It is sometimes said that a high salary is the most important factor in choosing a job. Do you agree?

It is, of course, important for people to earn a sufficiently high salary to support their lifestyle. This does not mean, however, that the salary is the only point to be taken into consideration when choosing a job. Indeed, I would argue that there are a number of other factors that are equally significant.

The first point to consider is why it may be a mistake to place too much emphasis on the salary. One reason why this is so is that you may select a job that is well-paid but ultimately unsatisfying. In this case, you may spend 8 hours a day being unhappy. Something else to be taken into account is that highly-paid jobs tend to be stressful and involve long working hours. For instance, many doctors have a 60 hour working week and they often suffer from burn out early in their careers and wish they had chosen a less stressful profession.

The other point to be taken into account is how other factors may matter more than the salary when deciding on a job. Indeed, most people would accept that the work environment is key to job satisfaction. If you are working alongside people you like and the atmosphere in the office is positive, you are much more likely to be satisfied in your work. Likewise, it is also critical that you actually enjoy what you do. For example, someone who is artistic is much more likely to be happy working for a low salary teaching art than earning a fortune as a merchant banker.

In conclusion, I would say that the salary should be only one consideration in choosing a job and that other factors such as job satisfaction and work environment are just as important.