Going for the gold [personal/professional life tradeoffs]

One alternative to the Olympics metaphor of 'going for gold' in a working context is having the goal of maximizing the amount of material wealth that you accumulate, literally going for the gold. Or it can mean becoming as successful and accomplished in your chosen discipline as you possibly can, a more figurative interpretation. Generally speaking, achieving the latter might satisfy the former goal as well. However, this is not always the case. Focusing on the technical side of your career can close off higher-level, and better-paying, management positions should you later decide that you want to go in that direction. For most of us, though, acquiring wealth or excelling in our technical endeavors in our professional lives doesn't comprise an either-or proposition. Instead, some combination of the two is likely to be the most appropriate. One basis for having a happy, productive life is to achieve the combination best suited to your goals and ambitions. This paper discusses the trade-off between the personal and professional life.