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‘Your career should serve your life, not replace it,’ one expert said
Ashley Donohoe in Cincinnati, Ohio Tuesday 02 June 2026 20:24 BST- Bookmark
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Close popoverCloseMental health may be at risk for those in jobs that pay well but at a high personal costSPONSORED BY CREDIT KARMAThe Independent Money channel is brought to you by Credit Karma.
Despite the difficult job market, many dissatisfied Americans are seeking new roles.
Some 69 percent of workers cite higher pay and benefits as their reason for looking for a better position, according to a March survey from polling firm Gallup. However, a bigger paycheck doesn’t always mean a better job.
“What I'm noticing now, especially since the pandemic and all the layoffs we have recently had, is that people are starting to reassess what is truly successful,” Trevor Houston, CEO at ClearPath Wealth Strategies, told The Independent in an email. “More people are asking, ‘What is this all costing me?’ Not just financially, but personally, too, because after all, your career should serve your life, not replace it.”
The Independent asked career and industry experts about high-paying careers - those at least 50 percent higher than the $64,000 national median salary - where the costs significantly outweigh the perks.
Senior corporate leader
Senior corporate leaders - such as senior vice presidents - get the satisfaction of making major company decisions and earning a median salary of $105,350, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
open image in galleryExperts say certain jobs aren’t worth the above-average salary they offer because of the physical or mental damage they do (Getty Images)Despite the appeal, many senior leaders leave their coveted roles since the paycheck and status no longer seem worth the high cost to themselves and their families, Houston said.
“Many of them feel worn down by the never-ending demands and the pressure to always be on,” he said. “They feel like they’re missing out on family, while their mental, physical, and relational health suffer. Some feel like they've sold out their identity for the sake of their paycheck.”
Even when senior leaders realize their responsibilities are hurting their quality of life, the pay can become a trap - other roles with less pressure may have less pay, too.
“I call this the golden handcuff effect, where you have to stay even though you know it's costing you because of the lifestyle you've built [around the salary],” Houston said.
A senior corporate leader’s salary doesn’t always account for how sustainable the job’s demands are, Houston said. Ultimately, the pay may not seem worth it if keeping the job means damaging health or relationships.
Commercial trucker
Commercial trucking pays up to $100,000 per year and doesn’t require a degree, making it an attractive high-paying position for those without a degree, said Andrew Brown, CEO of Immediate Movers and Storage. But many underestimate the costs and risks of long-distance driving.
“Long-term sustainability in commercial trucking is challenged by a combination of physical stress, mental burnout, and time away from family,” Brown told The Independent in an email. ”The average driver sits for 10 to 14 hours without moving, causing the body to ultimately break down in ways that usually do not appear at first.”
Truck drivers also face physical risks on the road. The job is part of the most dangerous occupation in the country based on fatalities - transportation, according to a February report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
open image in gallery‘Families pay a price for a driver's time away from home that is not factored into the hourly wage,’ one expert said. (Getty Images)Typically, commercial trucking doesn’t allow for a life that balances professional and personal needs. That can impact the driver’s relationships and sense of meaning, Brown said.
“A driver can leave home for an extended period, and during that time, holidays or weekends have little or no meaning compared to delivering a load,” he said. “As a result, families pay a price for a driver's time away from home that is not factored into the hourly wage.”
Big law partner
Some partners at big law firms bring in as much as $9.3 million a year, depending on the firm, according to a 2026 report from legal recruitment and placement firm BCG Attorney Research.
But the prestige and pay come at the cost of a frenetic work environment, said Loren Margolis, an executive coach and Stony Brook University faculty member.
“The hours are thankless and brutal because you must make your ‘billable hours,’ which is doing client-facing work or client-oriented work on legal matters that move your client's needs forward,” Margolis told The Independent in an email. “You have a threshold that you must meet in order to maintain your partner title.”
An on-call schedule that destroys work-life balance is a reality for these attorneys. This means working nights, weekends, and even vacations, Margolis said. Unsurprisingly, partners may find the prestige underwhelming, given the toll on their personal lives.
“The external rewards quickly fade as a source of satisfaction because all you have is your work life, not a home life or anything else,” Margolis said.
Other workplace factors create an environment that can lead to job dissatisfaction, too.
“Firm politics can be brutal, where others elbow you out of clients, deals and leave you out of the room during important meetings so they can get ahead,” Margolis said.
Management consultant
Management consulting -giving businesses advice on how to improve efficiency - offers strong job prospects and a median salary of $101,190, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the career is a tough one, given shaky job security and high competition, said Joel Marotti, senior managing partner at resume writing firm Vertical Media Solutions.
open image in galleryBusiness consultants can earn as much as $285,000 at big firms, but turnover rates and AI’s influence make openings risky for those looking for a long-term role at a company (Getty Images for Community Catal)An employee with a master’s in business administration working for a major strategy firm, such as BCG or McKinsey, might start at $260,000 to $285,000, according to Marotti.
But many don’t stay for more than two to four years, raising questions about longevity and future career plans.
“At one of the top firms, 43 percent of the workforce has been there for less than two years. 77 percent have been there for five years or less,” Marotti told The Independent in an email.
Job security depends on earning frequent promotions and doing what’s necessary to compete, including traveling often and working 60 to 70 hours per week, Marotti said. AI is also playing a role.
“The firms themselves have cut thousands of jobs over the last couple of years as sort of client demand has shifted and AI has really started to carve out a lot of the analysis work that these junior consultants used to do,” Marotti said.
Investment banker
Investment banking offers an average salary of $127,933, according to career site Indeed.com data. Yet, it often requires employees to endure extreme pressure and long hours, according to Indeed.
“The core issue in [investment banking] is that it's optimized for big deals and client service, not for human development or flourishing,” Margolis said. “The money is genuinely extraordinary - but for many people, the life it requires is extremely hard.”
Long advancement timelines to a high-paid managing director role also mean potentially spending many years in a lower-paying analyst role with less autonomy or direct client work, according to Margolis.
“Making [managing director] takes at least 10 years of making it in a ruthless, ‘up-or-out’ culture where the majority of analysts and associates burn out or don't make it.”
open image in galleryInvestment bankers at firms like JP Morgan Chase can earn good money but face burnout and long paths to promotion (Reuters)Additionally, pay volatility makes the high salary less certain than many believe, Margolis said.
“It's highly dependent on the market,” she said. “If you don't bring in a big deal as a [managing director], you can have a very low-paying year.”
Roles at private equity firms offer the highest payoff, though getting there may require toughing it out for “a decade or two,” she said.
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