Sorry, but I don't think this is good advice in and of itself. At least, not unless the only thing that you are receiving (and the only thing that your employe

Sorry, but I don't think this is good advice in and of itself. At least, not unless the only thing that you are receiving (and the only thing that your employer is offering) is $50k of salary. However usually in jobs the total compensation consists of other, non-monetary emoluments, only some of which would ever even be mentioned in an employment contact. Firstly, there are usually psychological, cultural and social benefits to employment whose value to the employee will depend on all sorts of contextual factors. Secondly, there is the possibility of future income increases -- whether in case of future bonus payments, future income rises, or other as yet unrealized monetary reward. In some professional services and finance careers, these can vastly exceed the annual pay received at junior levels. (cf http://ingrimayne.com/econ/resouceProblems/Tournament.html http://ingrimayne.com/econ/resouceProblems/Tournament.html) Thirdly, there is the future value of experience gained today. Fourthly, there is the often significant social capital accrued through consistently excellent performance. If one of your colleagues starts a new business, or finds herself in a favourable position in another company a few years hence, your stamina, diligence, tenacity and good humor will be remembered. The vast majority of jobs are unadvertised, so this kind of social capital is often increasingly important as your career unfolds. Far better to think of the paid salary component as the 'tip of the iceberg'. At the start of any career, it is very rare for an employee to capture much more than a small fraction of the value she creates. As time goes on, that changes. At any point construing too narrowly the notion of 'compensation' as 'cash received this year' is extremely risky, and may lead you to underinvest your time in a career. You will likely be working for many decades. Salaries tend to rise through one's 20s and 30s and only peak (for men) in their early 40s. And remember, the time you'll actually need the money is not now: it's when you'll have a mortgage, kids or other structural outgoings. So: take a long view. Be patient. Find a balance today that is acceptable, but consider the hours you commit as an investment in the social capital you will cash-in later. Take a holistic view. Case in point: I've recently gone into business with the former founder of a company I worked at many years ago (where, at the time, I worked like a dog, and for very little cash). Turns out I wasn't really working for her then at all: I was really just auditioning for the opportunity to go into business with her 10 years later. What goes around, comes around.