By Joe Byerly
When we compare jobs or career fields, sometimes we tend to default to one number: salary. How much does it pay? What will our financial quality of life look like? What are the monetary perks of the job?
I hear this a lot from transitioning vets. Folks trying to find that next job that will offer more money than they were making in uniform. It’s natural. But it’s incomplete.
In Turning Pro, Steven Pressfield points to a better lens: we actually earn two salaries.
The financial salary—easy to quantify. It’s in the contract and on the pay stub.
The psychological salary—harder to measure, but often worth more. This salary seeps into our well-being, our relationships, even how we feel about ourselves.
For two decades, my financial salary was predictable and reflected a steady climb with rank and responsibility. It wasn’t bad. But the psychological salary was priceless: camaraderie, mission and purpose, the peace of knowing the paycheck would be there twice a month (shutdowns aside), and the experiences my family and I could never have bought elsewhere.
I remember the cold, wet nights when we were miserable. We’d joke about how our pay sucked and how we could earn so much more on the outside (and not be forced to sleep in a makeshift bed on the ground). While that was probably true, even that makeshift bed, shared alongside my Soldiers who were enduring the same thing, was part of that second salary. You couldn’t have replaced it.
Today, I still pay attention to the dollar amount (it matters). But I’m far more focused on the second salary. Does this work fill me up? Does it give me purpose? Do I leave drained or charged?
Mentors and experts can help us determine the worth of the first number: Is the compensation enough? But only you and I can determine the value of the second.
That’s why an understanding of our values is so important. The things we value define what that second salary is truly worth.
I get to write every day. I get to be there when my kids start and end their day. I get to say yes to impromptu coffees and lunches.
That might not hold much value for some people, but for me, it’s priceless.
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Joe Byerly is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and command of a cavalry squadron in Europe. He earned numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Legion of Merits, Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. In 2013, Joe founded From the Green Notebook.
A passionate advocate for self-knowledge through reading and reflection, he authored The Leader’s 90-Day Notebook and co-authored My Green Notebook: “Know Thyself” Before Changing Jobs, a resource for leaders seeking greater self-awareness. If this post resonated with you or sparked any questions, feel free to reach out to him at Joe@fromthegreennotebook.com.
