How important is salary
When it came to employment in my 20s and 30s, I was too focussed on how much money I could make. This lead to poor choices, and quite often a sickened soul. I don’t believe that money is evil, but whenever my core reason for changing my job was to make more money, I found myself unhappy. Perhaps I had to work for a sociopath of a manager, or take on too much stress than the job was worth. Ultimately, whenever the salary was better, there was always a downside which would rear its head later on.
I’m pleased to say that in my 40s, I made a very careful and conscious choice to work for a smaller company on a lower salary, with a more hands-off director. I feel more independent and happier in my work in general. I’d say I could earn a 15-20% higher salary by doing the same kind of work I do now, but for a different company. However, what would the downsides be?
Despite earning less money these days than I did in my 30s, I’m actually saving more money month to month. Perhaps having a more enjoyable job helps with that? Do you find that when you’re too stressed, you spend more money? Perhaps on alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, snacks, or other things you don’t really need? My job is not perfect and certainly not stress-free, but the stresses which have affected me very negatively in the past, are for the most part (*touch wood*) absent:
* The stress of working for a sociopath.
* The stress of working in an emotionally toxic environment.
* The stress of worrying too much about work after a shift ends.
* The stress of taking work home or working at the weekend.
* The stress of working different hours week-to-week.
* The stress of being told to do things which are pointless.
* The stress of having sales targets unrealistically inflated.
* The stress of not receiving a steady income month to month.
* The stress of having to spend your free time at work functions.
* The stress of being micro-managed.
* The stress of feeling owned.
The list goes on, and sources of stress at work can vary a lot from person to person. My current job is not stress-free, though that’s mostly due to my current workload. That said, I can handle the stress of having a lot of work to get done every day, when I don’t have to deal with the crap I had to deal with whilst working for large corporations or sales teams.
When it comes to choosing a better job, I know now that salary isn’t everything. Why I’m doing a job, and who I’m working for and with, have become important considerations.