Career: Money or Enjoyment?

[Aspiringanonymous]

Is it better to choose a career which one dislikes, but pays a lot and is thus the gateway to an ideal lifestyle? Or rather, to take on a field in which job prospects are numbered and pay is significantly lower, but is something which one genuinely finds meaning in?

A job is, after all, a job, some say. No matter how appealing something is upon initial glances, once it becomes a means of livelihood, after a few years or so, much of the appeal is lost anyway. In today's materialistic culture, a lack of financial abundance eventually catches up to us all, in one damaging way or another.

While others argue that money can't buy real happiness, and especially for individuals seeking to lead a career-oriented lifestyle, spending the majority of one's time performing unfulfilling tasks in order to enjoy aspects of life which are of lesser personal importance anyway, is a definite unwise path to take.

The eternal dilemma of modern young people.

What are your thoughts?

[Rutherford The Brave]

To me a job must be something you truly and whole heartedly agree love. If you work a job you hate your not only just acting like a drone who only cares about getting work done, and thus the quality suffers. Let's take Ford for example the man loved his job, and he was an innovator because he loved his job. He wanted to go out and change the model automobile. I love cooking, I enjoy it and thus work for me isn't really work. It's more of like a hobby. But on my other job, I don't like it. It's work, I hate working. But I like doing what I enjoy doing.

[theOperaGhost]

A mix of both. You shouldn't work a really high paying job if you absolutely hate it, but you shouldn't work a really low paying job just because you love it.

[Sage]

Accept that some lifestyles can't be attained with certain jobs. If you want to be a florist, that's great, but you shouldn't be expecting to live in a mansion. I wish to be a professional artist, and I already know (and am totally cool with) not having a giant house and fancy car and shopping at snobby fashion stores.

[Oren]

I'd like a job that has some sort of balance, pays good but i enjoy.

[The Joker]

I really love certain things. Unless I'm living in poverty, I will keep a job if I like it.

[2D]

Since my ideal lifestyle corresponds to doing what I love then it's of course loving what I do that determines the career.

[sebbie]

Personally I think there is more to life than money and I would much rather be happy and doing something I enjoy. However some jobs whilst they may be great to work, you might not be able to sustain the living standard that you want.

In the future I hope to find a balance in between money and job satisfaction.

[TheKingDavis]

A mix of both. You shouldn't work a really high paying job if you absolutely hate it, but you shouldn't work a really low paying job just because you love it.

Completely agree

You need to find something in the mutual grounds

[JackOfClubs]

I'd like a job that pays well and that I like. I'm not going to be living in a cardboard box just because I like my job. And I don't want to live in a massive mansion but hate my job. A mixture of both would be nice.

[The Batman]

Typically a job is what you have to pay the bills but a career is what you do because you love it and it pays the bills. The only thing in life that should matter is happiness and being able to make it by.

[enzenzz]

I would work in high paying jobs first that way you're still young enough to find other jobs when you get tired of it. Then as you grow older find something that you love to do.

[OneManArmy]

A mix of both. You shouldn't work a really high paying job if you absolutely hate it, but you shouldn't work a really low paying job just because you love it.

took the words out of my mouth, I'd like a decently good paying job that I like.