Anyone had to leave a job/ career they love as the pay.is too low?

[malificent7]

I'm only 2 years in to my healthcare career and after a rocky start in a private hospital ( where I was treated like shit, the work was dull and they worked me 3 weeks without a break), I got a job with the nhs which I love.
I am trying to aim for promotions etc as I am struggling to pay bills on a low band 5.
My lone manager thinks I lack confidence ( i was bullied in the private hospital) but I think it has grown hugely here and she wants to support me to succeed.
However, now I am older I realise that money is more important to me than it was 5 years ago when I retrained.
I've never been a successful career girl as I was a single sahm for ages but I don't think it's too late. I want to try to stick to healthcare as I got a 1st in my degree and love A and E, my colleagues etc but i want more money.
Just feeling a bit torn tbh.

Line*

What quals and experience do you have? Yes lots of people have to make a tricky choice between a job they love and a decent salary. It depends what sort of role you could reasonably get and whether the pay would be enough to be worthwhile.

I left a low paying job I enjoyed for a better paying one. Ironically my better paying job is about the same as the bottom of band 5!

I would say to stick it out and keep going for promotions as your confidence increases, if you can roughly afford to.

I was eating into savings each month and was at the top of the (very low) scale for the job I was doing. I had enough experience to know the better paying step up was not something I was capable of so had to change completely.

I mean I'm not eating into savings as I don't have any and i'm always in overdraft. We did get married this year which although very budget(3,000), still was only just in our reach.

I left care work because the pay was too low, there was no opportunity for career progression and the (zero hours contract) hours were unreliable. The final straw came after Brexit when we were suddenly extremely short-staffed throughout the entire company. I didn't get a single day's holiday approved over the space of 18 months.

I don't regret it but I do miss it. If the wages went up and zero-hour contracts were scrapped I'd go back in a second.