The Problem 问题
I do interesting, rewarding work at a tiny specialised consultancy. I like the hours and the people, but the pay is measly. I've been told I can rewrite my job description, although it wouldn't mean much more money. Instead, I could go for a bog-standard analyst position with a bank, with longer hours, but increase my salary by at least 50 per cent. What should I do?
我在一家小型专业咨询公司，干着一份有趣也有价值的工作。我喜欢这里的工作时间和同事，但薪水非常微薄。有人告诉我，我可以修改我的工作描述，但这并不会意味着大幅涨工资。相反，我可以在银行找一份初级分析师的工作，工作时间可能会加长，但薪水至少能提高50%。我该怎么做？
THE ANSWER 回答
If I were you I'd stay put. The trouble is that I'm not you, but even taking that into account I'd urge you to stay put anyway.
如果我是你，我会按兵不动。问题是我不是你，但即便如此，我也希望你无论如何要按兵不动。
There are two snags for you in analysing whether to move. You don't know how important job satisfaction is to you until you try living without it, and neither do you know how good or bad a new job might be. To move is to take a risk and for it to be wise, the odds must be compelling.
在分析你是否该换工作时，有两方面的障碍。在你没有试过失去工作满足感的情况下，你不知道它对你有多重要，你也不知道新工作对你是好还是坏。换工作就是要承担风险，如果想明智地换工作的话，成功的概率必须很大。
At about your age I did the same thing in reverse. I was earning a lot of money in the City, hated the job and spent much of my time crying in the loo. I swapped this for an uncertain job on a magazine on less than half the salary. Because my starting-point was so dismal, I reasoned the new position would be better. It was: much.
大约在你这个年纪时，我也做过同样的事，不过方向恰恰相反。当时我在伦敦金融城拿着高薪，但我憎恨这份工作，大多数时间都是在洗手间里哭鼻子。后来我在一家杂志换了一份不确定的工作，薪水少了一大半。由于我的出发点非常消沉，因此认为新工作可能会更好。事实上的情况是：要好得多。
If you are so poor that you can't afford to eat and pay the rent, or if the absence of skiing holidays has become unbearable, you need to move. But if you are in a greyer area, wishing you had more money but prepared to struggle on, moving looks too risky. Think how lovely your current job is. You have nice colleagues, good hours, interesting work - you can even write your own job description. At a guess, I'd put you in the top 0.1 per cent of the population in terms of job satisfaction. By contrast, I know a few happy City analysts and quite a lot of miserable ones. To run the risk of being in the latter group for only 50 per cent more money doesn't seem like a good deal at all.
如果你非常穷，掏不起饭钱和房租，或者如果没有假期去滑雪令你无法忍受，那么你需要跳槽。但如果你处于一个更为贫困的地带，希望自己能有更多的钱，但又准备继续熬下去，那么换工作的风险似乎太大。不妨想想你目前的工作是多么地有趣。你的同事不错，工作时间合适，工作也很有趣--你甚至可以撰写自己的工作描述。我猜，在工作满意度方面，你可以算在前0.1%的人里面。相比而言，在我认识的金融城分析师中，开心的很少，不如意的相当多。为了多挣区区50%的薪水，就冒着成为后一类人的风险，似乎不太像是一笔划算的买卖。
Of course, the ideal position is to have money and satisfaction. You are only 26; you have many years in which to achieve both. In time, can you earn more where you are? Can you supplement your income with something else? Even if you can't, you should move only when your need for more money has become intolerable. That point could come if or when you have a pram in the hall - although if you have managed to marry someone with a handsome income, that will solve all problems at one happy stroke.
当然，理想的情况是高薪与满足感兼得。你只有26岁；有很多年的时间来实现这两个目标。到时候，你能挣得更多吗？你能做其它什么事来增加自己的收入吗？即使你不能，只有当你难以按捺自己对挣更多钱的需求时，你才应该换工作。如果或是当你有了孩子时，这一天可能会到来--不过如果你想办法娶了一个收入可观的妻子，那么所有问题都将迎刃而解。
