More important to have a job you love or have a job that pays well?

[shadowbox3r]

I was thinking about this the other day and was curious as to what all of your thoughts were on this topic.

 

Scenario A: Passion, with little money

 

Let's look at Scenario A, where you pursue your passion which is not so lucrative. While you love every minute of pursuing your passion and you get so much fulfillment out of it, you find it hard to concentrate on this path when you have to face real, monetary limitations. Money to pay the bills, money to do other things you love, money to live in a sufficient manner. This is the scenario of the starving artist, if you may.

 

Scenario B: Money, with no passion

 

Then there's Scenario B, where you remain in your lucrative job with great prospects, but you do not hold a passion for the work. You get by working from day to day by blocking out your real inner desires. The numbness you feel is drowned out by the extrinsic benefits that your job offers, such as an attractive benefits package which allows you to acquire material goods and live in luxury, prestige and awe that comes from being associated with the company, etc. However, these are temporal gratifications and you feel empty inside in the long run.

 

What should we do here? Both options have its own sets of pros and cons. Both options leave us unsatisfied in some manner. Scenario A lets us be fulfilled emotionally, but not in terms of material needs. Scenario B lets us be fulfilled on the material level, but not emotionally.

 

Let's be honest, money does not buy happiness (for some people) but it sure does make things a lot easier which is why a lot of people try and obtain it, which brings many to a set of crossroads.

 

Do you have any stories to share or know anyone in this position? What are your thoughts on this?

 

Thanks ahead for answering.

[Capricorn3]

I think these days it's fairly rare to find people who have a job that they love doing. I think for a lot of people that is a dream and most of us land up in a job out of necessity to pay the bills etc. It would be awesome and ideal if we could all have our dream job which covered all our bills too, lol. But yes, on the whole I would say it's more important to have a job you love doing, and thankfully, I LOVE my job!

[Ambiguous X]

C...all of the above or D...none of the above.

[blackhawks1287]

Here is the deal. You have to love your life first and foremost. There has to be a balance somewhere between your passion for work and your life outside of it.

 

To me...these two jobs are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Either have nothing, or everything. Is there nothing you can gain from something in the middle? I understand loving what you do to an extent, but you do not want to sacrifice quality of life (outside the job) for the job...ya know?

 

That is my two cents. If it is just between these two then I would choose A, but down the road with a wife and kids...B will be a lot more attractive and you might start kicking yourself for not putting up with the misery.

 

My best advice is to keep soul searching for something you can not only enjoy, but be comfortable with ya know? If that makes any sense...

[GrowingIn]

I have been trying the artist route for the past two years. I love music. I know I have talent, and I have plenty of people that have told me the same. When I decided to finally call it quits other musicians were more upset than I was.

 

The reality of life kicked in. Not only are the chances slim that I will ever make it, but if I ever want a family and healthy friends, I'm not going to find them surrounded by a bunch of others with serious drug, alcohol and other issues while barely making ends meet. I also realized that in order for me to make it, and do it right, it was still going to take money to really get me started. Others that made it had serious sponsors that supported them while trying .

 

It sucks, but I can be ok if all it will ever be is just a hobby. While you do hear that if you are doing what you love, it never feels like work I can also say that sometimes making your passion your work, can make your passion feel like work. So you have to be careful. Money doesn't bring you happiness and it doesn't solve all your problems but it sure as hell helps. It at least solves one big problem. So I agree with whoever said balance is key. Go for balance as I believe that is the true key to happiness or at least satisfaction.

[He2Him]

While not so black and white, my answer may seem so. Scenerio A wins hands down.

 

No way you can compare money to living your life to fullest. That's like comparing the latest Lambourghini to low class family car. And money is the low class family car here. In a question of life, that is.

 

See, choosing a path that doesn't fulfill you brings a lot of bad and toxic stuff to your life. Because of feeling empty inside, you will have regrets, because of those you'll start being negative, which will translate into everything you do every day. Eventually, you will end up sore and bitter, because you realize that money bring you all the temporary joy. And when it goes away, you'll scream and go mad, feeling lost and trapped. Unless of course, it's 'act of possession' that makes you happy.

 

But I'm telling you, if money is not what makes you happy, go for what you love. I hated my job, I felt stuck, I was all negative, tired, toxic, careless. One day I started lifting weights, I don't remember why I did that, but as the time has gone by my philosophy of life has been changing and the other day I started to eat healthier food, I cut on drinking. Everything has shifted and I found out that working out, eating healthy... two most basic things so many people tend to forget to do these days, are bringing most of joy to my life. I never felt better in my life before. I still have a job I hated, but I don't hate it anymore, I don't feel stuck, I'm no where near negative, tired, toxic or careless anymore. I feel full of life and all that because I found something I love.

[pinkbriefcase]

Hi,

 

The answer would based on what's more important to you. If you want money to be your boss then you'll go with the one that pays well but if you think money is just a tool then go with the one that you love.^_*

 

 

Keep on keeping on...

[charity]

i would choose A.

 

i think if anyone LOVES what they do everyday then that is a great situation. but obviously you have to make ends meet so i would probably look for a night or two doing another job such as waitressing etc. i would constatly look for other ways to make ends meet. but no way would i give up my dream job that brings me fullfillment and happiness and energy everyday. we work too long in our lives to give something like this up. also i am not a materialistic person and can get by on little so this probably helps me have this attitude.

