When picking a career, there are many criteria to consider: job description, schedule flexibility, pay, and so on. Within these considerations is an age-old question: do you work for money or job satisfaction?

Obviously, it would be great to have both satisfaction and money, but this doesn’t always happen. When asked the question of which he would prefer, sophomore biology pre-med major Luke Winslow chose money.

“It’s tough to survive on enjoyment; you’ve got to pay the bills,” he said.

As true as Winslow’s statement is, some students definitely feel differently.

“I would rather do something that makes me happy. I don’t want to do anything else [besides being involved in theater],” sophomore Krista Nelson, a theater performance major, said.

To show just how diverse the opinions about this issue are, 20somethingfinance.com took an informal poll asking visitors what they thought. Of the 938 polled, 45 percent said that they could not commit to either, 34 percent said that they had fully committed to career satisfaction hoping that money follows, and only 21 percent said they had fully committed to following money hoping that satisfaction follows. As it turns out, a majority actually hopes to find satisfaction, even if it doesn’t lead to money.

“Money becomes especially important if you have a family to provide for,” Winslow said. “You can get satisfaction from other aspects of life after you punch out.”

While it is interesting to debate whether money or job satisfaction is more important, many jobs provide both. For example, according to the City & Guilds Happiness at Work Index, the happiest graduate job was as a doctor, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics makes about $166,400 a year. There are also many artists, musicians and actors who make well over their prospective average incomes.

When considering a career, it is important to consider both the paycheck and the enjoyment factor. It is also important to realize that there are accountants who make a lot of money and still love their job, and actors who love their job and still make a lot of money. There really isn’t a blanket right-or-wrong answer. There’s only a right answer for the individual.