I work in tech. I know a lot in the field and I'm currently working in an enjoyable, reference-rich, but someone easy and low paying position. If I stay where I am, and do so for one year in somewhat-financially comfortable position, I will take over the department with one of my bosses when the other leaves. This will have extreme job security, a reasonable (very large for my age) salary, a ton of vacation time (seriously, like, 25 days a year at first, growing to up to 40 days a year), and they will pay for whatever education I want to receive since it is a university I work for, but the pay won't grow much, and won't be what I'd be happy with after a few years. It will always be lower than if I took my skills to the private sector.. If stick around for five years or so, I'll have a more well-respected references then I'll ever need, a degree, and probably a job anywhere I want to go.

My housemate, on the other hand, works in cybersecurity, the field I will eventually enter professionally. He is begging me to take a job with him. That is a job that will pay me well above anything that I will make at the university and will have me at my life-goal salary level within three years and will start well above anything what would be me 'extremely financially secure' as I already have the skills for higher level positions. I will then have references from there, strong job security, references within the government, top secret clearance, and an in with the agencies my future wife will be working for. I will not, however, probably ever be able to get a degree at that point, but it will challenge me more than the other position and will lead to job experience in my future field.

In reality, I could do one and then the other, most likely, but that doesn't make it any easier to decide now, especially with how enticing that pay is for someone as poor as I am. I'm leaning towards the first, because I have some pretty strong loyalty to my bosses after all they've done for me to keep me, well, not homeless, and the degree will always be beneficial, and it gives me time to really sharpen my skills for the next step. I must say that I am at least extremely glad I do have choices. That's a lot more than most can say.