Compensation and Decisions

When making career choices and decisions, money is not always the only factor in the decision making it usually plays a significant role. I have held a handful of jobs over the summers and school years, and when changing from one job to another, the compensation has always been taken into account. 

Sometimes, the compensation packages that were being offered were not strictly money-based. For example, my first job was washing dishes at a restaurant. I left that job and mowed lawns for a local vacation rental company in my hometown. While the pay was only slightly higher, the company also offered me a company work truck to drive while I was working. Then, when I left that job, I went to work at the golf course helping maintain the grass, while the two jobs offered the same pay, the golf course came with large discounts and free golf. 

I do believe that compensation should not be the only factor when choosing a career because you can make a lot of money, but not enjoy the job you go to every day, and still be miserable. While compensation may not be everything, it should be taken into account because after all it is the reason we all work. When searching for jobs to take after graduation I knew the company that I wanted to work for as I had interned with them for two summers, but waited on a contract offer. While I had a handful of other offers I knew that I would take the job with the company I liked as long as the pay was competitive. 

All in all, compensation packages are an important piece of employment, but it is more important to make sure that the position and company are what you like.