Everyone talks about it. Some employers brag about it. Usually their employees complain about it. How do you strike that ideal work/life balance? Some of it has nothing to do with you – in fact, a lot of it is left up to the place you work. Do they expect crazy hours for no payment justification? If you're at a start-up or local news station or community paper (anything with a relatively small staff trying to pull of a disproportionate achievement) the answer is likely “yes.” And while money isn't everything, it's certainly nice to know that if you're missing time with your family, dinners with your friends or arriving late to social functions, you're at least getting paid well for these inconveniences.

Unfortunately, this usually isn't true in the environments I just listed. So what do you do? What's your threshold? Obviously, it's different for everyone. and it often depends on where you are in life. If you're single with no kids, your time is your own, and late hours typically only affect you. If you're part of a young, professional couple, chances are you're both at the stage where you're making sacrifices for a better job or career later on, and you understand that. If you have a family, you may be a little less tolerant of long hours and low pay.

Of course, if you're at a stage – or fortunate enough to have found a job – where long hours equal high pay, you still may be wrestling with these questions. Sure, more money might make it easier, but do you want your job to be your life? Do you want your employer to “own” you? If you really love your job, you may not feel like you're sacrificing much. And these are questions that each person answers differently.

But in a career field like journalism and television, it's good to know the answers and beneficial to figure out some of your thresholds before accepting or seeking out a job.

(www.10thfloorpr.com)