My opinion has changed quite a bit. When I was right out of Uni, money was everything. I bought a ton of crap I couldn't afford and didn't really need. (Condo/Huge TV) worked like a dog and had two weeks vacation a year.
I woke up one day and felt trapped. Hated going to work.
Decided I would change what was important. Spent 2 years zeroing out all my debt. Car, credit cards, everything. Tried to live as close to debt free as possible. I also moved into a new role that gave me flexible hours, work/life balance, good vacation.
Now at 29, the salary is catching up quickly. I have actually turned down a chance to move to new companies for 5-10K more a year. However, It is hard to beat 5 weeks a year vaykay, 8-4 working hours, and the freedom to do what I want. It has also been interesting to watch salary triple over 4 years that I spent not worrying about it. Find it funny that monetary success came when the last thing I was focusing on was salary.
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