(Photo by chrischapman)

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me for some career advice. She was being poached by another company and they were offering her a huge increment to move over. From a pay check perspective, it was a very tempting offer. It would have taken my friend a few years of increment at her current company to even out the offer from the new company.

Even then, we discussed at length and in the end she didn’t take up the offer. You may be wondering why not? My aim today is to share with you the key points of that discussion.

A job switch is something that most of us will encounter at least a few times during the course of our working life. A decision to change our job is often accompanied by conflicting push/pull factors and fear of stepping into the unknown. Based on my experiences with switching jobs, I know that it can be an unnerving experience.

When presented with a job offer and a huge increment, the natural inclination is to take it. Of course, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. However, besides money, there are other considerations that you need to take before coming to a decision. Most of you are wise enough to know that the huge increment alone cannot be the sole consideration.

WHERE TRADITIONAL CAREER ADVICE FAILS

Most career consultants will advice you to list down the push and pull factors to guide you to a decision. On a piece of paper, list down the push and pull factors to keep you in the current company. At the same time, list down the push and pull factors that will make or prevent you from taking up the new offer. Then compare the two lists and see which option presents a stronger case.

In most cases, the following are common push or pull factors that will be listed:

• work-life balance or flexible work arrangement.
• salary or money.
• career advancement and learning opportunities.
• relationships with colleagues.
• work culture.

In some cases, it is a straightforward decision with lots of push factor at the current company; coupled with the huge increment as a pull factor for the new company.

However in many other cases, it’s not that obvious. In the case of a huge increment, salary obviously remains a pull factor. Yet there will also be strong pull factors at the current company like good rapport with colleagues, established credibility with the management, a conducive work culture etc… Neither option is perfect as both have their pros and cons. It is a tough choice and we are afraid of making a decision that we will regret later.

FOCUS ON DESIRED LIFE EXPERIENCE

Before we move on, there is one point I need to make: we spend a large part of our life at work. For a typical 9 to 5 job, working 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, you will spend 35% - 40% of your waking hours at work. This means that almost half of your entire life will be at the workplace; almost half of your life experiences are from the workplace.

With this in mind, it certainly makes sense to choose the option that contributes to a fulfilling life experience. Because if you are not fulfilled at work, then half of your life is already bounded to unhappiness.

Steve Pavlina says that in making decisions that sticks,

choose the option that will give you the life experiences that you seek. Your desired experience should be the primary and sole focus of your choice.

What does Steve mean by seeking a desired life experience? Let me share with you my personal experience as an example.

HOW I FOLLOWED MY HEART

I was once a full-time officer in the Army for 7 years. It was a well paying job and I was earning much more than most of my peers in the private sector. However, the regimental life in the Army was not to my taste and I really desired to work in the dynamic IT industry.

At that juncture of my life, I did the pull/push factors exercise and the results showed that I should stay in the Army. I was held in high regard by my superiors and was also ahead of my peers in opportunities for greater responsibilities. At the same time, I had no relevant IT experiences and a job switch meant a monthly pay cut of more than a thousand dollars. All the logical factors told me to stay in the Army.

By the end of the 7th year, I quit anyway, took a big pay cut and plunged into the unknown. Back then, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I ignored all logical signs and made a decision that many people perceived as stupid and illogical. I simply followed my heart.

It’s been 4 years since that decision and my new career has stabilized. It hasn’t been a smooth sailing ride and I suffered many hard-knocks and anxieties along the way. Looking back, it was a pretty scary career move, but I never regretted my decision.

Whenever I meet up with my friends still in the Army, I am filled with gratitude that I had followed my heart and made the ’stupid’ decision 4 years ago. The career switch has allowed me to be exposed to business and IT knowledge and challenges, things that I would miss if I didn’t follow my heart.

Back then I didn’t realize it, but I was making my decision based on my desired life experience in the IT and business world. Considerations like career prospects, pay cut were really secondary. Today, my life is filled with these experiences that I desire.

DON’T TRADE YOUR LIFE FOR A HUGE INCREMENT

As such, when it comes to deciding if you should take a job switch for a huge increment, you are asking the wrong question. The correct question to ask should be:

What is the life experience that I desire, and which career path will offer that to me?

It may be the case where the huge increment can provide the experience that you desire. If that is the case, then by all means, take the offer. If money does not provide the desired experience, then your consideration should be something else. It may be something closely related to your life purpose and your passion, something that gives you fulfillment and you enjoy doing on a day-to-day basis.

Using this approach, whether you end up taking the offer or rejecting it, you can do so based on knowing which option provides you the desired life experiences; not based on the fact that it’s a huge increment.

It is important that you follow your heart and choose a path that you will not regret in the later part of your life. Wouldn’t it be sad to look back years from now and see that you have traded a fulfilling life for a few hundreds or thousands of dollars of increment in pay?

There is no lack of opportunities out there, but we only live our life once. Even if you give this huge increment a miss, as long as you pursue your desires and live your life to its fullest, another huge increment will be coming round the next corner, sooner or later.

Would you take a job simply because of a huge increment? Share with us in your comments.

External Resources

Here are some additional resources about career, life’s purpose and passion:

• How to Get Out of a Job You Hate - BrianKim.net
• How to Find Your Passion - LifeHack.org
• Making Decisions That Sticks - StevePavlina.com
• Career Tips: How to Find Your (Potential) Unique Value Proposition - Life Optimizer
• Life on Purpose: 15 Questions to Discover Your Personal Mission - Think Simple, Be Decisive

This blog is about leading a balanced life focusing on career, relationships and money. You can read more about balancing your life here. These articles are written for you. If you find them useful, feel free to subscribe for regular updates as new articles are posted. It's FREE. :)