Help a Reader: Toxic Job

Not a true "help a reader" question, but she is looking for thoughts, so I'm posting it as such. Here's a comment I recently received:

What are your thoughts about choosing a career that maximizes your income even though you don't like the work? Or staying in a high-paying job that is poisonous to your mental health? I've made three job moves, each one to a company that paid less but also had a healthier work environment. When I think about the fact that if i had stayed at my previous job, I would be making twice as much money, I sometimes wish I stayed. Then I talk to friends who are still there and taking Xanax and ulcer medications and I realize that I probably made the right choice to leave.

My response was:

You need to maximize your income while also staying healthy. If a job hurts your health, eventually you'll break and that won't benefit your career at all.

Plus, of course, there's the happiness factor. For me, I'd rather make 90% of my top salary and be happy than 100% and be miserable.

All this said, I've found that you can have both -- high earnings and a job you like -- if you look around hard enough and are willing to move.

What else would you add to this conversation?

Comments

[Kevin]

I'm with FMF here. I'm probably making 10-15% less than I could elsewhere, but I like the environment and future prospects of growth and possible ownership of the company so I'm staying.

Now if I could make 50% more going elsewhere, it might be worth looking into.

[Sarah]

Believe me, looking back in your old age, you won't be wishing you'd had a few extra bucks.

[David]

The expense of bad health is going to eat up the extra money anyway. This is a slam dunk.

[David]

The expense of bad health is going to eat up the extra money anyway. This is a slam dunk.

[Angie]

I partially agree. It depends on the amount and how much that money means to you in the short term. For me, I took a job that requires me to work free overtime and take business trips on the weekends. Skip holidays occasionally. Work late for "emergencies". All for about 20k more than I would have started out anywhere else.

The payoff isn't just money so I can buy whatever I want and live like a rich lady. I'm hoping by working my butt off for a few years I'll manage to pay off my huge student loan debt. All that at about 8% interest. Worth it in my books. In 3-4 years when I'm debt free I'll consider a less stressful job. But most likely by then I will either be used to it or actually like it.

[Big Cheese]

Your other option is to stick it out at the toxic job and look for another job with similar or higher pay and a better environment. It will be tough to stomach in the interim though.

-BC

[Ed]

I am with Angie on this one. First of all, it think if you are calling a job toxic, then you certainly should not be doing it. However, I do think that there is nothing wrong w/ sacraficing a little sanity in your younger years in order to put yourself, and your family, in a great possition a few years down the road.

Personally, I worked 60-70 hours a week for the first 7 years of my career... and many of the people I worked with either burned out, and/or hated the job, but I just always tried to keep my eye on the prize.... Now, most of the people that left that got burned out are still working at or near the salary they left at.... and mine has prob tripled since then.

But.... there is a big difference between sacrificing a little now and ruining your health.

[Paul]

I agree with FMF on this one, but choosing between having 100% of your income and having 90% and happiness is an obvious decision. What if you had to choose between 100% of present income and 60% to be much happier? I think a more realistic situation might be leaving a well-paying job for one that pays much less but at which you'd be completely happy.

The reader even said that he/she now makes half of his/her originally salary. I personally think that is still worth it. There is no price you can put on true happiness at your job. You spend more time at a full-time job than you do at home.

Also, if you're at a job that you love, you will usually be dedicated and work much harder. This usually will lead to promotions or at least high praise from people who see that you truly love your job and are good at it.

To me, that is worth getting paid 50% or 60% of a much higher salary. If one is responsible with his money, spending less than he earns, avoiding debt, saving 10% or more of his money, etc, earning much less will be no problem.