Each year, the ATO lets us look inside the collective pay-packets of the nation. Their annual look at what jobs make the most money (well, it takes a couple of years for the data to filter through so the most recent data is for the 2014-5 financial year) and who’s making it is a lot of fun for the statisticians among us. There’s oodles of data to pour over. But are salaries the best tool for assessing a job or career?
The value of this data is that you can look at trends and ascertain whether certain roles are more likely to deliver the income you want. However, I’d alway counsel, based on my experience, that you find a job you like that pays “enough” rather than one you hate that pays well.
In my work life, I’ve been fortunate to be able to largely follow the roles that I most enjoy. But there was a four year period where I did a job I hated in a place I didn’t like purely for the pay packet. I was a wreck at the end of that time.
So, while salary is important, I’d be cautious about selecting a job purely on financial grounds.
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