Which job would you choose?

[Alloutofnamechangeideas]

You can choose between:
A) job you're over qualified for that you get about 40% job satisfaction in. It gives some opportunities to mentor but doesn't look great on your CV as the job title doesn't align with your level of experience or your capabilities.

B) job you get paid 10% more for that's more of a leadership role with a more appropriate job title, in which you would get 5% job satisfaction but would largely hate every working day as it wouldn't be a good use of your experience or skills.

Market conditions mean there aren't any other jobs and there are unlikely to be alternatives in the near future.

Which would you go for?

Job satisfaction is as important as wage levels to me so (A).

I would go for job A, but actively look for opportunities to demonstrate experience and go for projects you can influence results in for your CV. Job titles don't mean so much as showing the work you're capable of. And being happy at work is so important, you're there a lot.
Make up the money with a side hustle you're passionate about, maybe?

but would largely hate every working day

^ Don't take this job, it might ruin your mental health and probably won't last.

Take job A and look for a more suitable job after a few months.

A

The problem is I'm already in job A and not particularly happy and not earning enough and working at that level is limiting for my future progression. It was a step backwards. I shouldn't have ended up in it and it's a bit of a long story how I did. I am being pushed into job B in an internal move.

Ah. In that case, take job B and start looking for job C - remote or something must be possible?

Seems like job B is my only option until job C comes along but even the thought of doing it is depressing.

I agree my mental health is ultimately more important but, despite their claims to the contrary, my business isn't any good at identifying or dealing with these issues.

Ok, let's see if we can make the best of a bad situation. Like, see if you can work with nice people, on interesting projects, or do the minimum and try studying or working on your CV. Good luck, it's miserable being miserable at work, but you can work on 'you' around it.

I worked for nearly twenty years in a job I hated and it was soul destroying.

It sounds like job B would equip you better for getting the future job C that you actually want. If you're already pretty unhappy, the money could compensate a bit and if it's an internal move, does that mean you know the culture and people and those, at least, won't be any worse?

I will be working in a different department and that's part of what puts me off. I will be working in a narrow capacity and so wouldn't work with the breadth of people internally I currently do so the current people and culture - which are positives - are irrelevant. I will be quite isolated in the new role, and will have to give up my current mentoring responsibilities.

Job A could have been much more fulfilling were management effective, and I would be better suited to and useful in a variation of job A but that doesn't seem to be an option.

Yes, job B is a better route to job C so I'll have to suck it up.