‘When considering a future career, the most important factor is money.’ How far do you agree?
Career, Family and your own well being are three important pillars of life, if any pillar goes in not in proper
position, the rest of the pillars will be at stake and you life will be in trouble. I see it as a tripod. If you take
your camera tripod and if you try it with just two legs, you will never get a still image.
While considering career, the most important thing you need to consider is the interest. How much
interest do you have in that particular field? Can you enjoy your work? If yes, go ahead with it, if no, then I
would recommend that leave it. Just for example: Cristiano Ronaldo plays football because he is interested
in, he loves playing football. It was his sole interest that made him such a great player. It was his interest
because of which he practiced so much football. It was his interest that he excelled in the game even after
failures.
Careers have failures too. So if you will chose a career in which you have interest, you have passion, you
will face the failures and you will have the courage to fight against the failure. You will shear apart your
failures and move ahead with greater self confidence.
So in a nutshell, I would say that the most important thing to consider the career will be your interest,
passion and knowledge in that particular field.
IS MONEY THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CHOOSING YOUR NEXT CAREER?
“Show me the money!” – Rod Tidwell (Jerry Maguire)
There are several factors people consider when making a career move: Salary, location, job fit, job security,
benefits, fellow employees and more.
After conducting more than 420 phone interviews in the last three years as part of IQMS’ hiring team, I
have found that salary does seem to be the No. 1 factor for individuals in their next career move. It’s not by
any means a landslide – location is definitely a close second, followed by job security.
Maybe I, who bases my decision off career growth, location and happiness, am a little naive in respects to
this, but do you see where I get to live? You just can’t put a price on the beautiful Central Coast of
California! And for anyone who has ever lived here or visited, you know exactly what I’m talking about. In
fact, some of our customers will choose to do their training in our brand new training facility in California,
although they may be geographically closer to our Rolling Meadows (Chicago) office.
Throughout my interviews, I have spoken with all types of backgrounds, from recent college graduates to
individuals with 30-plus years’ work experience. They both have their great qualities, but when discussing
with them what they want in their next career move, they do differ. A recent college graduate may just be
looking for the big bucks straight out of college, but then may not realize that the salary may be based off
the type of career and the cost of living in the area as well. An individual with 30-plus years’ work
experience may want the same big salary that they have earned over their career, but then may not realize
that starting a new career with a new company may mean you have to begin toward the bottom and work
your way up.
With the diversity of backgrounds and educations, I typically have to adjust my interviews accordingly.
With college graduates, I tend to explain the cost of living on the Central Coast as compared to Los Angeles
or San Francisco. There is definitely a dramatic difference. I also discuss the commute. Here, if you live 30
miles from our office, it takes you 30 minutes to get to work. In LA or San Francisco, a 30 mile commute to
work could mean two hours in traffic or worse, in this bloggers opinion, you could have to deal with the
hustle and bustle of public transportation.
With experienced individuals it is more difficult, at least for me. Here at IQMS a majority of our positions
start on the bottom and you work your way up, in accordance with our “promote from within” strategy.
Some (not all) experienced individuals do find it difficult that they can’t start in management here.
I can say that after explaining other benefits to working at IQMS, other than salary (although we are still
very generous in that regards), I have swayed individuals to choose IQMS over a company that may offer
them a little more in the salary range area initially. We have a full insurance package, employee incentives
(such as a referral program and get togethers once a month), a great location where employees can live
from Santa Maria to San Miguel and, most importantly, a great product.
In life, money is very important, but it doesn’t have to be the only deciding factor in choosing your next
career.
“That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” – Henry David Thoreau
5 Important Things to Consider Before Accepting a Job Offer
After sending out carefully-crafted cover letters and resumes and acing multiple rounds of job interviews,
the payoff is here: a job offer. Time to celebrate? Not so fast.
Even in a tight job market, it’s not always in your best interest to accept the first job offer you receive. And
what if you’re faced with more than one appealing option? Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to score
multiple job offers or maybe you’ve got one offer in hand and another opportunity (or more) that looks
promising but is still in the interview stage.
This is a good problem to have, but a dilemma all the same. It’s important to prioritize what is most
important to you and evaluate how the offer at hand aligns with your top priorities and your other current
options.
Here are some guidelines for evaluating that job offer and making a smart decision.
1. The Money Question
If money isn’t a key issue for you, you are very fortunate. However, most people find that their financial
situation strongly influences their job decision making.
When evaluating whether to accept a job offer, finances must be considered in two significant ways:
1) Can you afford to pass up an uninspiring offer and wait for something better?
If you have been between gigs for a while, it may be necessary to compromise on waiting for your dream
job and accept something that will help you pay the bills right now. If finances are tight, you may also be
more likely to consider a less attractive compensation package because some cash flow is better than
none.
That’s not to say it’s fair or right. Only you can decide if earning money right away must be prioritized over
the other factors listed below.
2) How does the compensation offered compare to your other options?
For every job offer, you must also consider whether the compensation offered is fair and appealing. It’s not
just about the numbers on your pay check, it’s about your quality of life and feeling valued as an employee.
Remember that salary is just one part of the compensation equation. You must also consider health
benefits, paid time off, 401(k), and other factors. There may also be room to negotiate from the first offer
— either for more money or for additional perks.
Look at salary research on Payscale.com to make sure that the offer is fair based on market averages and
your level of experience. This research will also give you some ammunition if you want to try to negotiate a
better deal.
Next, do the math and make sure you understand how well you’ll be able to live if you accept the job.
Think long and hard before accepting an offer that seems unfair (nobody wants to be a bargain hire and it
could cause resentment later) or could lead to financial hardship down the road.
At the same time, don’t allow yourself to be swayed by a big paycheck if the job is a bad fit in other
important ways. Research by The Journal of Happiness Studies (yes, this is a real publication) shows that
money increases happiness only when it allows people to move from poverty to about $50,000 per year (I
have to wonder if the figure should be a little higher in New York City and other high-cost-of-living cities).
Beyond that, more money doesn’t have a significant impact on happiness.
2. The Job
Naturally, you will also want to evaluate the position itself and the work you will be doing for 8+ hours per
day for the foreseeable future.

