I am a mid career professional 8yoe. People who have a lot of experience and advantage of hindsight, what’s your advice? What to look for in a career. Did you chase those high paying jobs or it just happened as a byproduct?
Lol, wake up call, 300-500k is no longer considered as high salary in the bay area
seriously?
So I hear sometime
Happened as a byproduct. I didn't even know that programming was a career when I chose a major.
I chased high-paying jobs and in hindsight it was worth it, even though i'm not any happier than before. Happiness is not achievable by sitting still, it is achieved by constantly challenging yourself and exploring your limits. At least that is how it is for me.
This
I actually did chase high paying jobs and it worked out for a little bit. Then I got disenchanted. Decided to join a smaller company, didn’t work out for some externalities. I have the option of chasing some FANG jobs or a very interesting opportunity with an early stage company. Wondering if I should follow my heart
Follow your heart brother
Fuck your heart. Get paid at work. Make enough money to guarantee your dreams come true. Don't chase them and hope for the best.
Yes but not because of comp. work is great, team is for the most part really good, personal life is in order. Happiness is different for everyone though.
I somehow feel like the more money I make, it's almost like I'm less satisfied with my income. Back when my income was less than half what it is now, I HATED my job. Couldn't stand my manager. Yet, somehow I was pretty satisfied with work. Now I actually like my job, and I'm making good money by any measurement, but I am 100% completely dissatisfied. Maybe I'm just older. But I think it's that the more I make, the more I weigh my job as important to my well being. When I wasn't making that good of money, I didn't give a shit about my job or my career, and I think that's why I was happier.
I wonder if it is just human nature to be dissatisfied. I see all these TED talks of people finding meaning and satisfaction in life and work and I am in awe. None of these people ever talk about money. I wonder what am I missing. Am I just following the rat race? May be its time to take time off from everything and look at my own life from “outside”
Its a taboo to talk about money. I think it is human nature to be dissatisfied. We probably would've died as a species if we got content w/ the way of life. Grass is greener syndrome is baked into our DNA, for the right reasons. That's why we went to the moon, to America, to the red sea, etc
Agree to a large extent. Although I wonder if primary motivation for all these great discoveries has been money! It definitely has been to escape persecution, understand our origin, and answer the mysteries of our lives....
Half of that would go in taxes. Remaining in mortgage and childcare. You can't retire early nor is there anything additional you can afford.
If you hate your job then no amount of $ will make you happy. What blows your skirt up? Recognition? Security? Romance? In America everyone's second motivation is # but it's a distant second to the other three I mentioned.
Someone told me a long time ago “never take a job for the money. Do your job and the money will follow.” This person retired at 35. Best advice I ever received.
What they didn't tell you was that their parents had just died and left them 30 million.
He was an orphan, asshole. GFY.