Jobs: What you like to do vs. Money

[Lunar]

[COLOR="Indigo"]We all know that things are going up. Gas, food, cars. I'm not looking for a job or anything yet, but knowing how the world is know, it's crucial to get a job that pays good money. yet, we also know that high stress isn't good for you. so here's the question. Which is best: A job you enjoy doing but doesn't pay alot of money or a job that causes alot of stress yet pays alot of money?[/COLOR]

[Vicky]

[size=1]I have a job and I'm quitting in October (I'm contracted until then).

I can tell you I won't be getting another job in retail or something so god damn boring so long as I walk this planet.

I get paid quite a lot for only working a few hours but I'd rather not have any money at all than work. If I'm going to work, I plan on doing something in creative writing (maybe teach it if nothing goes as plans) or English.

So I probably won't have another job until I've finished University and got my Masters Degree. Or Doctors in Letters which will take insanely longer and probably be more fun for me (if J.K. F-ing Rowling could do it then it shouldn't be [i]too[/i] hard). A Doctors Degree in [i]letters[/i]! Imagine. "Hi, I'm a Dr. er... Goat." - "Doctor?" - "Yes. A Letter Doctor."

Besides that, if everything fails and I end up needing desperately to get a job or else I'll be out on the streets begging...

...I'd rather go out on the streets begging. Now this is for a variety of reasons why I prefer being poor over discomfort, but we're not getting into that (and it's nothing silly, mind you).[/size]

[chibi-master]

Simple. Both.

I could have two jobs! One where I do what I want for little money, and one that pays well! If one gets in the way of the other...I go for the one I enjoy. I could make ends meet, I'm sure!

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think there's a general rule with jobs: either the harder you have to work, or the more responsibility you have, the more money you tend to earn.

If you want to be in a high-paying job, then that usually entails substantial demands on your time as well as significant responsibility. Both of these (especially the latter) can be very stressful.

As far as my current job goes, it's certainly not my life's passion by any stretch. However, I've been at the same company for nearly three years and my pay has been increased several times since I started. I'm certainly only an average income earner, but for my age I might have difficulty earning the same money elsewhere.

Also as much as my core role bores me, I do often get the chance to work on special projects or to be involved with things outside my direct area of responsibility. That really makes the job more worthwhile and it helps to expand my skills and knowledge.

So I think you have to weigh it all up. I mean, yes, I'm not particularly interested in my job. On the other hand, it pays well, it's generally flexible and it occasionally offers some good chances for experience outside my primary responsibilities. So I could do a lot worse.

On the other hand it's really not something I view as a career path at this stage. My aim is to build up experience in as many areas as I can so that I'm well prepared to take on future jobs.[/font]

[The13thMan]

[quote name='lunar']Which is best: A job you enjoy doing but doesn't pay alot of money or a job that causes alot of stress yet pays alot of money?[/quote][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]The question kind of leaves out a lot of other stuff out, but it's cool.

If i were to answer your question as is then i'd say i'd choose the job i enjoy with little money. I already live on a fairly small amount of money. The first option is simply adding a job that i enjoy. The second option makes me super stressed but gives me some money... i don't honestly know what i'd do with a lot of money beyond some basic things. I'd buy a guitar, a car, and i'd travel with people. That's all i can imagine i'd buy with lots of money. And i can get those things in moderation with the first job. So yeah, i want to do something i enjoy.

Hopefully i'll get both with biomedical engineering. I really love science, anatomy fascinates me, and i think engineering is the most practical use of science. And biomedical engineers get payed by the truck load! =P[/FONT]

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms] I have a work-study job at my college, it's great. I sit there and do homework and get paid 8$/hour for it.

Dream job: working at an entertainment magazine. [/font]

[OMNOMNOMALY]

[FONT="Garamond"]Well, I've come to terms with the fact that most things I love will not, realistically, pay the bills. But regardless, I've done my time in retail and menial tasks, so I think that in the end, it'll have to be something I love no matter the pay. After I get my degree I won't settle for any jobs that don't require it. I'm going for a degree in English Lit and I want to write, either as a journalist or something until I get myself in order to write novels. I just know I really want to write =)

My other, even MORE unrealistic goal would be to play soccer as a profession.[/FONT]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Lunox'][font=trebuchet ms] I have a work-study job at my college, it's great. I sit there and do homework and get paid 8$/hour for it.

[/font][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff]And to think some days I actually pwn you- I make 9.25$ an hour and usually I just talk and watch TV. Plus I don't have to pay for meals.

Right now I'm pretty lucky- I have a job/career that I actually enjoy and it's very stable even in this economy. Which is really saying something.

