You'll figure it out eventually. Obviously, it's not an absolute - money can do more in certain places than others - and it's a given that you have to make some money to survive. The thing, though, is that money doesn't provide more than the essentials in the long run. Really, what anyone seeks is a job that makes enough money to meet one's needs while still affording him or her the time off to do other things, whether it to be attend to personal obligations, socialize, or habitate with family. When give a choice between having more off-work time (it's not free time) or having more money, inevitably the former wins out because money can't compensate for being unable to do the things one needs to accomplish outside of work. This is the kind of thing that makes more sense the older you get.