Choice on work-life balance depends on individual priorities.
People who like to have personal time and enjoy their hobbies, even if they are paid less will, choose the life side; others will choose work and career to make more money.
In the end, the choice differs depending on the individual’s priority values, but I think it is better to choose the work side until the mid-30s, when you learn and grow a lot at young age.
New York University professor Scott Gallaway says the following in a video called the Algebra of Happiness:
“Work-life balance is largely a myth. Sure, there’s that person that makes a ton of money, is in great shape, has a fantastic family and finds time to volunteer, but assume that you are not that person. If you want to be economically on top 10%, you should plan on spending 10 to 20 years working. I have a lot of balance now, in large part because I had almost none in my 20s and 30s.”
At first, you can focus on your work, but after your late 30s, you can choose to have personal time and life once you establish economic foundation. On the other hand, if you choose life side from a young age in your 20s or 30s, it will be difficult to choose an opportunity to work harder in your work or career at later age.
I also happened to join a consulting firm with a good work-life balance in Singapore. However, now that I have joined a tighter consulting firm, it was very difficult to get used to hectic pace of work at first.
The successful people who enjoy work-life balance seen in the media are not the people who had life side from the beginning. Because they worked hard when they were young, they can enjoy such a balanced life now.
Work-life balance is of course important. But in order to really enjoy that life side of it, you have to focus on work, not life, at the beginning of your career.
Korean article can be found here.
