Money or Happiness: A Mid-Twentysomething's Dilemma

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Would you rather...
A) Go into a career where you're comfortable money-wise but, you dislike, or even hate, what you do or...
B) Go into a career where money is always an issue, but you love what you do?

Most, if not all of us, myself included, would easily pick option b. Happiness trumps money. That is until we get a taste of the real world only to realize that the answer may not be so black-and-white. With the need to pay bills, mortgage/rent, paying back school loans, car payments, etc., happiness can be replaced with the desire to not stay broke forever. As a twentysomething, this part of our lives seems like Mt. Everest while we are the amateur traveller who feel apprehensive and unprepared.

No matter who you are or where you're from, you probably want a job that takes care of money and happiness aspects.

But what about hidden answer C) a good paying job that makes you feel happy and fulfilled? Some people will find that kind of career and others won't. If you've found that career for yourself, then I wish you well in all of your endeavors. :)

I often dream and wonder what the world would be like if everyone had a job or career that made them happy regardless of how much it paid. Would there be less job burnout or the same amount? Would the chances of positive interactions between customer and employee sky-rocket? What kind of effect would all of this have on family and personal relationships? How would it change our education system... or would it? How would that effect our society's admiration with everyone needing to be a leader? I haven't found the answers to these questions yet.

Thoughts like those turn into dreaming of a utopia. (But then I remember that I'm an imperfect person and my idea of a utopia is still flawed.) Hey, we can still go through some possible scenarios, right?

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This is our victim subject, Bob. He's going to walk through the possible outcomes of choice A from above. Let's assume that Bob is fresh out of college with some kind of degree.

Choice A Scenario 1

Bob has thousands of dollars of school loans to pay off. So, he takes an intern job that's within his degree field. As time passes, he climbs up the ladder but, he's not as happy as he knows he could be. He's making more money and is starting to make major strides in paying off his school loans. He attributes this unhappiness to needing a vacation, so he takes one. More time passes and he has a little money saved up. Still, he's unhappy with his job. While at work, he feels listless and whenever he walks into work, he has that feeling of walking into the wrong class on the first day of school. He no longer enjoys the line of work that he's in and no longer enjoys the company of his co-workers (who love their jobs). Bob is now antsy, feeling isolated, discontent, wants to explore other job fields but can't afford to. He still has payments and bills to keep up with. So he stays. The End. MONEY > HAPPINESS

Choice A Scenario 2

Again, Bob has thousands of dollars in school loans to pay off not to mention bills and utility payments to make. Given this, he takes an intern job in the field of his degree. At first he wasn't sure if it was something he truly wanted to do. After all, he choose a major in freshman year of college and never changed or explored other fields since. As time passes he climbs up the job ladder, pays off major bills and is now eligible for a reduced interest rate for repaying loans. In addition to that, he starts to like what he's doing and believes that he can make a difference in the world. He stays with his job and lives happily ever after. The End. MONEY + HAPPINESS

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This is Minnie. She's going to represent a person living out choice B. Just like Bob, let's assume that she's graduated from college with a degree.

Choice B Scenario 1

Minnie has school loans to pay off and she know that taking a job in her degree field can and will have a big payout. But Minnie has developed other career dreams. She knows that pursuing that kind of job will leave her unhappy, stressed out and feeling restless. Her dream job doesn't make as much money and will involve some financial struggle but, she's had a taste of some of the rewards that this dream job offers that no amount of money can fulfill. So she decides on her dream job. She loves her line of work but she's no fan of the fact that money is often an issue for her. Time passes on and her financial issues start to grow. She contemplates quitting the job that she has and finding another that pays better but she can't stand the fact of doing something that makes her NOT want to get out of bed every morning. So she stays at her current job. She's happy and feels like she has a place in this world, but wealthy is not something that can be used to describe her life. The End. MONEY < HAPPINESS

Choice B Scenario 2

Minnie still has school loans to pay off and she still decides to go for her dream job instead of her degree job. She's struggling financially but she keeps at it. With a little bit of planning and living very frugally, her income increases and she's living a bit more comfortably with a little less debt than when she started. The thought of changing her career never crosses her mind and she lives happily ever after. MONEY + HAPPINESS

Now which choice do you pick? A or B?

I'm going to be honest with you all. I don't have an answer. In fact, I'm still trying to determine where God wants me career-wise myself. But, I believe the answer starts with admitting that you don't know what you're doing or where you're going. If you're a Christian, then prayer should be a continuous part of this journey. The next step would be figuring out what are your strengths are and looking at the skills that's needed to do your favorite hobbies. The steps of refining your strengths and skills along with trying out different kinds of jobs that fit that can intermix and can be the longest part.

Sometimes re-evaluating what you wanted to be when you were a child can help determine what you are passionate about now. Sometimes, we stopped wanting to be a "career title here" because we were made fun of or an adult discouraged us. And other times we stopped wanting to be that because we grew up and realized how unrealistic that job was. (e.g. "Queen of the World" or some super hero). But if we stop and think about real life equivalents to those unrealistic jobs and what realistic skills were needed, we can start generating ideas.

Another major part to determining what to do with your life, is to search for a job that excites you and go for it. In my experience, this has lead to having a better insight as to what kind of environment I work well in, in what ways I thrive the most, and how I am better able to contribute to the company and to the community. For example, someone who likes to talk, is a people-person, and enjoys learning about different individuals may not do well in a field where they spend most of their time by alone behind the scenes. Even if the field is something that you're not exactly a pro in, the desire to learn all that you can is crucial.

Only you can determine which path you want to take. I can't and neither can your friends, family or an advisor or guidance counselor. God knows already. The only thing we can do is make a decision, act on it and have faith that whatever doors that need to be closed will close and whatever doors that need to be opened will open.

So stay calm, remember, Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 32:8 and Colossians 3:17, and get out there.