Foo - Money & Happiness

I have a question along the lines of "Can money buy happiness" for you guys.

Have any of you ever had to choose between a higher paying job and/or career that you wouldn't like as much and a lower paying job/career that you would like more?

If so, did you ever regret the decision you made? Did you ever wish you took the lower paying job? Or maybe took the lower paying job and found yourself wishing you had the extra money.

Could you turn down a $100,000 per year job for a $60,000 per year job?

I used to tell myself that I could, but now I got accepted to med school and the money sure seems hard to turn down.

I know a Doc. He has a seriously cool Litespeed. I've seen it a couple times, and it's major drool. My bike is doggy doo by comparison.
But then, I rode it today. And I can pretty much guarantee you he hasn't rode in a weeks. Did I mention his bike is also really pristine?
Mine has that lived in look. Actually, right now it's disgusting :eek:
But he does have a great job, gorgeous house and bike, good lookin wifey and kids,
all the upper middle class bling bling. I ain't knocking it. But it's defintely a choice to be made.

I am once again downshifting to a better life by reducing my current work status to NIL and attending Grad School. The corporate world requires cold, dead bodies to be pushed in one direction and then in another. I am tired of walking among corpses.
Take your Excel Spreadsheets
Take your red-lined panic charts
Take your false marketing

Give me happiness
Give me students
Give me literature and a hungry mind

I have a question along the lines of "Can money buy happiness" for you guys.

Have any of you ever had to choose between a higher paying job and/or career that you wouldn't like as much and a lower paying job/career that you would like more?

If so, did you ever regret the decision you made? Did you ever wish you took the lower paying job? Or maybe took the lower paying job and found yourself wishing you had the extra money.

Could you turn down a $100,000 per year job for a $60,000 per year job?

I used to tell myself that I could, but now I got accepted to med school and the money sure seems hard to turn down.

Do you enjoy medicine? My wife's an RN and is very good at what she does in all areas of patient care and she enjoys what she does. I imagine she'll be an RN (or BSN) when she retires one day.

My brother's an attorney. He told me if he could start over he wouldn't be an attorney. He's almost at retirement age now though.

I haven't "worked" in about 25 years because I've done jobs that I enjoy.

money can buy happiness. but you must have the time to enjoy the money to recieve the happiness.

money/time ratio i think.

uh.. you realize that at $100,000 a year you'll be in a higher tax bracket and paying more taxes right? you might not be making that much more.

Money is important. You need it to pay rent and eat. Unless you are a mooch (any self-proclaimed moochers here?).

However, I don't believe that you need to spend every single available cent and max out all available credit just to be happy.

Hmmmm. read a few cycling travelogues, you guys. There are quite a lot of people who have traded the rat-race* for full-time touring. Depends on your life choices, and what courage you have to step outside your comfort zone and downsize.

Right now, my income wouldn't rank in Fortune's top 190,000,000 top American money-earners. And I'm looking at tossing it in anyway to go fruit picking six months of the year and international cycle touring the other six months.

*Someone somewhere has a sig that says: "Even if you win the rat-race, you are still a rat". That always tickles me when I read it. S-o-o-o-o true. Except for Stacey's rat, of course. That's King Rat.

I have a question along the lines of "Can money buy happiness" for you guys.

Have any of you ever had to choose between a higher paying job and/or career that you wouldn't like as much and a lower paying job/career that you would like more?

If so, did you ever regret the decision you made? Did you ever wish you took the lower paying job? Or maybe took the lower paying job and found yourself wishing you had the extra money.

Could you turn down a $100,000 per year job for a $60,000 per year job?

I used to tell myself that I could, but now I got accepted to med school and the money sure seems hard to turn down.

This last career change, I went from low wages(comparative to my new job) and high reponsibility(read headaches) to higher wages and less responsibility. My only issue is that I'm forced to work overtime when 40 hours would be fine with me. I actually work less hours than I did at my old job, tho. The extra money comes in handy(trying to pay off debt), but I definitely don't need it to be happy. I think Merton's got the right idea if you're into money-you gotta have time to enjoy it. I'll never understand the people at work who are there almost every day. I don't see how they get any enjoyment out of their wages earned(which are considerable) when they're on the job. I'd rather stay home with my wife and not get paid for it than sacrifice my time for overtime pay.

I have had read many articles on the money vs happiness thing.

As long as you aren't "poor" which supposedly means earning less than US$35,000 (but would also depend on where you live), you will not be significantly happier earning more money. The basic fact is that the shiny new BMW becomes wallpaper in your life after about 3 months and you are compelled to buy something else. If you get off the materialism merry-go-round and realise that you do not need to buy 'stuff' for the sake of having it you will be happier than someone who works to pay off the debt they owe on the credit cards which is due to them spending money on things they don't need.

