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Ask HN: How much of pay cut would you take for a more fulfilling job?

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Re: Ask HN: How much of pay cut would you take for a more fulfilling job?

#21

Post by throw51319 »

decafninja wrote: post #14

I work at an investment bank as a senior SWE. I'd take a paycut to work at a FAANG or other upper-mid to top tech company. In fact, I'd be ecstatic to join such a company as a junior or mid engineer - and the paycut (if there would be any at all) would probably be very minor. Meanwhile the long term benefits (monetary, skill, and career) would probably be far superior.

In what ballpark are you making? I'm at an IB as a mid-level engineer and my all-in compensation is at least half of what I could get a FAANG. In NYC.

Re: Ask HN: How much of pay cut would you take for a more fulfilling job?

#22

Post by decafninja »

throw51319 wrote: post #21
decafninja wrote: post #14

I work at an investment bank as a senior SWE. I'd take a paycut to work at a FAANG or other upper-mid to top tech company. In fact, I'd be ecstatic to join such a company as a junior or mid engineer - and the paycut (if there would be any at all) would probably be very minor. Meanwhile the long term benefits (monetary, skill, and career) would probably be far superior.

In what ballpark are you making? I'm at an IB as a mid-level engineer and my all-in compensation is at least half of what I could get a FAANG. In NYC.

Ballpark TC of 150k, as a "vice president" individual contributor, team works with the front office (trading desk). I'm in NYC too.

Probably could have made SVP/D/ED (the next level up, I think it's referred to differently depending on bank) if I actually cared and made more of an effort. Instead I choose to use that time and energy to do more leetcode.

Re: Ask HN: How much of pay cut would you take for a more fulfilling job?

#23

Post by shoo »

> the primary goal for many [new professionals] becomes, in essence, getting compensated sufficiently for sidelining their original goals. Robert H. Frank, a Cornell University professor of economics, tried to find out exactly how much compensation people deem sufficient for making this sacrifice. He surveyed graduating seniors at his university and found, for example, that the typical student would rather work as an advertising copywriter for the American Cancer Society than an advertising copywriter for Camel cigarettes, and would want a salary 50% higher to do it for the cigarette company. The typical student would want conscience money amounting to a 17% salary boost to work as an accountant for a large petrochemical company instead of doing the same job for a large art museum.

-- Schmidt's book Disciplined Minds, p 131

Re: Ask HN: How much of pay cut would you take for a more fulfilling job?

#24

Post by cm2012 »

shoo wrote: post #23

> the primary goal for many [new professionals] becomes, in essence, getting compensated sufficiently for sidelining their original goals. Robert H. Frank, a Cornell University professor of economics, tried to find out exactly how much compensation people deem sufficient for making this sacrifice. He surveyed graduating seniors at his university and found, for example, that the typical student would rather work as an…

I'd personally consider it more moral to work at a petrochemical company than an art museum.

Petrochemicals - Creating energy, necessary for modern life and society.

Museum - Playground for the rich and tourists.

Re: Ask HN: How much of pay cut would you take for a more fulfilling job?

#25

Post by bruce511 »

frompdx wrote: post #5

> I quite frankly feel I'm only doing it for the money. I think this describes everyone's relationship to work. If your current employer stopped paying you would you keep showing up? If the more fulfilling job stopped paying you, would you keep showing up? Usually if I decide I want to change jobs I am looking for something that is both more fulfilling and higher pay rather than one or the other. If I did not have to…

Alas this does not describe everyone's relationship to work.

Huge communities of people work really hard for zero money to get job satisfaction. You need look no further than many open source projects to see this, not to mention armies of volunteers at any charity shop etc.

While it is rare to find that perfect job, where you are both fulfilled and paid well, it is certainly something to hang into when you find it.

For me, I programmed for free long before anyone paid me, and I'll program for free when they stop paying me. In between I have earned dramatically lower pay working for myself, on projects I enjoy, with minimal oversight, than I would have gotten working for some corporate as a cog in the machine. I don't envy my rich Google compatriots - it would kill me to do their job.

The old cliche says if you find a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life. That's bogus. Work is still work, and I work harder than most,but the work is meaningful, satisfying, and fulfilling. (_and_ I get paid :))

To answer your question though I dug out this story I read a long time ago https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31077/when-his-project-w...

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