It seems Eric Tyson, the creator of Personal Finance for Dummies, agrees that a big salary may not be the most important factor in choosing a job. (See yesterday’s post for my original post on this topic.)
In an interview Tyson said, “Don’t practice financial envy. Our culture too often focuses on getting ahead, promotions, and pay raises. But if you’re going to make time for the important things in life, you must resist the temptation to be envious of those with loftier titles and salaries at your place of business and in your field. You can begin that process by realizing that there are no free lunches. Although some people are blessed with extraordinary talent and luck, you’ll often find that the super-successful people in this world, with their mugs on the cover of every magazine, are workaholics. Don’t emulate these workaholics to get ‘ahead.'”
He also went on to say, “Over the years, I’ve seen many people with modest incomes make the decision to fit work into their lives rather than continuing to try to fit their lives into their work. So often, though, people twist and contort their lives and priorities to meet the perceived expectations and demands of their bosses and employers. Fitting work into the rest of your life often involves choosing employers and even careers that enable you the flexibility and ability to accomplish your personal and family goals.”