To turn down a high-paying job because I want to go travelling instead?

[Harishnayfoke]

I am just about to finish university in a few months and have been offered a job in a high-paying, quite intense business. I was always planning on going travelling for at least a year after uni and had planned to do lots of internships and volunteering whilst I do this to give me skills for the career I truly would like.

My dream has always been to work in some human rights related field or in international development as an aid worker. I'm not sure why I applied for the business job, it was just on a whim and I never expected to get it.

Now I have found myself really not looking forward to starting and fear that I will be setting off on the wrong path and will struggle to get onto a path I'm passionate about. I just worry that I'll be sat in an office wasting away my twenties when I could be off travelling the world.

Would I be mad to turn this job down? I worry because grad jobs are hard to come by and if the economy goes to shit after Brexit I may really struggle to find work and will kick myself for turning this down. But I really feel slightly gloomy at the thought of doing a job involving at least 50 hours a week doing work which I find boring and soulless.

GO TRAVELLING

Thank you all for your advice. Lots of conflict opinions but it has given me something to think about.
Its reassuring to hear that charities like private sector experience.

@99red do you think I'd be better off doing a law conversion down the line or an international development/human rights related masters?

If anyone else has any thoughts then id really appreciate hearing them thanks

Hi- I work in international development (and have for 20 years). If it's just the career that's a consideration, take the job.

Most development roles are actually office based (I am assuming your undergrad wasn't in something relevant like engineering or nursing). Understanding how budgets work, doing presentations etc etc are all really important. I wouldn't hire someone with no office skills (incidentally development is often 50 hours weeks as well, especially if there is an emergency happening or funding deadline- but for a lot less money!)

My standard advice to people who want to get into the sector is to get a specialist skill like public health or finance and transfer that across. There are a million people travelling and volunteering but the development sector needs hard skills. If you take the job you could then shift in a couple of years to do a very focused internship (which you would have the funds for) to get relevant international experience and understand the aid architecture. The 'field' jobs are now rightly done by specialist local staff and local NGOs with a few exceptions. Learning a UN language will also help

If you just want to go travelling though, do it!

You should definitely do the travel but wait a few years when you taken advantage of the job opportunity. You’ll probably have more money and experience in a few years and be able to enjoy a broader range of experiences. I went traveling at 30 so definitely understand the urge but the work opportunity might not come up again. You can still have a great time working.

I see 99red gave similar advice! X post though. I wouldn't do a development management masters, I would think about what you want to specialise in and do that (friends specialise in accountancy, education policy (ex-teachers!), law, tax policy, logistics . I had one intern go off to train as a midwife with the aim of moving back over).

Work then travel!

You will get so much more out of travelling at 25 AND you will be able to see/do more with savings, or a rental place providing you with an income

What’s the point of travelling on such a shoe string that you can’t just decide to visit an attraction as can’t do the train fare, or take part in an activity (hang gliding, rock climbing, getting your PADI)?

Also, week after week in a hostel moving around is draining. Being able to mix it up with having a private room sometimes, or falling in love with somewhere / someone and being able to decide to rent somewhere cheap and stay where you are for 3 months - all of which would be possible if you bought a flat in Glasgow for £150k and rented it out at £650 p/month (mortgage would be £200-400 depending on deal/size of mortgage vs deposit) and saved some money too...

When I was your age, I'd have felt obliged to take a good, high paying job. (I did, in fact.) However, now with the benefit of hindsight, I'd say GO TRAVELLING! Follow your dreams! You'll be in work a long time -potentially 40+ years, so live life to the max while you are still young! You got a great job once, you can do it again. That's what I'd tell my younger self if I could go back in time!

I can't believe I'm saying this as I went traveling but take the job. You can still travel - just delay this for a couple of years and then perhaps you can even take advantage of a sabbatical from work, or just go between jobs. This will sound cynical but money makes such a difference in life, I work in a job I'm interested in but the pay is relatively poor and I do regret no working harder and in something higher paid whilst in my 20s.

Another person working in ID here, albeit on the other side on the fence as a funder. Agree with everything cuddlyopctopus said. Business, technology ( this is like gold dust) and strategic and operational planning skills are what will appeal to employers far more than travelling. Even if you volunteer in some community organisations or local NGOs, the kind of opportunities that are available to random travellers without work visas are not necessarily going to set you apart from a CV perspective or give you much of an insight into the real focus of ID now ( PPPs, large scale ups, using technology to advance Health and education outcomes etc).

