[kangax]

Nice breakdown.

I would add that money comes with responsibility and it's the money/responsibilities ratio that really matters.

I was at a top-tier tech company (the one that's getting all the heat lately) for 2 years in a senior eng role, breaking my neck and struggling to maintain healthy work/life balance. Leaving it felt devastating but in retrospect, it was the right decision. Now I'm at a non-tech company, making almost the same money, having twice fewer expectations. All while working on just as exciting tech and problems.

I can likely get a tech position in finance and make even more, but at what cost to my work hours and expectations? Not worth it.

[scarface74]

I would put that under "environment". An environment that is always expecting you to make heroic efforts and take away from your work life balance isn't worth it. That seques well into my personal priority breakdown. The three most important things personally to me are:

Health - if I'm not healthy mentally and physically nothing else matters. I'm no good to my family and my finances are going to suffer.

Family/Friends - at the end of the day I would rather get a new job than be forced to get a new wife because I'm spending too much time working.

Career/Finances - I've got to work to live but I can't live to work. Your company will never be loyal to you - you are just resource and so are they.