Curious how people are so interested in Jane Street, ostensibly because they do technically challenging work, but much less so about other places where the work is at least just as challenging, but the money sucks.
You're curious about how people would choose between two equally interesting jobs where one pays a lot more? I'm curious about how anyone could be curious about that.
I mean stuff is either interesting for someone or it's not. Money is not relevant to being interested by something.
I think people want to convince themselves that they're interested in high paying jobs such as those at Jane Street because that would make their lifes much easier (they could go work there and make lots of money). Similarly, some women try to convince themselves that they love this well-off, solid guy who's courting them - marrying such guy would make their lives much easier and nicer.
Money does make some things easier. People make job choices based on:
- lifestyle - how much does this job affect my work/life balance? Do I have to travel far / work late?
- challenge - how hard is it? Will I enjoy the work?
- impact - what's the mission of the company? What am I contributing to?
- salary - how does the job fit with my financial goals?
- prestige - can I talk about / be celebrated for what I do?
Possibly other factors as well. But if everything is equal, but one job pays more than another (and if it's Jane Street, one year's work might be 3 years' work somewhere else) then it makes sense to take it.
I went through a relatively brief conspicuous consumption phase in my youth, but most of the people around me actually didn’t.
What money bought them, and why I now want more than I have, is the ability to delegate both tasks, but even more importantly worry, to others. If I have a brand-new car with a warranty, I spend zero worry that it’s going to break down. If I have a hot shit CPA and/or lawyers and stuff, I spend zero worry than I’m going to dick up my taxes or something. If I have a rhodium-plated health plan, I don’t worry (much) about getting sick. Ditto fitness trainer, ditto housekeeping service, ditto laundry service.
What this really buys a passionate hacker (really a passionate anything) is time unencumbered by stress, which is very different to just time. I can really focus on whatever I want to.
Usually this means I have to work hard and stress about technical stuff, but I far prefer, borderline like, being wrapped around the axle on technical stuff. I hate worrying about that other stuff.
How anyone could fail to consider this a reasonable tradeoff is beyond me.
