How much for your soul?

No, I'm not offering a Faustian bargain with anyone.




It's a question perhaps better phrased as: How much money is my personal time worth?

I find that it tends to come up most when I or my fellow attorneys realize that we have again foregone the normal weekend activities for work or disappointed friends by canceling plans (or to a lesser extent, when we consistently fail to depart the office before President Bush falls asleep next door).

Young professionals frequently work long hours as they strive to define and differentiate themselves at their workplace, and there's nothing wrong with that, per se. The question is always: are the sacrifices I'm making now worth what I am getting (or expect to get) in return. When they aren't worth it, you owe it to yourself to think about another career path.

But, the debate has become thornier recently, as law firm salaries have gone up again this year. This bump, in addition to the annual lockstep raise based on years at the firm, only serves to tighten the "golden handcuffs" and further exacerbate the dilemma.

Making so much money at a relatively young age distorts the rational balancing of home, life, and work. In the end, who knows the right balance. All I know is that I need some sleep.

Night,
Veritas99