A Pay Cut for Personal Growth?

As as follow-up to an Ask Slashdot from earlier this week hatch815 asks: "I have recently been extended an offer to come work as an engineer for one of the internet search companies. In responsibility, this will be a step back, as I am currently in a management role, but as a career direction, it will provide me with unlimited exposure, learning, and advancement. The place where I work now is a small non-IT centric shop. Although I am management, I am at the top of the ladder. The tough decision is the pay decrease I would take if I did take this new position. Is the prestige and exposure worth giving up responsibility? I am too stuck in the big fish small pond mentality? Is going back to the forefront better than the psuedo-management I do now?"

Comments

Personal Satisfaction

[bleaknik]

My personal advice: Money is not everything. Ask yourself these questions:

• Does this new job pay your bills?
• Does your current job offer you a greater sense of self-satisfaction when the day is over?
• Do you like Psuedo Management roles? I personally, do, but it may not be for you.
• Is there room for growth? If you don't like your new job title as well as you could, are there promotion opportunities?

I guess the biggest thing you have to worry about is your bills. Sure everyone likes a fatter paycheck, but all in all more money doesn't make you happy. Money only keeps you happy for a short while, after that happiness expires it becomes a question of personal satisfaction. Without personal satisfaction in your career choice, you're always going to dislike going into work. You're always going to dislike your job.

What do I know, though?