How far down does this mountain go?

To get to a higher mountain, you have to first climb down the mountain you're on. So a profound thought-technology goes.

But, to make that profoundizing real, how you think through accepting a job that pays less?

This climbing down has been an “opportunity” many times in my career, and sometimes paid off (like working at RedMonk), and sometimes not (I’m sure switching to 451 Research was a good climb down, so much as a quick punch-out).

But, at some point it’s possible that you’re overpaid, over-valued - not unlike all the software companies that have had their valuation slashed in the past few months.

Moving out of metaphor, though, how do you think about that for yourself, for moving between jobs? Placing your bets on stock options and future IPOs is sort of cheating once you realize how much of a crapshoot that is, and, how much of a young-person’s life. I have, as a friend once called it who wanted to me to work with them for less pay, “expensive hobbies”: a mortgage, three kids…a life that requires cashflow, not net worth (valuation) growth.

Anyhow, what’s y’all’s thinking on that?