Hmmmm. read a few cycling travelogues, you guys. There are quite a lot of people who have traded the rat-race* for full-time touring. Depends on your life choices, and what courage you have to step outside your comfort zone and downsize.

Right now, my income wouldn't rank in Fortune's top 190,000,000 top American money-earners. And I'm looking at tossing it in anyway to go fruit picking six months of the year and international cycle touring the other six months.

*Someone somewhere has a sig that says: "Even if you win the rat-race, you are still a rat". That always tickles me when I read it. S-o-o-o-o true. Except for Stacey's rat, of course. That's King Rat.


Thanks Rowan, yer the best :)

I just got my friend Mel a job where I work. My old job, in fact. It's not as much money as she made before, but it's also a lot less bull****. I think that she will be a lot happier there than managing a crew.

I told my boss when I took the job that I'd even be willing to take a pay cut to leave the place I was and start there. I only got my old wage + 10% for shift differential. But I didn't have all of the crap that I had before. And now I've moved. You need to view it in all contexts - I could have gone on with the career that I had, and moved up, but what I wanted was to learn. So I got a job that would further my learning and have more growth.

I dunno, I'm drunk, so I don't know if this is even on topic :)

I have a question along the lines of "Can money buy happiness" for you guys.

-only temporarily

Have any of you ever had to choose between a higher paying job and/or career that you wouldn't like as much and a lower paying job/career that you would like more?

-yes, I done that 5 years ago...I'm still pissed off over it.

If so, did you ever regret the decision you made? Did you ever wish you took the lower paying job? Or maybe took the lower paying job and found yourself wishing you had the extra money.

-Too much corporate politics, I have to lie on a daily basis just to get my job done, and I leave feeling like I've just earned another acre of land in hell...of course I wish I took the lower paying job. However I do see things improving, so it might not end up so bad.

Could you turn down a $100,000 per year job for a $60,000 per year job?

-yes

I used to tell myself that I could, but now I got accepted to med school and the money sure seems hard to turn down.

I found do what you like, so long as the cash will scale enough so you can afford to have a family later on. If you do like I did and get into a job just for the pay, you often find yourself unwilling to deal with any BS at that job...and turns out almost all well paying jobs have obscene levels of BS to wade through....my BS is we need a QA guy to inspect every order...problem is he refuses to inspect orders under X dollar...so they cant ship...if they dont ship, I get fired....so sometimes I have to do things that would get me fired anyways to get it to ship....pretty effed up, isn't it? Fortunately I've got connections and they are fixing the issue elsewhere so I wont have to go through hoops in a few months from now.

The QA guy refuses to do his job? What's wrong with this picture?

I would trade the my job right now for a job I liked making less money in a heart beat. My last job I loved but they closed their local offices so I did not have a choice in the matter. Unfortunately, I cannot afford not to work, but I can definitely live on less money. So I won't drive a nice car.
It all depends on your taste and needs. If you don't need much material stuff, why do you need the cash.. If you do need that stuff, then that is your answer.

If you love what you do, you will always excel at it and I believe that the reward for that comes. It sucks dreading going to work ever morning. Especially when I use to love getting up and going to work. I would trade this job for less money in a heart beat if I knew I was going to a job I would enjoy.

But that is MY Personal preference.

I gave up a job with a 6 figure income in the late 80s (and the potential to grow the 6 figure income into even higher 6 figures). I've been doing something I enjoy since then. I've never had any regrets.

The QA guy refuses to do his job? What's wrong with this picture?


He's so overworked that he is using monetary value of each order to prioritize them...everything is included it's just the BOM structure is so screwed that it can't go through the normal fulfillment process since those guys would never understand it, so we need a QA bypass on every shipment....trust me, it's so twisted it makes me want to get ran over so I dont have to deal with it sometimes.

Go easy on the QA/QC guys. It ain't easy being the one EVERYBODY hates.

I'm not being too hard on him, I used to be a QC inspector at one time myself....I just vent my frustration on the steel pole near my area....yeah that one that matches my skull profile :p

If you do not have the capacity for happiness, no amount of money will help.

I love my job, I'm in Maritime Law Enforcement and I make as much as a teacher, but I get to take people down, seize their money, their drugs and their boats. I get to travel all over the world for free and train foreign coast guards the same thing. And I get to bring my bike and ride all over the world for free......what a life. I make plenty to support myself. Who needs money in abundance and what does it accomplish....debt and more bills. Money does not change the fact that you are still a human being, I don't care how much money you have.

actually...to me...happiness is a comfy couch, surfing the internet, listening to good music, and a 2-liter of mtn dew.

