Working for Love, or Money?

August 9, 2007 5:48 PM

Should I take a job that pays more but isn't as fulfilling, or stick with my current job that I like, but can't get more money out of?

I am a jack of a few trades... Specifically web-application development, film/tv/video editing and graphic design. I like all these things, and have at times worked professionally in all these fields.

My current job, with a media and web company allows me to use all these skills. One day I can be editing a TV series, the next I may be programming PHP applications for clients, and the day after I could be designing business cards or brochures. Although in reality it's rarely quite like that, I do get to use all my skills, and not get stuck in the same thing every day.

However a job opportunity has come up for me. It would a fulltime programming position. I would be making PHP apps all day more or less. The job pays significantly more (close to double) what my current job does, and is with a young company that looks like it has a strong future.

I could certainly use the money, supporting my family on a single income is not easy, but at the same time, I am reluctant to move away from the other things I enjoy.

I am probably more passionate about the television and video stuff than I am about programming. If a job came up working in TV only at that kind of money, I would probably take it, as I could let go of the programming stuff, but the other way is a lot harder for me.

I also have a lot of respect and loyalty for my current employer and I think it would be almost impossible to find someone to replace me with the same range of skills.

My current employer is small, and I know very realistically that at the moment they can't afford to pay me more. And I'm not sure they'll ever be able to offer what the other job is.

My heart says no, but my wallet says yes.

posted by sycophant to work & money (27 comments total)

What does your family have to say? They're your heart now.
posted by crazycanuck at 6:01 PM on August 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

You should do what makes you happy. Umm. Except for this: "supporting my family on a single income is not easy" We know what your heart and wallet say, but what does your family say?
posted by ferdydurke at 6:02 PM on August 9, 2007

A few questions to ponder:
1. Everyone could use more money but how much difference (after taxes) would the extra money really make in your life?
2. If you do take the job, is there way you can do editing and graphic design on a part-time/freelance/volunteer basis so that it doesn't have to be an either/or choice.
3. What does your partner think?
4. Would you actually be Ok and reasonably happy programming all day? (Not as happy as your current job but not miserable) Many people can tell you how truly awful it is to have to spend 40+ hours a week at a job that you hate. Not worth it.
5. Have you considered not taking this job but actively looking for one with a better combination of pay and duties? It sounds like this new one just fell in your lap. What would happen if you put energy to finding something else that fit you better? (Actually this sounds like the best option to me.)
posted by metahawk at 6:04 PM on August 9, 2007

Take the money. Keep your video editing skills sharp (maybe your current employer could help with freelance editing jobs -- he doesn't have to try to find your skillset, and you get to keep your skillset). Then keep your eyes open for a position in that field. Sounds like that's where you want to be, anyway.
posted by notyou at 6:38 PM on August 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Heart wins.

If you're making extra money in a job that leaves you unfulfilled, you will end up blowing it on hookers and crack.

A Dad who is happy in his work is a much healthier thing for a family to have than a Dad who can reliably supply the latest toys.
posted by flabdablet at 6:45 PM on August 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you take the job that pays more, will you have more or less time to spend doing non-work things? That would be a huge factor for me--if I was going to have to work overtime to get the extra money it probably wouldn't be worth it unless I really couldn't get by on what I was making now.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:45 PM on August 9, 2007

Heart wins, BUT...

Will a new position offer you the kind of elbow room that would allow you to transition back to what you love, within a year or two, at the kind of salary rate you desire? Of course, overqualifying yourself is just as harmful.

"You want to come work with us for $14 an hour, and you're making $21.50 now? Why is that, Mr X?"

I think I'm one of many mefites who could be making significantly more money in a less fulfilling field---and all of us agree that we wouldn't have it any other way.
posted by TomMelee at 7:05 PM on August 9, 2007

The thing that struck me most in your post was "a young company that looks like it has a strong future." As someone who's worked in many software startups, please don't fall for the mythology and hype, if indeed your situation is anything remotely related to a 'typical' startup.

It really sucks to take the big job in the 'promising' young company, only to get laid off a year later. Been there, done that--repeatedly. Also, job stability would be a factor in keeping food on the table.

Good luck! Stan
posted by tippiedog at 7:28 PM on August 9, 2007

Let's say you're making $30k a year now and this new job pays $60k. (I'm being conservative.) You continue to live as though you make the same as before. But you put aside $10k of your higher earnings this year and next, before quitting to go back to something you find more interesting. Then you invest it in a tax-sheltered space for 35 years at 6%. In 35 years, the total investment will be worth $150k. (The present value of that is still $53k. That's a big chunk of money.)

Let's say you take another $5k this year and next and invest it in a college fund for 15 years at 6%. That's $24k for college tuition.

