Careers: Money vs. happiness?

[ny biker]

Happiness.

Been there, done that. I have two degrees in marketing. For a while I had a job I liked, but the next job was horrible, miserable, soul-sucking. So I took some classes and switched to software development, which I like much better. It was difficult financially at first, but that's partially because I was unemployed while I was taking the classes. My first job in software development involved a big pay cut vs. the marketing career, but I got by. Now I'm not rich but I don't get chest pains every day anymore, either.

[shootingstar]

Important thing is to have a financial cushion to fall back if and when one makes a career switch which will result in some time unemployment or if the career switch resulted some major unforseen hiccups/disappointments.

It's wierd where I'm at....an organization where there are/continue to be some significant waves of retirements...and many are career civil servants / government bureaucrats for quarter of a century where some can afford to take early retirement. And many around my age. Latter is why it feels wierd.

Happiness...it's relative. I just like to earn some money on a regular basis, plus apply my brain and ideas abit. At this point, my "happiness" expectations and desires are different than 20 years ago. Also I do look for a job's benefits in addition to salary. 20 years ago I never paid attention to vacation amounts, other employment benefits, etc. After all, not being with the same employer, for quarter of a century, a person starts to see the differences in compensation benefits among different jobs and employers.

Now I also get home by 5:00 pm since I start work earlier (7:30 am), plus get every 3rd Friday off. It's a form of compressed work week. It's helpful.
Contrast to one of my previous jobs where I started work at 7:30 am but couldn't get home until close to 8:00 pm because of a convoluted, long work commute. No 3rd Friday off. This type of situation threw my eating habits in minor chaos since I was eating supper too late too often. Unhealthy.

Some money is necessary regularily for simply have a roof, food, assurance of medical care, etc. It lessens some constant stress.

[Becky]

Happiness, definitely.

I started my career in the private sector and it was clear pretty early on that I wasn't happy there. I liked my actual responsibilities well enough, but my quality of life was horrible. I found something in the public sector, took a pay cut, and now work fewer hours on a more flexible schedule with better benefits. For me, it's been worth it.

Indy's soul-searching questions are good ones. If, after exploring them and considering the financial implications, you still want to do this, I say go for it!

[indysteel]

Happiness, definitely.

I started my career in the private sector and it was clear pretty early on that I wasn't happy there. I liked my actual responsibilities well enough, but my quality of life was horrible. I found something in the public sector, took a pay cut, and now work fewer hours on a more flexible schedule with better benefits. For me, it's been worth it.

Indy's soul-searching questions are good ones. If, after exploring them and considering the financial implications, you still want to do this, I say go for it!

I more or less did the same thing. Fortunately, as at attorney, going into federal government work didn't mean that I went from a well paying job to a poor paying job. At the time, it wasn't a huge pay cut. If I'd stuck with private practice, I'd likely be making a lot more than I am now, but I certainly don't miss that money.

Having been in a job that made me cry every day, I am a big advocate for getting out if you can. Knowing when to run saved my life I think. I also think there are ways to soften the blow, so that's what I'd encourage the OP to do. In almost every profession, there are ways to make yourself more marketable and worth a higher salary (in relative terms).

[Crankin]

When I was 32, I hated my job (teaching). I dreamed of being able to quit and do something in the fitness field. I couldn't afford to that at that time in my life, so I became a group fitness instructor and put all of my energies into that, while still teaching. I still did a god job at work, I was just bored, had 2 little kids, and felt trapped. Then I got involved with a career ladder program (merit pay) where I took on additional professional responsibilities, in more of a mentoring role. So, in addition to more $, I had some different focus to my work. Then I moved across the country. I was lucky enough to get a job in a recession, but I had to work in a horrible place for 2 years... I was ready to quit and sweep the streets it was so awful. I took a part time job in a good school district when i went on the interview and I just knew it was right. It was a financial sacrifice, but the extra time at home was good for ds #2 who was having issues. They quickly found me a full time job the next year. I thought I would stay there until I retired until some political stuff happened and I applied another place on a whim. Most school districts don't hire people with 22 years experience, because of the amount they have to pay, but this place did and I never regretted it. First 2 years were tough, but after that, it was definitely the best job in my life. I took a small cut to go there, which I made up in a couple of years.
I finally was able to quit "and do what I want" in 2007. I am definitely in the happiness more than money mode now, since DH makes a very good living, but, up until about 5 years ago, we needed my good salary to pay for college and live the way we want to. I will never get rich in my new field. I had to find other ways to get the happiness factor at times, which always involved exercise. My advice about going into a fitness related field is that even if you don't care about the low pay, there is the factor of how you are treated working in that field. Health clubs are not always the most professional environment; I worked in various places for 10 years and it amazed me how it differed from the professional environment. Unless you are going to become a PT or exercise physiologist, I felt I was always seen as "the help."