Okay I wish I made more money, but like James has said earlier the more money you earn the more responsibilities you have. So when you go into that thought you really have to wonder if the money is worth the stress and possible therapy sessions. My mom makes a lot more than my dad, but with that income also includes a lot of traveling sometimes on a few weeks notice and a lot of time away from home which meant having to give up one of her hobbies. She's also under a lot more stress than my dad.

That's not to say that I at my hourly rate job don't have a lot of stress. Believe me I do. I don't know how many of you go to work every day wondering who you'll have to convince to come with you after trying to go through an emergancy exit or if you have to file an incident report because some resident broke your finger while you were trying to do personal care. But I do, but like I said I really enjoy my job and I feel like I'm making a small difference for people which is why I like health care.

I'm also under the realzation that even something else I'd love to do and get paid for wouldn't make me a lot of money- whih is part of the reason why I don't pursue it any more than necessary. I want to try and write at least one book. But I think writing is a lot more stressful than cleaning up a naked man.[/color]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

I've done a LOT of jobs that pay better money than what I do now that I've quit at the drop of a hat for numerous reasons. Now in hindsight I wish I would've stuck with a couple of them seeing as my current job seemed like something I'd love, but turned mundane after a few weeks.

So I think you have to be careful just choosing to do something you "love". Because we are all people and we do love new things, new clothes, new toys, new jobs, etc, but any "dream" job carries its set of drawbacks.

I have 4 years and enough credit hours to almost have my bachelors....the problem is I have core classes for 5 different majors. I've bounced between Criminal Justice, Accounting, Psychology, Electrical Engineering, and Radiology. I gave up school last year to "find myself", really that was just a way to make me feel better about quitting school to put my fiancee through nursing school.

Point being (since I'm rambling) is that every single one of my "majors" have seemed like something I was perfect for and I absolutelly had to do. Then after research and taking classes I realized there was something wrong and it wasn't what it seemed.

I've finally decided to go back and finish the Electrical Engineering degree, because it pays better with a Bachelor's than most of the others (excluding Accounting but it doesn't count because I'd rather swallow a bullet than go through the daunting program at my school).

[Retribution]

[font=Arial]When will you all understand?

The almighty dollar rules your life. Surrender to it, worship it.

Take a high paying job, even if you absolutely despise the work. After your long day at the office, drive home miserable and ragged in your Benz to your estate in Westchester. As you walk into your house, remember how much you regret marrying a dumb trophy wife. Then remember you can't divorce, as she'd take 50% of your assets, and how much it would tear apart your children. Eat your dinner (cooked with premium ingredients!), entertain your family with fake smiles and thin laughter. Maybe you get tired of them and take off to your country club, where you talk with other men who too hate their lives.

Once you get home, you try to scrub your soul's emptiness away in your marble bathroom. Slide regretfully into bed, and realize you have no interest in your trophy wife and roll over in self-loathing.

Wake up the next day at 5am, throw on your Givenchy suit, and stagger off to work. Your mortgage, country club membership, car note, and tuition (for your children) won't pay themselves, will they?

At least you'll look hella good in your misery, hm?[/font]

[Lunar]

[COLOR="Navy"]how sad and empty that person's life is...........ah well, reminds me that my own happy little world isn't shared by alot of people. i haven't put in my opinion yet. if possible, someone should find a good paying job (to prepare for anything's that's going to happen in our economy) work at that job for like five years, put most of the money into savings-and don't use any money from the savings account unless you are completely broke or dying, then after that, find a job that you like to do, work at that job and live happily ever after! =) as for me, my job in fact, when i get older, is something that i'm going to enjoy doing. i'm going to be a pediactrician! meaning 8 to 11 years in college for my M.D., making me filthy rich.:naughty:[/COLOR]

[chibi-master]

[quote name='Retribution'][font=Arial]When will you all understand?

The almighty dollar rules your life. Surrender to it, worship it.

Take a high paying job, even if you absolutely despise the work. After your long day at the office, drive home miserable and ragged in your Benz to your estate in Westchester. As you walk into your house, remember how much you regret marrying a dumb trophy wife. Then remember you can't divorce, as she'd take 50% of your assets, and how much it would tear apart your children. Eat your dinner (cooked with premium ingredients!), entertain your family with fake smiles and thin laughter. Maybe you get tired of them and take off to your country club, where you talk with other men who too hate their lives.

Once you get home, you try to scrub your soul's emptiness away in your marble bathroom. Slide regretfully into bed, and realize you have no interest in your trophy wife and roll over in self-loathing.

Wake up the next day at 5am, throw on your Givenchy suit, and stagger off to work. Your mortgage, country club membership, car note, and tuition (for your children) won't pay themselves, will they?