You could put $2k aside each year for buying your own video equipment. Just for fun -- but it will keep your skills sharp.

And you could put another $5k this year and next into an emergency fund. You'd have $10k in the bank, which you could use if you ever ran into hardship.

That's just two years at the higher salary. You could always move to something more interesting. You could use your new skills to do something more creative in a more fun company.

If your partner is a stay at home parent, I suspect that your partner has given up some personal career interests in support of that. It's possible your partner plans to return to work at some point. Likewise, taking a higher paying job like this doesn't have to be an eternity for you. If your partner plans to return to work (even part-time), you will be able to take more (financial) career risks later. I'm guessing that might even happen inside the next couple of years or the next 5 years, depending on the age of your children.
posted by acoutu at 8:19 PM on August 9, 2007

Take the new job, work for the money, find things in that job you enjoy.

I second acoutu's advice. Go home and take home movies of your family doing things you all enjoy. Edit them into your own little projects. Teach your kids how to use the camera (buy them their own cheap/used camera). Help the kids make their own movies, writing scripts, doing claymation, etc. Make up a kick ass website for your extended family to document all the cool stuff you guys are doing. Put up pictures and movies.

Spend time with your family. If you spent an hour a week mowing the lawn, spend the $25 to hire someone to do it for you, and make it family time instead.

It does sometimes suck to do work that isn't full of creative life, but it very much does not suck to have that kind of financial stability for your family. Don't go crazy with your new cash, save as much as you can.

Save up this money and start your own business in the near future.

The only way I would say not to take the job is if it would somehow change your family dynamics - Longer hours, traveling, tremendous stress. Other than that, do it for your family and your future.
posted by shinynewnick at 8:37 PM on August 9, 2007

Naw, I'm with flabdablet. Imagine constantly wanting to quit but not being able to (ie, miserable, bitter). Now imagine being happy but a little less rich. If your job makes you happy, hang in there, and meanwhile look for a job you'd actually like that pays more. There aren't only two options here.
posted by salvia at 9:02 PM on August 9, 2007

As Shinynewnick notes, you can use the money to pay for other things you hate doing. Once my consulting business got to a certain size, I decided that I would use money from projects I took on (but didn't love) to fund payment for things I didn't like doing. So I now have groceries delivered, my house and office cleaned, renovations done by an expert, etc.
posted by acoutu at 9:03 PM on August 9, 2007

A web startup is nothing close to a sure bet. How much savings will spend if you get laid off in a year?
posted by the jam at 9:03 PM on August 9, 2007

You make X at a job you like, and you could make 2X at a job that you've convinced me you'd love a lot less.

1) More money is always pleasant, but do you wake up in the middle of the night drooling over the 2X lifestyle? Do you wake up in the middle of the night agonizing over how to make ends meet in the X lifestyle?

2) Is 2X more or less what PHP programmers make on the open market, and therefore a realistic option for you down the road when circumstances change and you rethink your options? (In other words, the 2X job is not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be fantastically overpaid as a PHP programmer?)

3) In the next five years, will you learn as much or more at the 2X job than you would if you stayed at the 1X job?

The more times you answer "no," the more likely it is that you should stay where you are.

Money can make you happy. But happiness is priceless, so don't be afraid to stick with X if that's where happiness is.
posted by gum at 9:07 PM on August 9, 2007

It helps to think of career, rather than job. Your current job sounds nice, but it also sounds dead-end. The company doesn't sound like it's growing. What's to stop you from being in the exact same position, making the exact same money, five or ten years from now?

You've got an opportunity to make a lot more money and take a step forward in your career. I say go for it.
posted by letitrain at 10:18 PM on August 9, 2007

speaking as someone in a similar boat, i quit my cush, but low paying video editing / programming job to move to a larger market, i have several things to add:

1) you LOVE what you do, money shouldn't be the consideration here. only 6% of the population don't sell out and work at what they love doing

2) finding steady work as a creative is HARD, even if you're good and have years of experience. be sure you can quit with no regrets.

3) my major concern is professional growth. are you still challenged by your job? do you learn new things? if so, then, you should stay. if not, then move on.

my recommendation is, if you're after more money, I'm sure you can pick up a PHP freelance gig, maybe with the company you're interested in. if they're legit, i believe they should be ok with that. (recent bad experience with shady company tainting my opinions)

or alternatively, maybe, as others have suggested, pick up freelance video editing, and do PHP as your main job.

i really miss video editing, and i wouldn't trade that for $10k and oodles of code... but that's just me. 25k then we're talking.
posted by emptyinside at 10:38 PM on August 9, 2007

Personally... being happy at work is more important to me. Can you be as happy at the better-paying job? Or does the new job offer enough of a raise to make up for a little less variety?
posted by IndigoRain at 10:59 PM on August 9, 2007

You should be clear about whether you are really happy at your current job or are you just comfortable. Being comfortable is not always a good thing. Sometimes you have to be a little uncomfortable and stretch yourself in order to grow.

