Poll: Is it better to have a cool job, or a well-paying job?

[Shoggoth2588]

It doesn't matter how much money you make if you don't like your job. The most money I ever made was working at Best Buy and that was a place I hated working more than freaking Gamestop (the place where I made the lease money). At the moment my job is monotonous but the money is just right and I'm entertained enough so that it's worth it to stick around, no matter what cracked says about stocking shelves.

 

[Jux]

A fullfilling job, so long as it also pays the bills. If the job isn't available, I'll take what I can get until said job is available. A standard of living must first be met, but after that, I think you'll find that a shitty job, even with great money, isn't worth the stress that comes with it. Didn't vote because I saw no option that described my position.

 

[DeltaEdge]

Like pretty much every other person has said on this thread, you need to balance it. Just like fun or fulfillment can be derived from work, the same can be derived from financial gain in some cases. I wouldn't want to work a job that I like, but doesn't even bring in enough money to pay the bill, nor do I want to work a job that pays well but is so taxing that I can't even enjoy my money. Just like I would love to have a job that I enjoy that pays the bills, depending on how much I would get out of having a certain degree of money, if it isn't too taxing, I might opt for a job that pays well that might not be the most satisfying, provided that it allows me to max out my out of work enjoyment and deems itself worth not enjoying work if I enjoy myself for the other 2/3rds of the day to make up for the lost excitement. For me, it's all about how much I will be able to enjoy myself. Although I'd love to work a job that I love, and if it pays the bills, I would take it up in a heartbeat over a job I despise, I would also like having a job that helps me thorougly enjoy the other 2/3rds of my life. Since life isn't just work, even if I enjoy my work, if it only just barely pays the bills, and my out-of-work life becomes mundane, I'd opt for the boring job that reverses that and lets me enjoy 2/3rds of my time instead of 1/3rd of my time.

 

[DanDeFool]

Reality check, pal. There will be parts of both jobs you love, and parts of both jobs you hate. On top of that, you wont really know how much you like any job until you do it for about a year or two (not that your current feelings don't matter, just that there's no way to be certain in advance of trying). In general, it's better to have a job you enjoy doing; just remember you don't have to do the same thing all your life.

To address your current dilemma more directly, I would suggest you consider going corporate for at least five years. The higher pay will help you recover from any student debt you may have racked up, and the experience is sure to help you land, and perform in, any law enforcement job you want.

Besides, not that I think we're headed for some kind of grim corporate-run future (maybe), but I imagine a law enforcement job, especially a federal one, will have you working with, or against, corporations at some point. The more inside knowledge you have, the better.

 

[Esotera]

I'm quite surprised at the amount of people who said that a job you love is more important than money. As long as you don't actively hate your job, and it makes enough money for you to pursue hobbies now and in the long-term, then I firmly believe everyone should go with what pays best.

I can also guarantee that what interests me now won't interest me in five years time.

 

[Zhadramekel]

I do have to go with the perspective that it's pointless to have a high-paying job if you find it boring

 

[hazabaza1]

Considering that a job is something you'll probably spend most of your adult life doing, it helps if its fun.
However, if I was given the choice between working in poverty in my dream job, or having a slightly worse job and having certain luxuries? Yeah, I'm avoiding poverty.

 

[Rose and Thorn]

I would rather have a job I enjoy and I am happy at. I have the luxury to say this because I only need to worry about my own well being. If I had a family, I imagine I would take responsibility and go for money over comfort.

I have chosen to live a more bachelor lifestyle, and frankly I couldn't live it any other way. While it might seem immature to some, I don't want to live my life unhappy as I feel it would be a waste. I might as well not live at all. So realistically I don't have a choice in the matter. I will follow my heart and my belief in this.

 

[purplecactus]

Count me in for happy and fulfilling. The industry I'm going into (outdoor activities/sports coaching/guiding etc) is never going to make me rich, but it's pretty much everything I want in a job. Hell, it's almost everything I want out of life. As I don't plan on opening my own business/centre or anything like that until I'm getting on in years, I'll be freelance, meaning an ungodly amount of freedom and the ability to pedal my wares anywhere in the world I want.

Couldn't ask for much more.

 

[Shock and Awe]

I'd rather be a fighter pilot on subsistence wages then be a office worker being payed sixty grand a year.

 

[Michael Hirst]

A happy job. You can earn as much money as you like but if you hate the job and/or the people you work with it will grind on you. Don't forget a full time job takes up a lot of time in your life anyway so having lots of money won't really get you far save for your few weeks on holiday each year.

That said the happy job as to pay enough to allow me to live and have SOME fun at least.