Would you rather have an interesting job that was badly paid or a boring job that was paid very well?

@malificent7 You don't say how old you are, so I am coming from a pensioner view.

So the background - I worked for a good deal of my working life in the public sector (not that well paid, but there was then a non contributory pension scheme) before I became a SAHP - not planned, but circumstances meant returning to work was not possible. My State Pension was protected by the Home Responsibility scheme. After the children left home, DH and I set up a well paying business (we worked extremely long hours and travelled extensively for contracts) which we kept going until retirement - about 12 years.

I hadn't bothered much with my work pension (could have paid out when I was 60) - honestly I thought it was worth peanuts - until I approached State Pension age (66). At that time, I claimed my private pension and was absolutely shocked about how much it was and the lump sum I received - 5+ years of deferred pension and a 3x monthly sum. The pension was index linked since I left in 1991 - so had accumulated surprisingly well.

So my advice is this - if you joined your pension scheme when your benefits were index linked and it allows you to retire at 60, consider carefully what that is worth in addition to your pay. If not - go and follow your dreams ❤️

Boring job that paid well because my life isn’t work.

If I’m going to spend between 35- 40 or more hours a week (away from my family) doing doing some career or vocation, damn sure I’m going to make sure I get paid as well as possible for it. There’s too many variables to make it a fair comparison though. Some people have opportunities in life and some people don’t. Some people have drive (to get away from the mundane) and some people don’t. Also don’t assume accountancy is boring. It’s highly stimulating to some.

I've done boring, badly paid jobs for good causes. Badly paid for long enough to have my student loans written off in full.

Wouldn't have it any other way. Having 'enough' has always been enough :)

Surely it depends where your talents lie?

It's all v well saying you'd prefer to be an accountant than pupil support assistant as it pays better, but you'd be a terrible accountant if it doesn't match your skillset

That’s not true later on in your career. Much of the hard work and long hours are needed to progress to your desired level. Once you are there and not looking to advance further the need to all the extra commitment reduces significantly.

I and a number of my colleagues worked hard for a decade to reach senior roles and then had children and were happy to stand still career wise. All earn over 150k and work fewer hours than when we earned 50k.

I don't think that is the choice for most people through is it? Many low paid jobs are as dull as ditch water and repetitive, yet many high paid jobs are intellectually stimulating and varied.

I had a boring job that was badly paid! But was flexible enough to let me do fun stuff outside of work.

Now I'm a sahm so have an interesting "job" that's not paid at all!

I would prefer the interesting job at this point in my life (assuming it wouldn't leave me really struggling for money). I don't think I could stand another boring, pointless job, I found it soul destroying. And I wasn't motivated and didn't try my best, which also made me feel badly about myself.

The other thing to remember is that a lot of well paid jobs are quite stressful and have long hours. I have a well paid job but it’s not unusual to have to work to midnight or weekends. It’s not 9 to 5.

I remember telling DC that they might find they had to choose between well paid or rewarding.
DS1 ended up with a job that he loves but the pay is mediocre. He lives and breathes his work, still buzzes with excitement when talking about it after all 7 years.
DS2 got a very well paid job. He doesn't hate it but it's not what he dreamed of. I think he envies others who love their work Trouble is that it's hard to walk away from the money, especially when you have a mortgage.

Boring and well paid is the way to go providing you make the boring job work for you.

I earn very well, decent 6 figures but the job is boring now as there’s not much new ever happening. Most of it is dealing with situations I’ve dealt with numerous times before.

I do however WFH most of the time and can do nearly all nursery and school drop offs and pick ups.

I now feel that my job works around my personal life rather than it being the other way round.

I wouldn’t swap if for a more interesting but less convenient job regardless of what the salary on offer was.

I made the same choice as you and sometimes I wonder this but so many people’s jobs sound mind numbingly boring I couldn’t do it so I am pleased with my choices

Did boring and well paid. Never again.

Now teaching and my pay (ignoring inflation) has just got back to where I was. It is the best job in the world and I'm never going back!