At least you'll look hella good in your misery, hm?[/font][/QUOTE]

Dude, you need to get some anti-depressants.(All hail the happy pills!):animedepr

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Retribution'][font=Arial]When will you all understand?

The almighty dollar rules your life. Surrender to it, worship it.

Take a high paying job, even if you absolutely despise the work. After your long day at the office, drive home miserable and ragged in your Benz to your estate in Westchester. As you walk into your house, remember how much you regret marrying a dumb trophy wife. Then remember you can't divorce, as she'd take 50% of your assets, and how much it would tear apart your children. Eat your dinner (cooked with premium ingredients!), entertain your family with fake smiles and thin laughter. Maybe you get tired of them and take off to your country club, where you talk with other men who too hate their lives.

Once you get home, you try to scrub your soul's emptiness away in your marble bathroom. Slide regretfully into bed, and realize you have no interest in your trophy wife and roll over in self-loathing.

Wake up the next day at 5am, throw on your Givenchy suit, and stagger off to work. Your mortgage, country club membership, car note, and tuition (for your children) won't pay themselves, will they?

At least you'll look hella good in your misery, hm?[/font][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff]Plus you can actually afford to buy the name brand anti depressants instead of those generics the other poor souls are popping. *sigh* Thesbians[/color]

[liamc2]

[quote name='The13thMan'][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]
Hopefully i'll get both with biomedical engineering. I really love science, anatomy fascinates me, and i think engineering is the most practical use of science. And biomedical engineers get payed by the truck load! =P[/FONT][/QUOTE]
[FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"]
You need to love it to get through the course, that's for sure. Engineering on its own is an exceptionally demanding degree. Maths is killer and assessment will drown the ill-prepared. Combined with a biomedical component it can be especially lethal.

Whatever, if you love your maths and physics, then it's a good place to be. Unfortunately, the money isn't in Biomedical Engineering [at least in Australia] until you've been working for quite a while with a number of successes/grants under your belt. Maybe 5-10 years after graduation you'll be earning a respectable sum [or earlier if you luck out into a good private company].

If you do like engineering, most of the money is in Chemical Engineering. A friend of mine was already working in his fourth and final year of study as a cog in a company somewhere, and he was promised a AU$70 000 per year salary when he graduates, within five years he should be up to $100 000 and beyond if he climbs the responsibility ladder.

Right. The job I want to do is Radiology. I've wanted to do it since I was a highschool work experience student at a Queensland X-ray lab back in '02. It's a position I found myself growing to love, and by the end of the week I'd decided that I'd make it my own. Science and Medicine are my great loves, so it suits me perfectly. It's also a high demand profession here with almost all hospitals advertising positions, so I'm not going to be without work when I graduate. It also means that there are "Area of Need" scholarships in place to support those that choose an "in demand" profession.

As for stress and responsibility, I don't care. After graduation from Biomedical Science I realised that, despite all the hard times, I work harder and faster under pressure.

Being a Radiologist is definitely the Profession for me.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[eleanor]

[quote name='liamc2'][FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"]
Whatever, if you love your maths and physics, then it's a good place to be. Unfortunately, the money isn't in Biomedical Engineering [at least in Australia] until you've been working for quite a while with a number of successes/grants under your belt. Maybe 5-10 years after graduation you'll be earning a respectable sum [or earlier if you luck out into a good private company].

If you do like engineering, most of the money is in Chemical Engineering. A friend of mine was already working in his fourth and final year of study as a cog in a company somewhere, and he was promised a AU$70 000 per year salary when he graduates, within five years he should be up to $100 000 and beyond if he climbs the responsibility ladder.

[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

[font=trebuchet ms] That's true in the US, too. At least from what I've heard/know...but I think it's because it's a relatively new field. Two of my friends are in biomedical engineering, but they're pre-med (yes, they are studying 24/7). ChemE apparently rocks your wallet since you can work in oil or something, but I think getting a degree in any sort of engineering is safe.

If I were a genius, I would totally try and get into a top 5 law school and rake in the money asap. lol[/font]

[Rachmaninoff]

Putting all the cynicism in this thread aside... the whole point of getting a job that pays more is so you can actually afford to do what you enjoy when you have time off. If you can also have a job that is what you really want to do then even better.

If you can't, then finding something that pays well and is tolerable is the next best thing in my opinion. Anyway...

