Help! My Dream Job Doesn’t Pay

You’ve looked up every career you think you’d enjoy, everything you’re passionate about, and are hit with a harsh reality – your dream job doesn’t pay!

Now you feel forced to choose between work that inspires you, that offers reward in the form of meaningful impact but not a formidable salary and a high-pay, low satisfaction situation.

As you begin to comprehend the full gravity of the decision, you feel your heart sink.

Do you take a job or pursue a career that feels so right, or go a different direction just because your bank account says it’s all wrong?

It’s a tough choice! Let’s break down the issue…

Chase Your Passion

Passion Ignites Us!
When the work we do aligns with our core values and gives us a sense of purpose, it excites and motivates us.

Consider This
The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime.
Gettysburg College, One third of your life is spent at work

Loving a job will give you a reason to spring out of bed each morning, which may be worth far more than a six-figure salary…

As Mark Twain pointed out, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

In the end, less (money) really can be more (satisfaction)!

Chase a Paycheck

Money Matters!
Whether we’d like to admit it or not, money has a tremendous impact on our lives. Even the most fulfilling work will eventually become tainted if you’re always stressed out about money.

In her article, ‘Follow Your Passion’ Is The Worst Career Advice – Here’s Why, published in Forbes, Julia Korn points out that:

We have multiple interests and strengths, therefore multiple potential passions
Monetization can quickly dim our passions, which may be best kept as hobbies

The reality is – passion and purpose don’t put a roof over your head, buy groceries, or take you out on Friday night.

Enter – – The Passion Conundrum

I call this dilemma the passion conundrum. It’s something I’ve experienced personally, when I took a position as a community college instructor with a salary quite a bit lower than I could’ve made, with the same degree, outside academia.

At the time, I didn’t know there were other possibilities, ways to escape from the high pay vs. amazing job dilemma. You can have your cake and eat it too?

1) Start Seeing Less as More

Reframe the Low-Pay Career Problem!
When you intentionally design your lifestyle around fewer material wants, your cost of living drops significantly. You’ll no longer need a high salary to survive. Suddenly, what you make goes from limiting to more than enough.

Shifting to a Minimalist Mindset
Instead of asking, “How much can I earn?”

Minimalists wonder:
“Could I live just as well on less?”
“How much of my spending actually brings me joy?”
“Would I trade most of this stuff for the chance to do something I truly love?”

Becoming more minimal helps you get away from seeing possessions as indicators of success. When you focus on relationships and experiences over things, you’ll feel less pressure to chase a higher salary.

By stripping away the (physical and financial) clutter, minimalism creates space for passion and purpose. It’ll give you the ability to pursue meaningful work, even if the paycheck is less than impressive.

At the end of the day, when your life is filled with the many fabulous things money can’t buy, you’ll feel rich. You’ll thrive, not because you earn more, but because you want less.

Alternatively (or while you build wealth), you can take:

2) The Hybrid Approach

Try splitting the difference!
Maybe you don’t have to have 100% passion or 100% paycheck.

Perhaps there’s something in the middle – a career with decent pay that is reasonably fulfilling. The higher pay helps you become financially independent sooner, while the couple extra drops of fulfillment make the workday more tolerable.

Eventually, you’ll…

3) Become Financially Independent

Financial independence offers freedom!
Quit worrying about bills.
Walk away from financial stress.
Refuse to say “yes” to a job you don’t want simply because it pays well.
Choose work based on meaning instead of money!

When you’re financially dependent, the order of importance tends to be:
1) Money
2) Everything Else

If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you may feel obligated to take a job that will support you even if it drains your energy, conflicts with your values, or hinders progress toward your long-term priorities.

When you aren’t making enough to get by, passion and purpose become luxuries – something you occasionally hope to have… someday.

Once you’ve achieved financial independence – by widening the gap between your earning and spending, then investing the difference – doors will open!

Passion Becomes a POSSIBILITY

When you’ve amassed financial reserves, you can say “Heck yes!” to opportunities that light you up, even if the pay is… modest at best.

Do you aspire to:

Freelance
Work at a nonprofit
Start a business
Educate others
Write a book
Do something creative
Become a social worker

Previously dismissed choices become viable again if money isn’t the only driver, as does cutting back to part-time or taking some time off.

Paycheck Pressure Fades Away

Being financially independent doesn’t mean you can stop caring about money – but you’re no longer limited or controlled by it. That dream job (with the pittance of a salary) won’t feel like a sacrifice, because your basic needs are already covered.

Your paycheck goes from the backbone of your budget to icing on the cake. Financial independence can tilt the scales and take the fear out of prioritizing passion.

Your Dream Job Awaits

Do What You Love and Love What You Do!
The best position is one that challenges, excites, and (literally and figuratively) supports you. The ideal career is both amazing and compensates what you’re worth.

Unfortunately, many struggle to find the best position or ideal career.

Are you stuck in the passion conundrum –
Do you have a dream job that just won’t pay the bills?
Are you hopelessly drawn to a profession with subpar pay?
Have you landed a high-paying position that (at least for you) lacks luster?

Don’t despair!
Remember, you can:

Stick with the job you love and live on less
Change course and continue to pursue your passion, as a hobby
Find middle ground – 50% purpose, 50% adequate pay

Or, my favorite option:

Increase your net worth to open doors, add options

If a position feels like too much of a trade-off, keep looking. You can always revisit it once financial freedom has given you the ability to design your days!

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