When I was a kid, there were a few years when my dad was out of work and my mom was the sole earner (with a teacher's salary). I still remember my mom sitting at the table every month, counting money and putting it into different envelopes — and somehow it was never enough, we always had to borrow because something always came up. I also remember feeling ashamed about things like wearing hand-me-down clothes (kids can be really cruel), or skipping field trips because I couldn't bring myself to tell my mom that she needed to pay for another thing. Because of that, I always felt I had to make money — ideally a lot — so I’d never have to be poor again. Would I have loved to study history or philosophy instead? Absolutely. But then I wouldn’t be where I am now. I chose a career that’s demanding, sometimes boring, but very well-paid, and I moved up quickly. And honestly, it feels good to have financial security. I will probably be able to retire and live comfortably at 50, so it's definitely worth it.

All the jobs I've ever had have been both mind numbingly boring and woefully remunerated.

So I'd take boring and well paid any day.

I started my nurse training aged 18 and now, aged 60ish, I don't regret a thing. I love my job. I get tremendous fulfilment from it. I work in a Dementia Unit and I love being able to bring tiny moments of joy to my patients' lives.

My 4 children, meanwhile, have all gone into corporate jobs and out earn me by several thousand. They're happy, I'm happy.

There's more to life than money, for me. I have a lovely little cottage by the sea, with chickens, dogs, a view of the sea from every window, the cottage is mortgage free and tbh, I can't think what I'd spend the extra money on. Maye 5 star holidays instead of 3 star?

The boring one because then you can have a more interesting life with all the money! Also helps set your kids up for the future.

I've never had a boring job - but if I did I'd leave. I've been a physio, a customer support advisor, a copywriter/general dogsbody for an 'influencer', a shop-worker, and a cleaner. They've all been brilliant - until they weren't so then I left (or didn't renew the contract as I'm now self-employed). But never because of boredom, even though some people might think that things like cleaning would be boring.

You spend so long at work that it's important to enjoy what you do, but for all you know, those 'boring' well-paid jobs might not be boring at all.

I work for a charity and LOVE my job, I’m
badly paid compared to others with my level of responsibility in other fields, but it’s absolutely worth it for me. I work with some
amazing people and I’m incredibly proud of the work we do.

I left my boring and well paid job to be a maths tutor part time and stay with my kids. Hourly, it’s very well paid, but I don’t really make that much because I’m only part time. I did it because DH makes enough for me to do that, and because I have my own personal savings and investments that would keep me and the kids right if it went tits up. Also if I can always scale up my tutoring if needed.

Without financial security I would pick the boring job all day every day. I would work it with the goal of saving enough to have a fun job in X amount of time. I can do boring things as long as I feel there’s an end to it - being bored with a goal in mind is fine, but just being bored forever would drive me mad.

Not saying maths tutor is the most exciting cool job in the world, but it’s very rewarding and it can be really fun when you get to teach a real nerdy kid who loves maths (rare, but they exist).

Any job as long as it is not stressful and exhausting.
I would take the well-paid but boring job.

I have an very rewarding job (Youth/Behaviour Mentor) but the pay isn't great. However, I'd prefer to be doing something in genuinely passionate about as it makes going into work in the morning a lot easier.

I also chose interesting "worthwhile", not so well paid jobs at the start of my career.

It was a reasonable choice back then because there was no COL crisis and the smaller salary was still livable.

My problem is that since then wages have completely stagnated and the cost of everything has gone up. I wasn't expecting that to happen.

My first salary of £25,000 would be equivalent to £44,000 today. For a single person living in a shared house! No wonder it felt like enough.

I am in a less well paid job I love but I also have an excellent pension, annual leave, very flexible boss and workplace policies and it's almost fully remote.

My previous job paid me £15k more but I was bored out of my skull whilst simultaneously stressed and the level of anxiety and depression this led to was absolutely horrendous.

I'm saving £££ on parking, fuel, tolls, meal deals, pottering round the shops at lunch time and dog care. And we're down to one car from two. It almost balances out evenly in the end.

What price your sanity?

I've sent you a dm :)