Letting of career aspirations (because a different job would pay 4x better)

[thisismyaccount]

I'm currently a junior doctor and for the longest time I've been very attached to one particular career pathway.

I now have the opportunity to take a different job that would allow better flexibility and pay 4x (!!!) more than my current job.

It's an amazing opportunity that I'm planning on taking in order to achieve FIRE years earlier, yet it's very different than the career I always saw myself pursuing and the work is a fair bit less enjoyable. 

Has anyone else struggled with letting go of career aspirations in the pursuit of FIRE?

Does anyone have any suggested readings on the topic?

[Lews Therin]

I had less of a huge difference between two choices, but for you:

Would you rather: work 2 hours at the job that's less fun, or work 8 hours at the one you like more!

Can you switch back to the previous career path when you have a large enough stash that you are already well on your way?

[Linea_Norway]

You can check out various threads on this forum that handle about Big Law. All lawyers have the same kind of choice: earn lots of money in a Big Law company, coping with lots of stress and having no time for a private life, or working for much less money at a more people friendly place.

If you can do the well paying job without it ruining your health, you should consider doing it for some years. But keep the option open to quit and pursuit the other career path when you can't cope with it any more.

Just a few random Big Law threads after a quick search:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/leave-biglaw-for-government-job/

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/avoiding-the-(biglaw)-golden-handcuffs/

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/job-opportunity-(lawyer)-triple-my-salary-but-long-commute-and-more-hours/

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/advice-for-a-24-yo/msg1175776/#msg1175776

[prognastat]

I would probably go the 4x route, then make sure to make my SWR as high as possible by not raising my living standards and cut my time to FIRE. Depending on how much you'd be making and how much it would raise your costs you could shave years of the time necessary to reach FIRE. I have 5-6 years to go till I can FIRE right now, if an opportunity came to earn 4x what I did now I would cut my time to FIRE down to 2-3 years.

[Laura33]

What appealed to you about your first chosen pathway, and why?  Are there parts of the "good" stuff that you could look for in your other path, or find for yourself in your spare time?

What parts of the new option do not appeal, and why?  Are these little parts of your day or big parts?  Do you think you'll get used to it?  (Hint:  your answer to this last part is probably too optimistic if the answer is "because it's boring/annoying")

Does the new path foreclose the first, or could you switch back at some point?

I'm a lawyer, and I started down the BigLaw path because I wasn't sure about my chosen field, and I knew that place would give me options -- e.g., rotate to another department if the first one didn't work out, give me a good resume if I decided I wanted another environment altogether.  I just don't have enough experience in the medical field to know if that principle would apply to your options.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Will your desired career still be available to you, when you finally reach your FIRE goal?

This is a serious question.  Because of age discrimination, poor cultural fit, or actual decline in cognitive or physical ability, some careers are closed to us as we age.  We may be able to join their circus, but it won't be as one of the leading acts.

[thisismyaccount]

Thank you for the thoughtful replies!

Canadian Ben, interesting point about the hours (2 vs 8). I do enjoy the other work but not sure if I would volunteer to do it for an extra 6 hours every day for free.

Linda_Norway, thank you for the threads! I can definitely see similarities in the situations, except thankfully my second option does sound as soul crushing as big law!

I'm unsure how easily I would be able to switch back to the first path. Maybe a year or two at the better paid job wouldn't hurt, but it's not a particularly highly regarded job to the gatekeepers of the first pathway.

[Lews Therin]

Depending on your type of career, you might be able to take some of that extra free time and spend some unpaid time working in the field you are looking at switching to in the future. That allows you to get your foot in the door. (Of course, better to do this only when you want to switch, not right away when you are trying to rake up the largest stash!)