When More Money Isn't It

George Anders, writing in CareerJournal, explores cases in which the job that gives more money doesn’t mean more happiness:

For one thing, we're a lot shrewder in spotting the hidden ugly side of some high-paying positions. Some jobs, for instance, sound alluring, until you take a hard look at the travel involved. Oversee a bigger territory -- and your Thursday evening routine is likely to involve a barstool, a Personal Pizza and the Denver airport.

We also ponder whether our new colleagues and bosses will pass the "good people" test. No matter how fancy the title or how big the paycheck, we soon learn that it isn't worth joining an organization full of jerks, morons or crooks. In recent years, I've seen two friends shake hands on high-paying job switches and then back out within a matter of days because they suddenly realized there was something toxic about the new workplace.