Money and Values: Festival of Under 30 Finances

Hi everyone, and welcome to the Festival of Under 30 Finances! I'm happy to be hosting, and I hope while you're here you'll poke around Money and Values a bit, and especially that you'll stop by this post about the brand new carnival starting the first week in January, the Carnival of Ethics and Values in Personal Finance (name is still subject to change!)

The question I asked people for this edition was:

"In selecting a career path (or particular jobs), how have you balanced wanting work that's interesting and fulfilling, and wanting a job that pays well? Is one or the other more important to you, and why? Have you found ways to try to incorporate both?"

Some people not only answered the question, but wrote full posts about it!

English Major's post on the topic was called Office Jobs, Purpose, and Making Money Work posted at An English Major's Money.

"I've been thinking about this question a lot lately. Ultimately, for me, I can't see any amount of money outweighing a feeling of strong engagement with my work and a sense that it challenges me in ways I need to be challenged. As I continue to plan my career, I hope I can plan it with a sense of personal purpose in mind, rather than my bank balances. I think that set of choices will bring me a sense of fulfillment that money simply can't add to a life. I'm not saying that between two equally fulfilling jobs, I wouldn't choose at least partially based on money, but in choosing for the long term between a fulfilling path and a lucrative one, I think that for my own peace of mind, I'll have to choose personal fulfillment."

living almost large wrote about choosing fun over money at Living Almost Large.

"Choosing to go back to graduate school over the loss of income from a good paying job and during the time in graduate school.

One Frugal Girl's festival submission was Best Financial Decisions... I've Ever Made posted at One Frugal Girl. But she wrote a separate post on this topic recently, and she says: "As for the question of balancing life with work see my post: http://onefrugalgirl.blogspot.com/2006/12/salary-is-not-most-important-factor.html"

Three other people answered the question...

Molly's Brother wrote ‘Tis the Season: Some ideas for inexpensive outings posted at Molly's Brother On A Budget.

"When I first graduated college, I aimed for finding work that I was passionate about AND paid well. After toiling in the film industry--and being extremely well paid--I realized my heart wasn't in it anymore and decided that I needed to feel like my work was important. In time, I know that the money will definitely follow."

HC presented How I Gave Myself a Learner's Permit for My Credit Cards posted at One Big Mortar Board.

"I've been very fortunate in that I found a field in which salary ranges are slightly higher than the average. I chose a position that doesn't quite maximize my income relative to other people in the field. It does offer good benefits and a reasonable amount of work-life balance, and still pays well enough that I can move forward on most of my goals. So I think it's as Goldilocks as it can be."

Wanda wrote Have credit, will travel posted at Well-heeled.

"I think the financial aspects of a job are important, but it's also important that you enjoy and excel at what you do. There are tradeoffs, you just have to find ones that you're comfortable with. If you want to be an actor or a dancer, you have to acknowledge the fact that you might never make it big. If you give up your dream of becoming a dancer to be an accountant, that's something you have to deal with as well. I think the most important thing is to recognize what you're giving up and what you're gaining in return."

Here are the other posts, in the order they were submitted...

Erek Ostrowski presents Getting Out of Debt (Part 3: Reducing Expenses) posted at Verve Coaching.

Jennifer Lynn presents Financial Savviness 101: Making Your Money Work For You posted at Broke-Ass Student.

Laura Young presents The Trouble with Happiness: Understanding the Difference between Joy and Pleasure posted at Dragon Slayer.

Barbra Sundquist presents Outsmart Credit Card Companies at Their Own Game posted at HomeBusinessWiz.

Sagar Satapathy presents Lessons from Mom: 33 Easy Cost-Cutting Tips posted at Credit Card Lowdown.

Bryan C. Fleming presents Money In The Bank posted at Bryan C. Fleming.

David presents Immigrants taking jobs? Jobs are going overseas posted at Worldwide Success.

Steve Faber presents Debt Free Year End Financial Review posted at DebtBlog.

ntbeachnc presents What's the Best Way to Cancel a Credit Card? posted at Beachgirl's Budget Blog.

Victor Fam presents My Strategy Towards Weath Building posted at Victor Fam.

Louise presents Home Sweet Home posted at FrugalBabe.