Ask Slashdot: How Much Is a Fun Job Worth?

Nicros writes "I have the good fortune to be a lead software engineer in a really fun company. The culture and people are great, and while the position has some down sides (distance from home, future opportunities), in general I'm quite happy there, and I wasn't looking for a new job. Now, I've had an offer to go be a software director for a new company. The pay is more than 10% better, the location is closer to home, and the people seem nice. I would get to grow a new group as I saw fit, following some regulatory guidelines. Problem is, I just can't decide what to do, and I'm not even sure why I can't decide. Maybe it has to do with leaving a job that I like (something I've never done) that just doesn't sit well with me. Maybe it's fear. I'm 40, so maybe it's just getting older and appreciating stability more. But then again, I have my current position dialed in, and could use a change. I have ambition, and my current company has made every effort to work with me to develop my career — probably more in the business development side, but that could be fun too. That career path is just more vague and longer-term than jumping right into a director position, with no guarantee that it would even work out. In the new company, software is not what this company does primarily; not many people would use the software, so the appreciation level would be much lower than my current position. Has anyone made a transition like this in software? How did it work out? Did you stay or did you go? Why? What's more important, the people and culture at a job, or the opportunities that job presents for future growth?"

Comments

Re:What's more important....

[BVis]

And, of course, I'm making about a quarter of what I'd earn working in industry (based on the offers I had in hand when I took this job). I think it's worth it for the quality of life.

25%? Really? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you really think so little of yourself (or are so insane) that you'll allow yourself to get exploited like that?

I'll repeat the sentiment I posted above: "Quality of life" does not put food on your table or pay your mortgage. CASH MONEY does that. The more cash, the better, independent of ANYTHING ELSE. Not "quality of life" or "fun" or "feeling of accomplishment", CASH MONEY.

If your options are (hypothetically) a job that pays $50,000 a year, but you perceive as 'fun' (personally, I don't think any job that pays me 25% of my market value could possibly be 'fun', I'd be too busy trying not to become homeless to even consider if the job is 'fun' or not) or a job that pays $200,000 a year but is a miserable situation, GET OVER IT AND GET THE MONEY. The more money you have, the better you are. The more miserable you are, the more money you get. You are paid to do stuff that other people can't or don't want to do. If you work hard enough and play the game well enough, you will gain a position that allows you to profit off someone else's blood, sweat, and tears, and that's the REAL American Dream. (The concept of the American Dream being "work hard, play by the rules, and you'll get ahead" is invented from whole cloth. The people that tell you that are looking to either sell you something or take advantage of you. Your reaction to that statement should be to punch the speaker in the crotch.)

And if the job makes you so miserable that you start having physical symptoms (high blood pressure, ulcers, other things people whine about), you have the money to get them treated. So, again, GET OVER IT.