Rant: a guy at my gym said he turned down a $12k raise to stay comfortable, and now I can't stop thinking about it
I was on the treadmill at a gym in Columbus two days ago and these two guys next to me were talking loud enough for the whole row to hear. One of them said he got offered a supervisor spot with a $12,000 bump and he turned it down because he likes his current crew and doesn't want the headache. His buddy just nodded like that made total sense. I have been stuck on it since. On one hand, I get it, more money can mean more meetings and more people dumping their problems on you, and being happy at work is worth something real. On the other hand, a $12k raise is about $700 a month after taxes, which is a car payment or a big dent in credit card debt, and turning it down over 'comfort' feels like leaving free money on the table. My old team lead always said you take the promotion even if you're scared, because the next one gets easier. So which is it? Do you grab the raise and deal with the stress, or stay where you're happy and let the money go? Curious what people here would actually do.