[hebe]

Happiness, but as has been said there has to be enough money to cover your basics. It doesn't necessarily have to be from your salary though, if you and your dh are comfortable with him shouldering the financial burden.

I was made redundant whilst on maternity leave just over two years ago. We had always said that we couldn't live on just one salary, but it's not been as hard as we imagined. There are very few local jobs in my field, and none that would consider the restricted travel and part-time or flexible hours that I'd need to accomodate childcare (dh is frequently away for work).

Look very hard at all your outgoings and see what can be trimmed. We chose not to continue with a cleaning and ironing service, and are always keeping an eye on where we can save a little bit of money. Expensive holidays have gone too and we have cut down on luxuries like wine. We've just switched to a cheaper mortgage, and I'm going through all our insurances looking for more cost-effective cover. I suspect that when I do return to work we'll feel quite affluent by comparison.

If you could return to your current work without too much difficulty, then perhaps put some savings in place and give it a go? You won't know unless you try. Good luck to you and to everyone else hating their jobs.

[GLC1968]

Indy's questions are wise. Definitely start there, but I 100% agree that happiness is most important.

My story is convoluted, to put it mildly. The shortened version is that I was burnt out in retail management so I quit, sold all my 'stuff' and moved into my parent's garage apartment in FL when I was 29. I got a bartending licence to give me something to do (and income) while I figured out what I wanted to do next. I started school to take some math courses because I thought I wanted an MBA and I'd previously been rejected from some top programs for no 'proven math abilities'. Turns out, I liked math and was good at it. That led to more classes which eventually led to a second bachelor's degree (my first was in Sociology) in electrical engineering and then a masters in the same field. Now I'm a product engineer (after work as a systems engineer for a DoD contractor) for a company that makes components for wireless devices.

Initially I was happy with the change, but now I'm not so sure. I do make way more money than I used to and I am also with a company that is doing extremely well even through the resession. I have job stability that I never could have even dreamed of having in retail. I also work 'regular' hours for the most part - again something that doesn't happen in retail. My husband's job situation is similiar to mine (stability, strong company, same pay/benefits, etc). The problem is that I don't really like my job and I also don't really see a way out of it. There is nothing else that I can just jump into that will pay what I make now unless I stay on a technical track. I no longer want to be technical. Turns out, I don't like it...never did. It's another long story, but basically I chose my field because it was challenging to me and at the time, I needed challenge (since retail was trying, but not intellictually difficult) so I thought I was making a smart choice. Wrong. Word of advice, don't EVER choose a career based on your experiences at a previous one that was totally unrelated!

Anyway, now I'm financially trapped. It's kind of funny to say that since we are both doing really well right now, but we also don't really have the option to cut back - at least not enough to make a new career feasable for me. We can cut back and save more, or cut back and take minor pay cuts...but we cannot swing an entire career change and in this economy (and at our advanced ages), we aren't just willing to take stupid chances like that.

So here I sit - killing time at a sucky job with a great company and waiting until opportunity strikes. It KILLS me because I'm a firm believer in a person's responsibility to make their own happiness. I guess you could say that I'm giving up my career happiness in order to keep my personal (farm) happiness. If we just sold everything and moved into an apartment in town, we could afford a career change - but that would be trading something I know makes me/us happy for a possible chance at happiness and that's not necessarily smart either...

Wow, sorry to have rambled on so much! My only advice - really, really think through all the scenarios before making life-altering decisions. That, and don't burn bridges...just in case.