Ethical careers: Is salary more important than ethics?

When it comes to career decisions, does money really make the world go round? Douglas Wright talks to two of his friends about their career decisions, and whether they put salary ahead of ethics.

''Money is, and always has been the first thing I look for in a career.''

My friend Joe, 23, is a project manager for a high street DIY retail chain. I ask him about the future of his career, and whether money is the most important motivation for him. "I enjoy my job, but I haven't thought much about the future," he says. "The likelihood is that I'll end up working for the same company I do now, working my way up to company director and earning lots of money."

When it comes to careers, Joe shares the view that many hold: money first, ethics second. "Money is, and always has been the first thing I look for in a career," he says. "But, if the option was always there, I'd rather work for an organisation that is ethically minded and cares about the environment. Luckily for me, I already do!"

I speak to another of my friends, Dan, 30, who also works for the same company in a similar role. "I would like to continue working for a company that is ethically minded," he says. "If I found out tomorrow that this company was polluting local rivers and streams, or using slave labour in an undeveloped country, I'd quit. I couldn't live with that knowledge hanging over me."

Dan clarifies another opinion I believe many of us have, that "there has to be a balance between your earnings and the way you go about earning them". We can't control, or be influenced by, everything our job entails, but we have to pay attention to the big picture. There is a big ethical difference between an organisation that doesn’t recycle paper and one that pollutes a water supply, for example. The question is, as an employee, where do we draw the line?

The opinions of both my friends regarding ethical careers are very similar to my own. For me, money is a top priority, as it shapes and defines our future. I want financial security for my wife, and a good education for my children. I still want them to appreciate the value of money, and also recognise why we make particular choices when we spend it. Whether it be the items we purchase or the jobs we do, these choices come down to money.

I believe that my career path reflects my true passion in life. In fact, I have actually left a well-respected, well-paid job to pursue my passion for writing. I plan to use my writing skills to support organisations such as Oxfam and to write screenplays for television and film. As my writing career develops, I hope I can balance the need to make money with my desire to make people more aware of important issues such as global warming, famine and pollution.