For Love or Money— Would You Take a Job You Hate If The Pay Was Good?

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There have been a lot of changes going on at the company I work for—mostly people leaving for higher pay elsewhere. A few of my co-workers and I started talking about reasons why we would leave a job that we love and people that we like working with. There were mixed answers, but the most popular one was related to money.

It’s interesting that this was brought up because of all the changes that are going on in my life in terms of moving, finding another job, income etc. The whole topic is related to my move. The question to me is, what would you do to live in a city you love and have the lifestyle you desire? Those two things are more important to me than money—so, I wouldn’t stay in this city even if I made more money, or even found a great job. Those things aren’t at the top of my list for life satisfaction. . .but, I wouldn’t take a terrible job just for money, because I know that working (even part time) takes up a lot of mental energy.

I’ve left jobs for different reasons, including deciding to go back to school. Asking the right exit interview questions can help employers discover the reasons why employees leave.

Going back to my question of “what would you do to live in a city you love and have the lifestyle you desire?”, I would definitely live in an area that was not at the very top of my list or work at a crappy job for a while —though I’d work toward finding something more rewarding quickly. Being here, and having moved for reasons that are no longer important to me, I realize the things that are most important to me. I really like my job and I like the friends that I’ve made since working there—but those things aren’t enough. Place is really important to me—making sure I have access to the things I love to do, see and experience. Cost of living is only relative to the value you put on what that price includes. Things are worth what people will pay for them—and yes, I would move to one of the most expensive cities in the world (Vancouver is amongst the 3 most expensive in North America, but is 63rd in the world) if I felt like what it had to offer was worth the cost.

I really want to find a job that I enjoy—and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to find job satisfaction, but I’m not willing to live in a city that I hate to do so.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! What would you do to live in a city you love and have the lifestyle you desire? Or – would you compromise, and live in an inexpensive city that didn’t offer as much in terms of your lifestyle? What are your deal breakers for a job or city where you live?