Those of us who have interests that do not line up with the highest paying jobs of the day feel the dilemma of choosing money or work we love the most.
There is no pat answer for this.
You will have to look to your own values and make a decision accordingly.
However, there are three main options at your disposal.
1) Decide that creating a great standard of living for yourself and your (future) family is worth the personal sacrifice of taking a job that you’re not that into. In this scenario you might pursue your true interests outside of the office as a hobby, through volunteer work, or by doing a few freelance jobs here and there.
2) Decide that monetary compensation is not as important as the work you want to do. Maybe your passion for your field is so great that you’d be willing to cut your expenses and live with roommates in order to pursue it. Or you feel so strongly about the difference your work could make in the world that you’re driven to go for it regardless of personal gain.
3) Decide that you will not stop until you find a way to combine the financial rewards that you want with the work that you love. Get stubborn and crafty. This option takes the most amount of time and effort. (And it may have a significant ramp up time period as you figure out what works and what doesn’t.) It will likely involve pursuing multiple streams of income.
Which avenue are you most interested in pursuing?
Step 1 is important to help you define your purpose. 🙂 Otherwise, strategies and techniques are useless if you don’t know what they are for.
I enjoyed this post! My husband and I are trying to make a similar decision. My husband’s high paying job is making us miserable and we are trying to decide whether or not it’s worth it anymore.
Hope you’re able to find a decision that your family is happy with! The downside of many high paying jobs is their impact on quality of life. I enjoyed coming across your blog, by the way. 🙂