Do you get excited thinking about the work?

Does the position allow you to use the skills you most enjoy? How often?

Do you believe in the company and its products/services? Are you passionate about making a
contribution?

What role will you play in the organization? How will you interact with coworkers?

Are there any quality of life considerations to consider? Think about commute time, expected
overtime, flexibility options, and related factors.

Is it important for you to have visibility, leadership, an impressive title? And, to what extent does
the position offer these things?
3. The Management
Some jobs look great on paper — until you meet the manager. A great manager can make a tough job
rewarding, but a bad manager can make even a dream job stressful.
Your direct manager will have the most influence on your day-to-day work life.

Is he someone you can work with?

Does he show respect to his team members?

Does he have a good reputation in the industry?

What is his management style and how does it fit with your preferences?

Do his expectations seem reasonable?
4. The Culture/Atmosphere
It can be difficult to get a true sense of a company’s culture until you work there. However, if you look for
hints and ask good questions during the final rounds of interviews, you can get a pretty good idea of how
they operate. You can also learn a lot from seeking out former employees of the company in your network.
Some culture questions to consider:

Are the company’s values in keeping with yours?

Do company leaders prioritize issues you deem important?

Does the company emphasize training, mobility, and promotion from within?

What kind of personalities seem to thrive?

After visiting the office, can you see yourself working in that environment?
5. Future Prospects
In today’s job market, no position is forever. With each step you take, you must evaluate how it will
position you for the future.

Will this job keep you sharp?

Will the day-to-day responsibilities let you hone skills that will make you even more marketable in
the future?

Does this position come with increased responsibility?

Will working at this company give your resume added credibility?

Does the job give you a “foot in the door” to make a desired career change?

