When weighing out what makes people the happiest at work, there are lots of variables that come into play. Those variables can vary by person, but some highlights are work-life balance, income, work environment, whether you feel your job has purpose, your team, and how much you enjoy the day-to-day tasks of the career.
The Highest Paid Jobs may not be the Happiest
Heard the saying ‘money buys happiness’? Turns out, it can, but up to a point. A Princeton University study found that the more one earns up to $75,000 the more positively one ranked their emotional well-being. Interestingly though, after that point a person’s emotional well-being does not increase.
To sum up the survey, “Low income exacerbates the emotional pain associated with such misfortunes as divorce, ill health, and being alone. We conclude that high income buys life satisfaction but not happiness, and that low income is associated both with low life evaluation and low emotional well-being.”
You can read the full article on Princeton’s website: Princeton.edu
What is the Best Job or Career?
The best job or career is hard to answer. Start with what makes you happy, what you like to do. Then, do your research. What do careers in that field pay? What does a typical day look like? Is there work-life balance? What is the growth rate for the career (will their job openings in the future)?
The best jobs also depend on who you ask, who wrote the article, and the survey used. In the end, the choice is yours!