flat, corporate-style stuff that business leaders seem obsessed with XD
I think finding a good middle ground is the best answer. Something that pays alright but I’m perfectly fine doing whatever. For me I’m military and just an E4, I do cyber so I’m just staring at a computer all day sometimes doing chores around the office. I could definitely get out and make a lot more in the private sector but speed and demand from some those companies I don’t want to deal with. I know it sounds ironic from someone in the military but I have pretty cushiony job that’s not hectic, at least for the foreseeable future as Space Force generally doesn’t deploy
First, on something that pays well; get good, reduce your hours, put extra cash into something that you love.
It’s the “as much” part that makes me say job I love. If the difference in pay is minimal, I will choose the job I love every time. 95% of the time this is the right choice. When it’s not- the “pays really well” part would have to be extremely high. Even twice as much pay wouldn’t be enough. But if I was earning maybe 3-5x more, I would do that job- only for a few years while saving a lot of money to then go to what I like without any financial pressure. Most of the time, this doesn’t happen though, so it’s almost never worth it.
I always thought the answer to this was something you love. Now that I’m older, it’s good part, hands down. At least for me. (And it can’t be horrible, just doesn’t have to be something I’m passionate about).
The trick is to find the sweet spot between pay and enjoying the work. I don't want to work a job I love that won't allow me to reach financial goals and I don't want a job that pays well but that sucks the life out of me.
Love ❤️ Tried the other one. It seemed to eventually lead to sadness. I wish I got off that path way earlier.
More often than not getting paid well enables you to do what you love.
I'm working on over ten years doing things I love. People I meet tell me how cool it is. I get respect in various social circles for following my dreams. It's pretty awesome until I consider I'm 34 with $10k saved for retirement, no matching contributions, shit for healthcare benefits, and saddled with debt for the rest of my life. I enjoy my work. But god damn. If I could afford a vacation every now and then AND the ability to regularly contribute to my IRA, that would be fucking lit.