I'm easy to please....it's just being happy with my job that's a bit more difficult...having to clean up for other's stuff annoys me to no end...but again I grew up with a Senior QA Engineer for a father, so you can imagine how much of that rubbed off on me...for pete's sake, I polish my computer mouse...I don't know why it matters either, I just have to have the thing clean.

All in all, it may annoy me, but I learned to let them be inefficient so long as it doesnt give me too much of a problem. I would rather be racing cars, even amateur...far more satisfying than tech work anyday....oddly more relaxing too.

as a practicing physician ...and one who is "on call" on Christmas day ...you should not pursue a medical career if you do not have a deep desire to be a "doctor"

the profession has dramatically changed in the last 10-15 years and i forsee many more uncomfortable changes ahead

the money is good...although not as good as most people assume, especially when you calculate in the years of training and the number of hours worked by most MDs. my friends from college who went to be engineers, businessmen, and lawyers are generally "better off" financially than me(we were all gunner/highly motivated types though). they also get to be home with their families on holidays and they did not have to spend 2 nights this week at their workplace. doctors also face tremendous stress on a multitude of levels.

that being said, i really do enjoy practicing medicine, and can not imagine doing anything else. it is extremely challenging on an intellectual level and there is great personal reward when you are able to really aid someone through a time of crisis.

it is not all dramatic saves though...sometimes it is the 5 minutes you spend being kind to someone who has been shown no love in their life.... or does not really deserve any kindness at all (like the nasty HIV+ homeless drunk who intentionally urinated on the tech and spit at the nurse)...then you realize we are all God's creatures and He loves all of us...so i better really try to resist labelling him a "troll" and try to see the humanity in him and take care of him the "right way" and not like a "troll." i honestly do not always succeed but its those kind of cases that make me a better doctor.

I am also a physician, in anesthesia. I work about 70 hours per week. I spend at least one night a week at the hospital. I stayed up all night long Christmas Eve doing cases and am dead tired today. The money is not worth it, especially when you consider you have 4 years of med school and 4 years of residency ahead of you. If you are looking for an upgrade in pay that way, you will be miserable.

I also helped three people through the biggest and scariest moment of their entire life this week when I was the anesthesiologist for their coronary bypass. I got to make scary surgery not to scary for an 11 year old with appendicitis. And last night I got to talk to three of our troops injured in Iraq right before I put them to sleep and thank them for what they have done (I work at a military hospital). People literally put there lives in my hands. It is an awesome responsibility, and I get to do it everyday. I am in my residency right now, so I don't even get the pay yet (residents make about minimum wage for the hours they work). I love it. Luckily for me I get to see my family alot and we are very happy, although with the wrong dynamics, it can take a toll on your family life.

BTW, I get to ride my bike every other day, sometimes more, you don't have to give up everything.

agreed that money can't buy happiness, but lack of same sure is a bummer.

I did take a 20% pay cut to come to the job I have now.
Not only was it a base pay cut, but OT is darmatically reduced too.
If I went back to my old job I could make $8.00 an hour more than I am making now, but I would also live there because of the overtime.

I'll take the days of with my kids and a few less toys thank you!


P.S. to the doc... Not to belittle what you do, it is obviously more important than what I do, But I've worked the whole Chrismas weekend here on 12's. Just part of my job. Been doing it for 23 years and it doesn't look like I'll move out of it before I retire (electric Utility)

P.S. to the doc... Not to belittle what you do, it is obviously more important than what I do, But I've worked the whole Chrismas weekend here on 12's. Just part of my job. Been doing it for 23 years and it doesn't look like I'll move out of it before I retire (electric Utility)

karl ...hopefully my comments did not imply "doctors are the only ones who have to work on holidays"

many people do ....police, fire, ems, nurses, airline pilots, soldiers ..etc...etc...utility workers in the south unfortunately got lots of overtime over the holiday this year due to the massive ice/snow storm. those who got their power back on when it was 8 degrees outside are very thankful you did work

i did want the poster to realize if he pursues a medical career it is not a 9-5 job

most retail establishments were closed here save for a few drugstores and gas stations...the one exception was Starbucks...i felt bad that those people had to work...for me coffee is essential...but i can brew some at home

karl ...hopefully my comments did not imply "doctors are the only ones who have to work on holidays"

many people do ....police, fire, ems, nurses, airline pilots, soldiers ..etc...etc...utility workers in the south unfortunately got lots of overtime over the holiday this year due to the massive ice/snow storm. those who got their power back on when it was 8 degrees outside are very thankful you did work

i did want the poster to realize if he pursues a medical career it is not a 9-5 job

most retail establishments were closed here save for a few drugstores and gas stations...the one exception was Starbucks...i felt bad that those people had to work...for me coffee is essential...but i can brew some at home

On the contrary, being a shift worker, I too realize that many people work all hours, all days.
Some of us however (you) have a little more responsability in that shift than others.