The Why of Work: Should You ‘Sell Out’ For a Better Paying Job?

You probably had the life philosophy that money doesn’t matter, as long as you are doing something worthwhile and meaningful. But something changed, you are now staring at a lucrative job offer and this changes a lot of things.

You can finally get your own house, a car or perhaps both, and you earned it! But something doesn’t quite fit right with you. The job is okay, and there are some trade-offs such as better pay and remote work, but the problem is you’re not passionate about the company’s mission or you are not particularly interested in this sector.

What do you do? Should you ‘sell out’ for a cushier job that has better pay and perks but it may be unfulfilling?

According to a recent poll done on The Edge Partnership LinkedIn page, a whopping 57% said it is OK to take the job. After all, money could be a factor in creating options for what you want to do with your time outside of work.

One user commented and said “Depends. If you have the luxury of money, then you might need a more fulfilling and gratifying job. If you have even a slight financial crunch, then yes, it’s ok to sell out. But that also entails a certain percentage of risk.”

In today’s day and age where workers are encouraged to follow their passion, the idea of following a boring safe job that pays better is almost a taboo. This rings true more for Gen Z workers where atleast 15% have reported making values-based career decisions as opposed to monetary-based career decisions.

Why you should sell out

Rather than dwelling on the advice of following your passion, let us explain further why an alternative path like selling out can be a wise move.

The biggest advice we have: sell out, and sell out early. Selling out early could lead to more comfort in pursuing your passions. A lot of people are stuck in a rut of knowing they want to pursue something else but do not have the financial means to do so.

Instead of chasing a highly idealistic or inspiring pursuit for the first decade before settling on into a more secure and lucrative career, try finding a lucrative career that pays well so you can spend the rest of your life having the financial power to chase your dreams.

High-paying jobs don’t mean misery

High-paying jobs don’t automatically mean misery. Martin Seligman’s book “Flourish” suggests that people especially employees can acquire a most positive outlook on their work by having Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments (what he calls PERMA).

When people take personal accountability for creating these attributes, they enhance their sense and meaning of life.

A good way is to reflect on the positive contributions that you have made, or the influence you would like to have on your team, clients, partners and community.

Letting go of the dream job chase

Not all dream jobs will be able to be aligned with your values as sometimes it comes with a penalty. A 2019 study showed that many organisations exploit workers’ passion to pay them less or allocate them menial tasks.

The dream jobs that you have dreamt of could also feed into a toxic hustle culture that convinces workers they need to work all the time to prove their passion and commitment to others as well as themselves.

Yet, it might seem like a badge of honour to choose a passion-based job but over time it could make you less happy when other motives go unfulfilled.

Assessing your options

Whether you decide to be a “sell out” or not, the pandemic has changed the way we transition into these roles and it is now no longer a taboo to take a higher-paying job or a lower-paying job even if you are not passionate about the company.

As the economy changes, so do the rules about jobs and money changes. Now, you could have a strong case to make if your company made significant cutbacks and you took a job that, given the market, was the best available job to support your family.

Unsatisfied with the job offers you’ve been getting, but not sure how to turn things around? Explore our job boards in Asia to find the right role or get in touch with our team of specialised recruiters to have a chat.