Why I Chose to Love What I Do Despite the Lower Pay
Editor’s Note: Guest Post by Krisca Te
In a depressed economy, landing a job is like finding a needle in a haystack. But what if you’re stuck in a company where the people are horrible, the work environment dismal but the pay is outstanding? Would you trade your fat pay check for a little career happiness?
Not everyone is lucky enough to hold a position in an organization that they actually like. Even fewer of us find jobs where we are able to find good friends, gain personal satisfaction from our performance and earn enough to be able to put away monthly savings.
If you’re just like one of the millions of other working adults out there who are lamenting their current career choice, you have probably toyed with the idea of shifting to a different job despite the lower pay. What would it be like if you up and quit your job right now and just followed your heart’s desire?
A no-win situation
Switching jobs is by far one of the most difficult decisions you have to make in life. Things would be so much simpler if you’re a healthy, single individual with no kids and a degree from a respectable educational institution. You can just pull up your roots and transfer to a different company or country altogether to seek your fortune. For other people, it’s not as easy. Some of us have other mouths to feed, medical bills, tuition loans and home mortgages to pay off, and children to send to school.
All these responsibilities can significantly muddle your thoughts and prevent you from pursuing the career that you actually love. You end up staying with a job even if you hate it because the pay is great.
There are some people who spend more than half their lives slaving away at an office table when they would rather paint artwork, teach deep-sea diving, bake cupcakes or train circus animals for a living. These career aspirations shrivel up and die inside people who never got the opportunity to make their dreams a reality.
Sometimes, there is just one thing that sweetens the deal for these luckless career persons—in exchange for their willingness to forego the job that will truly make them happy, they get a hefty salary, job perks, car plans and generous employee benefits.
But are all of these pecuniary rewards really worth sacrificing your dreams for?
Follow your heart
In the classic novel The Wizard of Oz, we have seen the power of dreams and wishes. Dorothy, the farm girl from Kansas, was given a pair of ruby slippers that allowed her to travel wherever she wanted with a few heel clicks. While this is not something that you can see often in real life, the essence of the story is the same—you can go wherever you want, if you want it bad enough.
The same thing is true for our career choices. The global economic situation has done nothing but prohibit more and more individuals from realizing their dreams, chaining them instead to certain professions that they would otherwise never choose if they only had the chance.
You may think that you have no choice but to work nine-to-five in a dull skyscraper on Wall Street, but in fact you can choose not to be there and not to work in that kind of job. It’s better to stick to something that you love doing because in the long run, working won’t feel like work to you anymore. It’s as if you’re just spending your time doing your favorite thing in the world.
The secret to working in a career you’re passionate about is in embracing it with all your heart; warts and all. There is absolutely no perfect job in the world, but you can find a job that fits your passion like a glove. The pay may not be so great and benefits mediocre, but in the end you will realize that no job is ever worth sacrificing yourself for.
Take it to the top
Each of us has his or her own unique potential to be somebody, but it’s up to you to tap into that potential and make your dreams come true. If you stay in a job that doesn’t give you the right opportunities for career growth and self-enhancement, you’ll stay stuck in the same crappy place for years and years.
The people who are truly successful in their career are the ones who chose to do something they love despite the hardships, monetary or otherwise. When you’re doing something that you feel strongly about, you’re bound to just work and work without feeling stressed out or annoyed. This is the best way to marry both your career happiness and financial stability. Any other way just short-changes you.
image courtesy of thechrisdavis
When not out building relationships with other bloggers, Krisca Te can be found reading blogs that tackle personal development. She is also a personal finance freak who is currently working with ACC, a personal finance blog based in Sydney, Australia.
You’re so right that being happy with the work you do is very important.
In fact, you’re health and well-being depend on it. Being in a job you hate can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, which then translates into physical health issues and a downward spiral. It’s just not worth it.
Andrew Johnson recently posted..Stress Relief Exercise To Give You Peace Of Mind
Thanks for your excellent point Andrew, and welcome to the blog. I hope to see you in the future.