Why you shouldn’t choose between a fulfilling and a high-paying job

That's the old dilemma that stays with us from infancy to retirement.

When I was a child, I idealized both sides. I dreamed about being a crazy scientist designing useless stuff in my lab, but I also imagined myself wearing a suit in my corner office (whatever a corner office means for a 5-year-old kid). The dichotomy was there: should I work on something that gives me satisfaction or follow the money?

40 years later, I know that I prioritized the money, but I'm constantly trying to find more fulfillment in my job.

This is how I see it.

Job satisfaction

It sounds idealistic, romantic, and even corny, but job satisfaction exists.

I don't expect to leave the office eager to come back the next day or jump out of bed excited every single morning, but to feel satisfaction. You may feel it in many ways, but I like that sense of achievement after I solve an issue, implement a solution, or answer a colleague's question. A big chunk of the professional depression we experience nowadays is related to our self-imposed need to "find our cause."

I don't know whether I found my cause, but my job is interesting, and that's enough to give me satisfaction.

Please, don't think that, by saying that, I mean that my job is entertaining 100% of the time. It's very different from that, but it contains several moments when I "feel good" while and after doing something. Although I also experience many stressful situations, the balance is that the positive sensations overcome the negative ones (it sounds like a couple discussing parenting).

Many people say (and I agree with them) that job satisfaction is more important than a high-paying job. However, let me add that they are harder to identify.

High-paying jobs

These are the bad guys. If someone tells you is chasing a high-paying job, get away from them. Really?

Well, that's the implicit message, as if our salary weren't a big portion of why we work. Although I believe that working only for money can't be sustainable for long periods, a reasonable payment makes our lives easier. However, one of the most significant challenges of enduring a high-paying job is getting used to that salary too fast.

What you perceived as a high number a few months ago is not special anymore.

To make it worse, these jobs have another catch.

As we don't want to sacrifice part of our salary (earn less), they are hard to leave. So, we try to cope with the difficulties, and the stress grows inside us until we can't handle it anymore.

That's the negative aspect of earning good money. It gets hard to renounce it.

I think my position is clear until now. If I had to choose, I'd pursue job satisfaction. However, the question is: Do I have to choose?

Can't we aim at getting both?

This is the most important realization I had during my professional career: Job satisfaction and salary, even if not independent from each other, can live together.

I used to believe that high-paying jobs couldn't be fulfilling. That the only way to earn money was to be stressed, dishonest, and competitive. And to work happily, I had to resign some money.

Fortunately, I was utterly wrong. Unfortunately, I learned it the hard way: I was working at a job that didn't pay well but still made me miserable.

If that was possible, the opposite should be too.

In fact, let me tell you something: I usually find satisfaction at work when I add value. Those are the moments that motivate me. And the more value I contribute to the company, the higher my salary will be.

According to that formula, job satisfaction and salary go hand in hand. Of course, in practice, that's not 100% true because when the stakes are higher, so is the pressure we experience.

However, we can conclude that a high-paying job should be challenging, and in a healthy environment, it will satisfy us.

Conclusion

If you are wondering whether you need to seek satisfaction or salary, forget about that. You can go after both.

This also applies if you are sacrificing one to get the other.

Does it mean that you can't prioritize your satisfaction or money in different moments of your life? Of course not, but be aware of why you are doing so and what you are putting aside.

Imagine you are after a short-term financial goal or that an opportunity to make lots of money lands on your desk. It's perfectly fine to sacrifice some satisfaction shortly. In the same way, you can prioritize a personal activity and opt for a less demanding position for a while.

My advice is to find the interception between satisfaction and money and move around it for most of your career so you have a fulfilling and well-paid job.