Dilemma: Make money or benefit society?

Badger_Lady

Hey guys,

First of all, I appreciate that I'm in a really fortunate position, and that many people on this board and elsewhere would give their back teeth to have my dilemma. I apologise to those people if my question seems bourgeois.

OK, so I started my latest job 18 months ago and was totally over the moon - it was good for my career, a short commute, plenty of money and really good for my social life. Everything was fab for a while, but the company grew and got less pleasant, and for several months now I've felt very frustrated. A lot of my colleagues have left for the same reason.

In a moment of rebellion a couple of weeks ago, I applied for another job. Just one, just because it looked fabulous online.

Then I had a serious word with my boss and have started to feel much more positive about my current job - I've got my motivation back and I can see a path to having fun again. I still have good friends here and the pay just keeps getting better.

Well now I've been asked to interview for the new job and I couldn't say 'no'. It's working for a charity, helping with worldwide issues at a senior management level. I would be so proud to work for them. It's a pay cut, of course, a fairly large one but I could adjust my lifestyle accordingly and I've always had a knack for sidelines (I could even freelance parts of my old job, which are better done on evenings and weekends).

The new job is a longer commute and about the top of its own career ladder so there's really nowhere to go up from it. I'm confident that I could love and cherish and enjoy it for years to come, rubbing along quite adequately financially.

The old job, if I stay, will get me an MSc in a specialist subject and see me earning double the charity salary in 3 years' time, but working for a profit-making capitalist corporation.

Why can't I figure out what I want to do!? I'll feel so terribly guilty if I waste the charity's time

Googlewhacker

Why can't you do both, earn the decent wage and give alot of it away to charidees, give more of your spare time up etc etc

pinkshoes

You won't be wasting their time. An interview is just as much about finding out that the job is right for you as well as you being right for the job.

You might not get it.

You might be so put off in the interview with the job turning out to be nothing like you thought.

Go to the interview, see if you get offered it, and play it from there. You will not be wasting their time!

Badger_Lady

Thanks Google... I forgot to mention that I do a lot of charity work at the moment: trustee for a local charity, organiser of fundraising events for another, and volunteer at several other events during the year. In fact that's where most of my annual leave goes. But last time I came back from a charity event, I was in a FOUL mood and just wanted to go back

Morgan_Ree

I guess it depends what you value more.
A job you used to enjoy (but you admit is getting better again) with a great salary and great career prospects.
Or a job you think you'll enjoy (obvously there is no guarantee) for less money and no career prospects?

Is having a good job an important part of your life?

paulwf

It's a tough one. Your current job will give you a specialist qualification, double the pay (in 3 years) and a shorter commute. Will that compensate for the satisfaction of doing the charity job?

Only you know what is best OP, as it partly depends on your age and exact finances. I think I would be tempted to get the Msc as that is a universal qualification so could give you more options in the future. If you stayed in the private sector for another 5 years could you knock a big hole in your mortgage to make it a lot easier to go into the charity sector?

DKLS

I am lucky as I can earn the money and benefit society at the same time, but from previous experience, I would go for the job your in, you can easily assuage any guilt in other charitable actions.

Badger_Lady

I've already done really well in my career, relatively speaking... the current job is Middle Management; the charity one is Senior Management. I'm a specialist in my field, which is really very new and therefore most people are unqualified. The MSc has only been running for three years and is only available at one university so it's an edge rather than a requirement.

I'm 27, but an old 27 who's been living independently since I was 16

I think if it was just a choice between the two jobs, I'd go for the charity one... I just don't want to leave here! Oh, and now I'm just whinging - sorry!!!

bendix

Make money. Every time.

!!!!!! society - there's no such thing as society.

paulwf

To update my previous post as you are 27 I'd definitely keep the high paying job and get the qualifications and pay off the mortgage...you've got a long working career ahead of you but if you play it right you could downshift by the time you are in your early 40's and have more time for your pick of voluntary work. If you want to have kids then I'd definitely try and pay off a chunk of the mortgage now.

Badger_Lady

paulwf wrote: »

If you want to have kids

Nooooooooooooooooooo way!!! :eek: