Lots of us still go job prospecting every now and then. Sometimes we even make the leap to something new. But there's a lot more agonizing over which switches make sense -- and which ones ultimately just aren't wise. As we get further along in life, the size of the next pay stub isn't nearly as reliable a guidepost as it used to be.
For one thing, we're a lot shrewder in spotting the hidden ugly side of some high-paying positions. We also ponder whether our new colleagues and bosses will pass the "good people" test. In other cases, money doesn't define our ambitions as much. Of course, some high-paying jobs really do turn out to be passports to a better life. The gutsiest people simply walk away from career tracks they don't like, sacrificing pay if necessary for a new job that connects with their greatest passions. For most of us, such wonderful alignments of money and freedom never quite happen.
In fact, sorting out such trade-offs becomes the defining struggle.... We have grown used to the chase for success, and sometimes it can be hard to step off that track. We also hate to retrench so much that upstarts and plodders overtake us. Yet we have families and hobbies that clamor for time, too. None of us wants to job hop our way to ruin, becoming the pitiable workaholic with the busted marriage and the empty mansion.
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