Another factor to consider is whether you will gradually come to resent your current job and feel taken advantage of now that you know that your skills are worth much more.
posted by JackFlash at 11:14 PM on August 9, 2007

There was a time when work wasn't central to people's lives. They did whatever they did for work, and then went home and their families were their life. It can be this way for you to. Anyway, the work doesn't sound that soul crushing in itself. In my opinion, what you do for work is far less important than who you work with. Are the people at this new company nice? That's all that really matters.
posted by Deathalicious at 4:12 AM on August 10, 2007

I've worked mediocre jobs for great pay. I've worked jobs I loved for lower pay.

Keep the job you love.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:43 AM on August 10, 2007

Having made similar decisions in the past, I have two points:

1) As Daniel Gilbert will tell you, a human being is terrible at predicting how happy a decision will make him or her. I would assume you'll be equally happy in the new job -- there are too many factors that can affect your happiness for you to assume your job will make a noticeable difference.

As a side note, I've had several jobs that I enjoyed that also paid very well. In each of those cases, the job description sounded dreadful (and likely scared off other applicants) but turned out to be inaccurate. You really can't predict how it's going to turn out.

2) IMHO, being able to walk away from a job you hate is more valuable than having a job you love. It may be worth doing a job you dislike for a while to build up the financial buffer to give yourself that flexibility in the future.
posted by backupjesus at 5:35 AM on August 10, 2007

Keep the job you love. No matter how rock-solid that web dev job looks, it's a thing to bank on and I'd be wary of a place paying you that much money when just starting up.
posted by cellphone at 5:45 AM on August 10, 2007

I've faced the same decision, and have the same jack-of-all trades kind of job (not too far from yours as a matter of fact.) I'm going to assume that your present salary isn't really rock bottom. As a father, I agree that you need to suck it up and support the family first. But provided you make enough to take care of your family and we're agrguing over degrees here, I would stay where you are now with one twist. Consider expanding your career horizontally instead of vertically. The new position would be a vertical move. You'll make more money but be at someone's mercy; someone who will control your time and energy in return for bigger bucks. I decided to stay where I was and expand horizontally into freelance projects. That way I earned more money but could control the process a little better than had I taken the big paying job where I was at the beck and call of others. I found I could make more money, still enjoy my day job (and have it as protection against the vagaries of freelancing) and still maintain the time I wanted with my family. As an added benefit, the side jobs branched me off into many new areas I ended up enjoying even more. Side work can be taxing and you'll lose a little sleep time. But at least you can control it. So my final answer: stay where you are but try to do more side work. Oh, and as someone who is sending his first daughter off to college this fall, save for college. Now.
posted by lpsguy at 7:02 AM on August 10, 2007

Also, I would add that if you really feel loyalty and respect for your current employer, you should probably be honest with them and make sure they understand your situation. It may be the case that they can't afford to pay you any more, but this should be on their radar at the very least -- if you're that critical to the business they may be able to find enough money to keep you there (without necessarily matching the new offer)
posted by condour75 at 7:36 AM on August 10, 2007

And also, hours -- a few people have mentioned this in passing, but it occurs to me that a startup + programmer + high salary == long nights in the office. That could have a much bigger impact on your family life than a higher salary. In fact, depending on the hours expected, it might not really be a higher salary at all.
posted by condour75 at 7:58 AM on August 10, 2007

On the flip side, if you keep your current job and have to take on side gigs, you may also be working long hours.
posted by acoutu at 2:59 PM on August 10, 2007

Where I am at now is this...

The money is probably too good to pass up. We have debt, and the budget is tight. If nothing else, that financial stress creates tension and frustration between my wife and I.

However I have some pretty strict guidelines on what I need from a job - one thing is that I am not willing to sell myself to an employer. I want/need a 9-5 job. I simply am not wiling to take a job that will have me working long hours all the time.

As yet this is something I haven't discussed with the new place. So it could be a deal breaker.

That is the reason I have avoided freelance work, it takes my all-to-little free time. And the tax on contract work becomes pretty extreme for me.

The way I see it is this - it's not a job that will give me as much flexibility and diversity as my current one. But at the same time, it's far from being a job I would hate. If it turns to shit, I have a number of other options I can pursue, and shouldn't end up any worse off than I am now. By making it easier to pay of my debts and loosen the financial noose a little, I think my home-life will be less stressful as well, and overall probably make me a little happier.

Thanks for all the advise, and I think it fairly well echoed my own internal dialogue.
posted by sycophant at 3:06 AM on August 12, 2007