Will you have access to useful training and networking opportunities?
When evaluating whether to accept a job offer, all five of the categories above should be considered.
However, you must also prioritize according to personal importance. The compensation may be your
biggest concern right now — or perhaps after years at a staid company, you need a more innovative
culture.
Think about which questions are critical for you and where you would be willing to make sacrifices. While
the choice can be difficult, having a clear list of priorities and concrete answers can help guide you to the
job that was meant for you.
What Else Besides Money Is Important While Choosing a Career?
by Leyla Norman - Updated September 26, 2017
Deciding what career you want to pursue can be a difficult decision. Besides money, quality of life offered
by the career of your choice is a vital factor in making your decision. Picking which quality of life
characteristics are most important to you will help you choose your career.
Definition
A career “is usually a long-term chosen profession or occupation that provides an income. Often there is a
planned sequence of jobs as you build a career,” according to the Carolina organization’s website in its
publication “Unit 2-A Career You Love.” Pursuing a career, then, can take up a significant part of your life. It
is best to choose a career you will enjoy and be successful in from the beginning. However, that is not to
say that you will be stuck with whatever career you initially choose for the rest of your life.
Promotion Potential
It is important to know what types of jobs the career you want typically leads into after so many years on
the job. From the beginning of your career search, you should be aware of whether you want to move in
the traditional career promotion path for your career. If you have a goal to be a nonprofit executive
director, but you really like teaching ESL, you should weigh your decision carefully. Although you very well
could end up forming your own nonprofit for ESL speakers, you may be much less well-equipped to
manage it from a business standpoint if you jump from being an ESL teacher to running a nonprofit. You
can choose your educational path based on where you ultimately want to end up.
Family Goals
You should consider whether you want a family and what type of family life you want to lead. If you
already have a spouse and children, it is important that you consider the effects of your career on them. If
you want to be home in the evenings with them or have the flexibility to homeschool your children, it
might be a good idea to choose a career where you are not always on call or have to travel often. You may
even want to start your own business so that you eventually can have the flexibility to take days off when
you want to.
Where to Live
It is important to know whether you want to work locally or move to a specific location. You may also like
to travel. These considerations help you to choose a career that is best for your personal tastes. If you are a
nurse or other healthcare professional and you like to travel, you can work for a few weeks or months at a
time in one city and then travel to the next, living in hotels and racking up per diem pay in addition to a
salary instead of working in one hospital. Commute time is also important in choosing a career. If you really
like living in a rural area, but hate driving an hour or more to work every morning, you may need to
consider a job closer to home.
Benefits
If you like the thought of controlling your own schedule and freelancing or consulting, remember that you
are not likely to earn sick or paid vacation days in this type of career. You will probably also have to pay for
your own health insurance as well as pay higher taxes than if you worked for a traditional employer.
Flextime, job shares and other flexible work arrangements may also be important to you if you want to
better balance your family and work lives.
Safety
The risk to your person is another factor to consider in choosing a job. Some jobs come with significantly
higher risk for injury and sickness than others. You may have a more difficult time getting life insurance
someday if you worked around dangerous chemicals or in a mine for twenty years. (See Reference 1.) Your
health can be negatively impacted by some jobs, but if the safety precautions taken on the job are tone
down the risk enough for you, and you are really interested in a particular career, it may still be the best
career choice.
Others
Also consider the level of autonomy and prestige you want in your career. Your ability to think for yourself
and be creative may be important to you. Think about whether you like to work alone or on a team, as well
as about the amount of education necessary to reach your career goal. If you do not want to be in school
or training that long, you may need to consider another career path.
‘When considering a future career, the most important factor is money.’ How far do you
agree?
 What constitutes a worthwhile career?
 Vocational occupations
 Self-satisfaction
 Self-realisation (Maslow)
 Economic realities
 Relation of money to happiness
 Cost of education
 The qualifications you want
 What you are capable of achieving
 Career choices and the market
 Several other factors may be suggested – availability of courses
 Domestic circumstances