I’m in one of those spots where I make pretty good money but I know I could make more if I left to work for a bigger company- however, I really like my company and it’s really low stress and very low BS that I have to deal with. I like my coworkers and I have a great relationship with the clients. I’ve been there for nearly 15 years and it has excellent work life balance. So when I consider all of that, an extra 20k doesn’t really sound that great if I hate my life every day.
This is where I’m at. I’m in my early 40s, and have a family. My job is pretty low stress and I have a great work/life balance. Everybody is happy. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Same- with kids and a wife and a house that is non stop projects I value the time I get to spend away from work a lot. I have a 401k, I’m going for stability over squeezing every last dollar out of every opportunity.
I also think of it this way- I’m a big DIY guy, and the money I save on labor is basically another salary. The fact that I have fun doing it too is a bonus. My work affords me time to do that rather than being on call at all hours.
I'm nearly 40 and every lady I try to date thinks a low stress lifestyle with a work/life balance is a horrible thing. They are all obsessed with 'ambition'. And when i talk about wanting to actually be a father to my children and having a life outside of my job, they basically tell me to f myself and that I am not a 'real man'.
Found mine before I really had a career. Ambition can also be saving for retirement and post work life. I am also a DIY person, I rack that up to having hobbies and wanting to learn stuff outside of work.
I read a lot of biographies about people who’ve made boat loads of money, and one of the big sacrifices of that is family. You just don’t have enough time for making money all the time and managing a family.
And yet soooo many people I meet seem to think this lifestyle is 'for losers'. Apparently you are supposed to be a miserable corporate drone so you can make an extra few bucks to spend on useless crap that you don't need.