When I finish school, I'd like to continue what I'm already doing, and that is teaching. I'd prefer a university setting, but I'll be looking at other options as well since so long as I make enough to pay the bills and have extra for fun stuff, I'm fine with that.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Putting all the cynicism in this thread aside... the whole point of getting a job that pays more is so you can actually afford to do what you enjoy when you have time off. If you can also have a job that is what you really want to do then even better.[/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff]This could be why America is one of the least happiest countries in the world (Canada isn't that far behind) because we're stuck doing things we hate because we need the almighty paycheck (BTW- mine sucked and this coming week I only have 24hrs- anyone want a used PS2 and a DDR game w/ pad?) to pay off our bills and the debt we've ecrewed (is that the correct term?) while in school learning to do what we loath so we can make a living, pray for the weekend, and work ourselves into an early grave. (I almost did that last year doing what I love which is being an HHA- but 70 hours a week can be hell on you and your vehicle)

I think the best thing that our government could do for us (besides increasing the minimum wage which would in turn increase everyone else's wages from hourly pay employees to salaried employees which would in turn increase spending and boost the economy) Would be to do what they've done in Denmark- besides the nationalized health care and bonuses for joining clubs and oh yeah the mandatory 4 weeks vacation- is to impose a mandatory 62% tax on everyone... I think I'm getting this right please correct me if I'm wrong, but in Denmark everyone everyone no matter what they make has to pay a tax of 62% on their earnings- which keeps everyone equal and avoids the whole 'keeping up with the Jones's ' syndrome. Yeah in purple and grey it sounds terrible, but Denmark is the happiest country in the world and this could be one of the reasons why.[/color]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman'][color=#9933ff]This could be why America is one of the least happiest countries in the world (Canada isn't that far behind) because we're stuck doing things we hate because we need the almighty paycheck (BTW- mine sucked and this coming week I only have 24hrs- anyone want a used PS2 and a DDR game w/ pad?) to pay off our bills and the debt we've ecrewed (is that the correct term?) while in school learning to do what we loath so we can make a living, pray for the weekend, and work ourselves into an early grave. (I almost did that last year doing what I love which is being an HHA- but 70 hours a week can be hell on you and your vehicle)[/color][/QUOTE]I was actually driving more towards the notion that not having your "ideal/perfect" job didn't mean you couldn't be happy. I'm just saying that even if it's not your favorite thing to do, so long as you make more than enough to make ends meet, it's the other things in life that are what make it worth while.

I've had plenty of jobs before what I do now that I didn't care for. It didn't instantly make me unhappy though. Usually what drove me more insane than anything in a job wasn't the actual work but other co-workers or managers or the silly customers I had to deal with.

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I don't hate my job. Data entry and the occasional scathing e-mail written for my boss's sake to angry ex girlfriends [aka Pepper Potts but Chinese] is a rather cathartic job. I get to write, and do mindless number plugging and nonsense like that. However I'm also involved with a network marketing business that I can't link you to here for you to rip apart and insult as "La Pyramida" so what the heck. If you want to know you can ask me elsewhere.

Now the business I own/am a part of is all about health first and profit later so in short, it's something I can sell without feeling like a dirty whore doing. It's not for everyone, not for lazy, uninspired, or un-teachable little snots. So you could say that while a lot of people join and try it, they ultimately fail at it because they didn't try.

ANYWAY. I suppose I could tell you all I have the answer but at the risk of being attacked for sounding intolerably smug, I guess you could say I only have the answer for people who'd care to ask.

The job I have now is all about wages. But the network marketing business I'm in can be summed up in two words, which I think nobody has yet to type into this thread. However they are why I'm doing this business with an eye towards profit instead of just wage.

[b]Time Freedom[/b] [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Guest Crimson Spider]

Every person has themselves a list of responsibilities that they must attend. Some are basic, like food, water, and shelter. Some, not so much, such as patriotic duty, care for others, entertainment, existential fulfillment.

A job is satisfactory if you can fulfill these required responsibilities. You need a certain amount of money in order to tend to your responsibilities.

This is, really, the only requirement that needs to be put onto a job. If you are given the option to have a job where you would enjoy yourself more and NOT have to shirk away your responsibilities from the pay reduction, go for it. Probably better for you in the end, for the enjoyment that you would get from the job would probably be worth only eating pizza twice a month instead of every week.

Preferably you would, as said before by many people, give you a job with enough breathing room to enjoy the things in life without too much worry.


Security is the biggest question, though. I always keep a safety net of $500 + in my bank account, because we all know that something will go wrong eventually. When I move out, I am going to double that safety factor.

When you are at a job with a higher income, you are more likely to be capable of paying for those unexpected costs in the future, where as in a lower paying job you would have to sacrifice one of your responsibilities to do so. This plays a role, so you WILL need to make more money than to pay for food, water, and rent. Just, don't sell your soul to go overboard with the cash.

[Retribution]

[quote name='Crimson Spider']Just, don't sell your soul to go overboard with the cash.[/QUOTE]
[font=Arial]Ridiculous.

So long as I'm not contemplating suicide by Friday, I'll take a bad job for good pay.[/font]