I love money. Like, I love money a lot. In fact, there aren't many things that motivate me more than that. If you want to pay me to do something, I'll ask if I should wear a jacket and what time you need me.
That being said, there is always a cost analysis of time and effort that goes into what I'm willing to do to get paid.
Money is such a taboo topic in the workplace for some reason. Nobody wants to compare their value to the work they do, yet everyone wants to complain that they're underpaid.
Here's my two cents on the topic. Be intentional about finding a role and or opportunity that pays you according to the expertise, workload, and fulfillment that you deserve.
We spend so much of our lives at work, we should be paid according to the value we think we deserve, and if we're not, we should go do something different.
This isn't an anti-corporate, anti-the-man rant, this is simply about just giving people the permission to go seek out that thing that pays them according to value.
And before someone jumps in with "it's not all about money," I agree. But let's stop pretending money doesn't matter. Money buys freedom. It buys time. It buys choices. It gives you breathing room when life throws something unexpected your way, and it gives you the ability to say yes to opportunities instead of constantly worrying about survival.
The problem is that too many people quietly accept being underpaid because they're afraid to rock the boat. They don't negotiate. They don't look around. They convince themselves loyalty will eventually pay off while watching new hires walk in making more money than they are. Comfort becomes the cage, and suddenly five years pass and nothing changes.
And here's the part nobody likes to admit. Most of the time, the company isn't the problem. Sometimes we're the problem. We stop pushing ourselves. We stop leveling up our skills. We stop advocating for ourselves. We want raises without growth, recognition without results, and promotions without discomfort.
Top performers don't wait around hoping someone notices them. They make their value obvious. They ask for more responsibility, they take ownership of outcomes, and when the compensation doesn't match the contribution, they're willing to walk and find somewhere that will pay them accordingly.
So love money. Chase fulfillment, too. But don't apologize for wanting to be paid well for the value you bring. If you're going to spend the majority of your waking hours working, you might as well make damn sure it pays you what you're worth.