More Important Than Salary

If you’ve ever taken a higher paying job just because of the pay increase, there is a good chance that you have some horror stories. Whether it was management with bad tempers, expectations of working 80 hours a week, or simply working on ugly systems, sometimes higher pay comes with things that make it worse than a lower-paying job. In this episode, we’re going to discuss some things you should be considering when the tempting offer of a higher-paying job is presented. In particular, we want to state these items in the forms of questions you should be asking during the hiring and interview process. However, we realize that this is the real world and that you already may be trapped in a higher paying job with a bad work situation, so we’re also going to discuss how to fix the problem if you are already in a bad situation. While not all situations can be fixed, you probably don’t want to walk away from a high paying job unless you really have to. Higher paying jobs can do wonders for your finances, however, they have the potential to make life miserable for a variety of reasons. Being able to filter these jobs out when searching for a job (or when your job situation changes) is critical to your long-term success as a professional. Bad jobs, no matter how much they pay, can burn you out, cause health problems, or even destroy future opportunities for you. Episode Breakdown What is the expected workload in this job? $100,000 a year with 40 hour workweeks (and two weeks vacation) is about $50/hour. At 80 hours a week, it’s $25/hour. While some degree of extra time in a technical work environment is no surprise, when it becomes pathological, it’s a bad deal. It also tends to burn you out and create expensive health problems. If you are already in this job (including if it has suddenly changed into this type of environment), the fix is to push back on management when they want you to work an excessive number of hours and to be ready to quit. What technology will I be using? While using ancient, crusty technology can often pay well now, if that technology is going away (like silverlight, flash, etc.), then it can also be a dead end for your career. If you are using both the dead-end technology and something newer, you are probably ok here, but if you are just stuck on the old stuff, you need to be really careful. If you aren’t, this can make it difficult for you to get your next job. Bear in mind that if an employee is only working on old technology, a lot of times when the company moves away from that technology, that employee will lose their job. If this sounds like your current situation, you need to be trying to learn about the newer technology that your employer uses, or you need to go elsewhere BEFORE you get laid off. What kind of work environment can I expect? It goes without saying that not all work environments are pleasant. Some managers are abusive, and some coworkers are toxic. It’s unlikely that you can fix this. The work environment is more than just the people in it. You may be working with a great team in a building that makes you sick (mold, for instance), where your desk, chair, or other equipment causes you physical pain. In general, you can’t fix a toxic work environment. You can only leave. Even pointing out that a culture is toxic is a bad idea – it just makes you a target. Plus the culture may not be toxic for everyone. (For instance, a highly religious office might be comfortable for some, but not others and vice versa). How much opportunity for advancement does this job offer? While a pay increase is always nice, unless you are about to retire, it’s not always enough. You also need to consider the future direction of your career. It’s not just about what new tech you can use – you s...