Dear Tell All: I’m in my late 20s with a happy marriage and two young children. I have a decent job in the Madison tech industry making in the high five figures. But I suddenly have a chance to ramp up my career with a job offer that will pay me way into the six figures, plus bonuses. The only catch is that it will require insane hours and exhausting travel.
I’m conflicted about whether to accept the position. I love my home life, which has become even more blissful since my kids were born. Watching them grow is a constant source of wonder. On the other hand, the new job could offer the freedom to retire in my 40s, given all the money we’ll save.
Part of me says, “Put your head down and work hard for only a decade so you can enjoy the decades after that without a care in the world.” The other part of me says, “Stick with the more modest salary to maintain work/life balance, even if it means working into old age.”
I see pluses and minuses in both options. Which one should I choose?
Grind
Dear Grind: Unlike you, I see all the plusses in one option and all the minuses in the other.
When you describe your home life, you use words like “love,” “bliss” and “wonder.” When you describe your potential new job, you use words like “insane” and “exhausting.” Hmm, could that be a clue?
You rationalize the idea of accepting the job offer by saying you’d have to work hard for “only a decade.” Only? We get a paltry number of decades on this Earth, Grind, and the one you’re proposing to throw away — spanning your 20s and 30s — is among the best. It’s the decade in which your kids will grow up, and there’s no way to get that back after your early retirement.
You describe your current job as decent, with plenty of money to live on. I’d stand pat with “decent,” which pairs nicely with “love,” “bliss” and “wonder.”
Do you have a question about life or love in Madison?
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