This is anecdotal, but I've worked both the vapid, high-paying job that comes about from credentials and experience, and the average-paying, engaging job doing work that I love.
I'm currently working the latter, and while I voluntarily took almost a 30% pay cut and sometimes miss the extra disposable income, I can say that I am happier and healthier for it.
One of the negatives you missed of working these fluff positions is that it's difficult to nail down what you did to contribute to your current employer. This makes it difficult when looking for other jobs, when interviewers start asking the "... and how did you do that?" detailed type of questions.
This is anecdotal, but I've worked both the vapid, high-paying job that comes about from credentials and experience, and the average-paying, engaging job doing work that I love.
I'm currently working the latter, and while I voluntarily took almost a 30% pay cut and sometimes miss the extra disposable income, I can say that I am happier and healthier for it.
One of the negatives you missed of working these fluff positions is that it's difficult to nail down what you did to contribute to your current employer. This makes it difficult when looking for other jobs, when interviewers start asking the "... and how did you do that?" detailed type of questions.