Some decisions are remarkably easy to make. Some are remarkably less so. Lately, I've been faced with a caravan of decisions of the latter sort. They are of the Big Life Decisions variety. Well, not too big. They mostly just affect what I am going to be doing next year.
Without going into the details, the question ultimately is one of doing what you like vs. doing what pays better. And that's not an uncommon dilemma, certainly, but it is still a dilemma nevertheless. Ought I to devote over eight hours a day to doing what is simply work (even if I would enjoy it a little), and then go home tired and try to work on my dissertation? It pays better. Or ought I to pick the option that is more flexible and allows me to devote so much more time to my dissertation? It doesn't pay as well, but it is significantly less hassle. Also, I really want to work on my dissertation. And it would get me my PhD sooner. Which means even better jobs after that.
My intuition tells me to go with the second option, due to the specifics of the first. My brother, who is more knowledgeable in this particular field, tells me -- very adamantly, I might add -- not to take the first option. But am I just being lazy by choosing the second? Am I being too reluctant to change? A lot of people work at jobs they aren't passionate about, because we all do need to get money somehow. Am I over-analyzing the whole situation?
I need to make a decision in a few days, so at least I won't have too long to stress about this.
