I worked as an engineer for a company for about 8 years. I liked what I did, but the company had a reputation within its area of the industry as being a meat grinder for employees. I worked in a lab setting and didn’t have to deal with much of that BS, but seeing the cohesive team we had built fall apart as people left for greener pastures soured me on working there. One day someone who I had worked with but left my employer called with an offer for a project manager job at an engineering services/test lab. Didn’t take me long to start regretting it. not only was I not doing much in an engineering sense, I was wearing a lot of hats. I’d be performing tests, writing reports, reviewing others’ reports, and (worst of all) having to track weekly billable work. Then when someone else left they made me department manager which meant I was responsible for what I just listed and in addition had five direct reports. Having to stay later and later reviewing reports, or running last minute tests that (big customer) demanded right away, being hauled into meetings to get yelled at by another customer because of something someone else got wrong or didn’t get done got old real fast. within three months I lucked into a different job which had me doing mostly what I was doing before.
If nothing else, the experience confirmed for me that I am not management material, never will be, and will never make that mistake again. on the down side, that means I’m more or less stuck at the level I’m at; I’m at the top salary grade for my role and the only possible promotion is to supervisor. No thanks. I make enough money to be happy.
There’s a big difference between leaving a job you love for one that you MAY come to love and leaving for a job that you doubt you will ever love. I’ve done the former, but not the latter. In fact, I’ve taken a significant pay cut (~$12K) to change to a job I wanted to do more. It’s much easier (for me) to adjust my spending than to adjust my attitude and the pleasure I take in a job. I have great sympathy for someone stuck in a job and feeling that they had no alternative because they would be giving up the benefits, pension, or higher salary.
Overall, I’ve been extremely lucky in being able to work in environments that were great. But I chose them with care and deliberation. Most people would say that I was underpaid all through my career, but I enjoyed it.
I think I’m a little different than most, in that I’ve never had a job I “liked”. If I’m obligated to be doing work when I’d rather be elsewhere, I don’t like it. I’ve had jobs that were sometimes fun, and great co-workers, but given a choice I’d rather be at home, or fishing, or something else that’s more fun. I’ve worked in cubicles, cranes, trucks, ships, planes, and now in a research lab. Even if I loved the task outside of work, being compelled to do it sours it for me.
So, to the OP’s question. Sure, I’ll leave any job for a better paying one in a heartbeat. They all turn to drudgery, so might as well get more money for it. As I pointed out in this thread, I started the 80s barely able to keep a roof over my head. Nine job changes* later, I entered the 90s as a 1%-er.
I’m quite well off, very well paid, and about to retire. My lifetime job count stands at 23. I will always leave to take the better paying job (within the context of cost of living, of course). And I’ve always been glad I did.
*This also involved 7 moves to different states/countries (Louisiana, Arkansas, UK, Netherlands, DFW, Arizona, Washington, and back to DFW)
My circumstances would have been the latter. I would have been leaving a job I love for one I likely would have disliked but would have been a good career move that I would only have to stick out for a couple of years for the benefit. I decided I didn’t want to do that right now.