[misssmithviii]

What's more important is being able to balance it. Your job doesn't have to be something you LOVE in my opinion, just as long as it's something you LIKE. Whatever you LOVE, you can still do - just don't have to get paid for it.

[BriarRose]

I say go for the money. But I wouldn't do something I loathed.

[mischa22]

I'd prefer a job I love and that pays well

[charity]

I'd prefer a job I love and that pays well

 

yes that would be ideal but i think the OP wants us to choose either one. either a job we love that doesn't pay well at all OR a job we don't like but with great pay.

[Jetta]

The irony is if your doing something you love you work harder at it and may end up earning more doing it. Rather than a job you hate, where your bad feelings rub off on people and you don't get promoted or anything.

 

I've been in jobs I hated and I didn't last long doing them. Go for your passions in life.

[gingerlemon]

I have always gone for the passion. A couple of years ago I took a fifty per cent pay cut to pursue my current job. I've had to work quite hard on the side to pay our bills, and we're still in the red. Also before this, I've often chosen lower paid options to pursue my interests. As I get older, though, I'm more conscious of gaining a minimum of financial stability.

[quirky]

Tough question, I have chosen A so far. But as GrowingIn mentioned earlier it is actually really tough sometimes to fund your passion in the creative industries (I write music too).

I also agree with Jetta that when you are passionate about something you are going to do it better than others and have more chances of excelling.

 

Nowadays I am looking for something I like about 70%. Doesn't have to be 100% but definitey not 20% either. You spend so much of your waking day at work, best to do something you like rather than live for the weekend.

[Bartok]

This is like all those silly "smart, ugly girl vs. dumb, hot girl" polls in the dating forums. The truth is you want both smart and hot and will likely end up with good fit somewhere in between the two.

 

I want a job I love that pays well enough for me to live comfortably. I don't need much. I'm already on a path to make this happen but it could take a few years to reach my goals.

 

For what it's worth, I already have a job I love that hardly pays anything . But BECAUSE I love it and the industry I'm in, I'm confident I will move into a job I'll love even more that also pays better in a few years. We all have to start somewhere.

[BriarRose]

I would rather make money and pursue my passions in my spare time. I've struggled for too many years. If I could go back in time I would have pursued a lucrative field.

[quirky]

I would rather make money and pursue my passions in my spare time. I've struggled for too many years. If I could go back in time I would have pursued a lucrative field.

 

What makes you say that? I'm curious. Did you pursue your passion professionally and it hasn't paid off?

[GettingBetter]

As long as you don't hate the lucrative job, and you find it at least somewhat interesting, then use it as a means to achieve your dreams. I have met very few people who, after working a job for 30 years, still have passion for their job. Even people with amazing jobs. And, those few exceptions I attribute more to outlook than to the job.

 

People are quick to point out the artists, actors, musicians and such who were financially successful in following their dreams. But, the crowd more often overlooked, and in far greater number, are the janitors, laborers and others who also followed their dreams, but were met with less luck.

 

As others have said, you can still pursue your passions on the side. And, having the peace of mind afforded by financial stability may make those pursuits more enjoyable and successful.

 

But if you really do hate the more lucrative job, then that's different. Just try to keep a good balance.

[Glowguy]

I'll go with B and that's what I have. I'd rather work to live and I don't really identify my job with my identity all that much. I'm pretty damn good at what I do, but it's a corporate job and not all that fulfilling. I can't complain though, it comes natural to me and it's not all that stressful for the pay. I don't find it particularly stimulating although it can be at times. Of course the dream is to have both and maybe I'll get there one day (or retire early For me the only way to do that would be to own my own business.

[BriarRose]

What makes you say that? I'm curious. Did you pursue your passion professionally and it hasn't paid off?

 

No, I just never finished college and have worked various office jobs over the years. If I could start my life over, I would pursue money. It gets old trying to make it on a certain salary. Passion would mean nothing to me if I had no roof over my head. I would rather be comfortable and pursue passions in my spare time.

[Jayauntae F.]

right now it would be the job that pays well. i am not in love with being a professional cook but it is something that i would like to do until i finish college, but when they told me i got the position hours would not be guaranteed until later this year i told them i may as well dump trash and clean pots and get my money since thats full time. so money right now would be my answer. in those situations i just try and look at whats good for me right now

[Lonewing]

You have to learn how to take job B - part of growing up is the realization that no matter what, you WILL be subserviant to someone else for your daily bread, even if it is under the veil of self-employment - and pursue your dreams and passions covered in Part A in your free time.

 

The better your job is in part B, the more you will be able to pursue in part A.

 

If part B means you have to work for 20 years in a military job you hate, but after that you reap medical and retirement benefits, then that means for the rest of your life you can pursue job A, and not suffer consequences from it.

 

In short, you have to earn your livelihood - and by earn, I mean do things you DON'T want to do - because nobody is going to give it to you for free. And while you are young and full of energy, it is best to learn how to love what you do, rather than do what you love, so that you can cement your place and the place of your family in this life. Put all those big rocks in the jar first, then the little rocks and the sand and the water.