I travelled for a year after 3 years of working my grad job. It was fantastic and I was able to secure a sabbatical so I had a job to come back to if I wanted it. My sister backpacked for 2 years in her mid- thirties. It’s not now or never.

Also agree with not doing a masters till you have some experience as you get more out of it if you’re able to contextualise the theory with your own experiences from doing a job in the sector.

If you really want to go travelling I would do it now.

Once you start work you'll get on to the treadmill of not wanting to lose your earnings, not taking the risk, losing any accommodation you have , relationships may get in the way, and then children!!

My niece I mentioned upthread who choose to travel first, is earning a 6 figure salary in New Zealand. in ANZ bank, she applied for her work visa.
She may resettle over there. hope not after encouraging her to spread her wings

Hmm personally in this situation I would take the job and work for 2-3 years and then go travelling.

Your CV will benefit from the job, your pocket will too so you'll have a lot more cash to fund your travels and then you can follow your dream career path.

Take the job and get some core work experience behind you. Having a few years with a well known company on your cv will give you the edge. The economy is turning downwards and the job market in 12 mths’ time will be worse. You need the money to travel anyway so you might as well earn a decent salary. If you hate it, you can resign and still go travelling with some savings behind you plus some solid work experience will really help you get contract work abroad if you want to combine travel with work.

Accept the job. You are free to your mind later if you want.

change

As someone who travelled extensively and volunteered/interned both at home and abroad, I'd definitely recommend taking the job, getting just two years of work experience and then if you still feel the same way, travel and volunteer after the couple of years experience. Travelling and volunteering is lovely and SO enjoyable but honestly? It's not going to get you noticed in a job interview or on a CV because EVERYONE does it these days. I now have a fab job which I love but I wouldn't say that any of my travelling or volunteer work really helped me to get the job - because pretty much all the people in their early thirties or younger did the same thing! It's becoming almost like a rite of passage - finish uni, travel, volunteer. You will really stand out so much more in future job applications if you get the high pressure business job and show that you can do that side of things, and then maybe do some volunteering to beef up your CV. But to be honest anyone can volunteer and travel, not anyone can successfully get a proper job and stick it out in a high pressured environment. So you'll really thank yourself if you stick out the two years in the job, even if it's boring. You can travel and volunteer to your heart's content once you've done that and know you've got that as a safety net. But if you just become one of the millions of other uni graduates who take time off to travel and volunteers youll have a lovely time but might regret it in the future.

Also I really feel I need to add that I work for a charity and these field is SO competitive now - your work experience will be worth 1000x what your voluntary experience will be worth!

Another person in international Development saying take the job! I did a corporate graduate role I didn’t love after graduation to pay the bills. It gave me the skills I needed to get a proper paid role in the same are in an international development charity. I then did a mid career Masters and moved onto various roles in the sector that I found more interesting.

Equally is hard to take time off to travel once you work so if you go now do it for the chance to travel, not because you think it will give you a Development career. If you’re competitive for the job now you probably will be in a years time too

I'd take the job, get lots of experience and save for a flat. As you said it is a good base to have and could be a source of income.

Don't take the job if you can afford to go travelling. Nice to know you can get a job when you need to, and spend the time planning what you really want to do - if you can afford to take lower paid work/voluntary work and get work experience to do so it massively helps. That's why a lot of people don't pursue their dream job, they simply can't afford to.

Once you start work you'll get on to the treadmill of not wanting to lose your earnings, not taking the risk, losing any accommodation you have , relationships may get in the way, and then children!!

This. Plus depression and ill health beckon when you feel trapped by a mortgage in a job you hate. Spread your wings and take risks while you can.

I’d say go travelling.

I took the job straight after uni, ended up staying in it, and always hated it but it’s harder to step out, I think.... I regret it. You only get one life.

You are young with the world at your feet.... live your life, don’t just exist.

Just on the buying a flat point, remember this is far from the cash cow it used to be due to tax rules changes. Do the sums very carefully. Consider doing it within a business structure. But it may cost you rather than make you money to fund your travelling. It makes more sense as a long term investment not to provide ongoing income, unless you plan to buy with a huge huge deposit, but then you lose the long term leveraging potential.

I’d take the job. And travel later. With his opportunity, I’d be too nervous not to.

I'm another one in the travel camp. You're already swayed by money and stability and you've not even there yet- think how hard it will be to leave once you get a couple of years under your belt. I went straight into work with the view of travelling one day and once I got a stable job I just couldn't imagine leaving, then I met my now husband, kids came along etc. Now have got kids I wish o had done more before having them.
You also don't know what the future will hold, you've only got today so decide which you'd rather miss out on if you can't have both!