Should you rather have a well-paid job or one you love?

Deepansh Pratap
7 min readAug 17, 2021

This is the question that plagues so many of us, especially at the beginning of our careers. While we grow up aspiring to be in a certain field of choice, life plays out and then the eventuality leads us to places we seldom plan. Some blame it on circumstances, some blame it on their indecisions, but it is better to have the priorities etched out at the beginning of your career rather than 20 years into it. The pragmatic and the practical individuals will side going with whatever is the best opportunity that comes along, something that often offers you financial freedom. Some, still, will advise otherwise. Let’s explore.

The rational folks will ask you to choose high-paying jobs because you need money to meet your needs, but if your passion can provide you with the money to meet all of your needs, then go for it. This allows you to work full time and still maintain your passion.

Before you decide, here is a questionnaire to help you decide. Take a moment to answer these questions and you will notice that it will certainly help you gain some clarity on this titular question.

1. You want to work in high-paying jobs, but why?

2. Do you think these high-paying jobs will be boring in five to ten years?

3. In what way does your personality and passion relate to the high-paying jobs you’ll pursue?

4. do you want to work for a long time period or do you want to save money to peruse your passion?

5. Is it better for your personality and life to work for someone who tells you what to do, or do you prefer to take your own decisions?

6. What would you say if you were too old and wanted to speak about your choices?

It’s okay to list the benefits of both high-paying jobs and passion-driven decisions, even if they’re wrong; you can change it whenever you want; no worries.

While you ponder over these questions, also consider the fact that money is a finite resource. Eventually, more money doesn’t make you happier. Many people I know have taken well-paying jobs just for the money, only to find that they weren’t happy in their jobs and moved on to other pursuits. They tend to do well because they enjoy what they’re doing and make a lot of money.

It’s also counterproductive to feel that the world is wrong for not honoring some random thing you focused on. Decide on a niche in which you excel while also satisfying a need for which people will pay.

However, even if you can find both, you’ll still have bad days in any job for various reasons. But that’s life. You can’t just spend your life, you have to live it! Either way, doing a job and enjoying one’s job are two different things.

While choosing a job, people tend to make the following mistakes:

1) All of my friends are doing this.

In the absence of proper guidance, it is easy to fall into a trap and become a victim. If you subtract a few degrees from the intelligence level of people your age, you’ll be at the same level. Your opinion is valid, but you should not blindly follow it.

If you ignore your skills and abilities, dissatisfaction will creep in. Do not buy into other people’s errors. God does not create garbage…you are unique.

2) This has more market potential.

A certain profession may be in high demand at a certain point in time due to job CRAZES in the market. If you’re passionate about your work, there may be fewer jobs available, but how many jobs do you really need? ONE IS ALL YOU NEED.

You can even create a position for yourself if you market yourself well enough.

3) The company is a household name.

There’s no correlation between a big name and big bucks. If you work for a small business or a start-up, your ideas will be more valuable. With them, you can grow and rise. In a large organization, your chances of getting lost in the crowd are greater.

You will also have the opportunity to multi-task in a small company, which will give you valuable skills for future employment.

Job Vs Career Vs Passion

No matter how hard you try or how long you put up with it, a job that pays well but you don’t enjoy will eventually crush you. It will drain your soul and drive you crazy.

Because of their bitterness and unhappiness towards the world and everyone around them, we’ve all come across them. Those who are without compassion, passion, and love simply go about their business.

Your favorite job that doesn’t pay well is something you will tolerate until it does. Thereafter you won’t have to worry about how much it pays, because you’re happy — jolly, humble and smirking When you live on a spartan lifestyle for the first ten years, you’re under a lot of pressure, but eventually you’ll find a way. This is the most rewarding thing in life. You’ll probably never get there exactly as you imagined, but the inspiration, the struggle, and the journey are what matter most.

We live in a world where we are constantly searching for happiness. And we all have our own theories about how to find it, get it, and keep it. To which the answer is simple — simply live your life! Take everything you get and be grateful for it, whether it’s happiness or fear. Make the most of every opportunity, and don’t let yourself become inert, because being inert is the same as being dead. Take responsibility for every second of your life and don’t waste it.

Work on your passion and get a job you love, and your career will thrive. You are a constant source of motivation for yourself and your coworkers. People are often forced to work despite their lack of motivation. They live a very boring life and are unable to bring out the best in themselves at work.

As well as your physical well-being, this has a negative impact on your emotional state. Choosing something you enjoy is essential to your well-being. Having to meet tight deadlines at work will not motivate you, but rather place you in a state of confusion.

Why do you have to choose between your job and your passion? You can also take a balanced approach between following your passion and building a career that you do not hate.

The right way is to maintain a sense of balance between the two aspects while choosing a career. The dream job could be something that makes you happy to wake up in the morning, but if your expectations don’t match your results, it can be dangerous in the long run. As a result, the dream job becomes a nightmare job for several reasons. As an alternative, a well-paid job could give you the opportunity (if it gives you any) to pursue your passions in your spare time, to save money, and to have a higher quality of life. It is possible to lose interest in your dream job because of a lack of money and a deterioration in the quality of life.

Find a job that makes you happy and financially stable. Put yourself in a position of ease and security. Then you can begin your job search. Dreams are just that: dreams. Reality can be a shock when a dream comes true… and they’re not always pleasant ones… As luck and compromise are part of life, let your dreams be your inspiration, not a cage from which you observe other people’s lives.

There are probably no family obligations, bills to pay, or mortgages to pay when you’re young. There is no guarantee you will not have them in a few years. The sooner you choose a high-paying job over your passion, the more money you’ll save in the future. That is a sign of a responsible adult.

Conclusion.

The things we don’t like to do are necessary for our well-being. It’s true that we must earn enough money to not only survive but also enjoy the activities we enjoy. How much is enough? Will you be happier if you take a higher-paying job? Is the extra money going towards a goal you’ve always wanted to accomplish but couldn’t afford? But will you be forced to give up your favorite activities because of a job with less stress and less pay? You are the only one who can make the decision.

Congratulate yourself if you have the option to clearly choose one over the other! You’re, without a doubt, one of the luckiest people on earth! Share your comments and observations. Are you happy with your job?

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Deepansh Pratap

Deepansh Pratap is a full time freelancer and a published author. He has ghostwritten 14 national bestsellers in English. He has also worked as a trainer.