Amanda was unhappy with the amount of money she was making at her job, so she went after a position with a competitor and negotiated a higher salary.

Amanda对目前的薪水不满意，于是她到一家同行公司求职，该公司可以提供更高薪水。

When she told her current employer about the higher salary offer, it countered with a considerable increase in her current salary to keep her on board.

她告诉当前雇主，其他公司开出了更高的薪水。于是当前雇主对她目前的薪水进行了大幅度调整来把她留住。

Hoping this is what would happen all along, Amanda accepted the new salary and stayed with her employer.

Amanda希望一直都能这样走运，便接受了新的薪水并留在了老单位。

One year later, the company made a round of layoffs¹ because of changing market conditions and Amanda was one of the first to go. Not because she was a bad employee -- because she was overpaid compared to her contributions.

一年后因为市场环境变化，公司裁了一批员工，Amanda是第一批被裁的人。不是因为她是个糟糕的员工，而是因为她和她作出的贡献相比获得的报酬过高。

In today's society, workers associate earning a high salary as one of the most important aspects of their jobs. They assume making a lot of money equals happiness, satisfaction, less stress and job security. Unfortunately, this is not always the case; Amanda's story is just one of many examples of how having a higher paycheck can backfire.

在当今社会，劳动者把高工资作为工作中最重要的一个方面，认为赚钱多就等于快乐、满足、压力少、工作稳定。不幸地是，情况不一定如此，Amanda的故事仅仅是众多拿高工资引起问题的其中一例。

"Our sense of value and self-worth is often tied to how much money we make," says Michael Zwell, human capital expert and author of "Six-Figure Salary Negotiation²." "There is an illusion that we live with and believe that a bigger paycheck makes us happier and more valuable."

《六位数工资谈判》一书作者、人力资本专家Michael Zwell说：“我们的价值感和自我价值感往往和拿所少工资密不可分。人们有这样的错觉，认为收入越高就越快乐、越有价值。”

In fact, research shows otherwise. Studies have shown most people feel happier in a five-figure job where they are earning more than the majority of other people in the company than they do in a six-figure job where they are making significantly less than others, says Stan Smith, founder³ and CEO of Smith Economics Group Ltd., in Zwell's book. Ultimately, he says, people can't rely on short-lived salaries, promotions⁵ and raises to keep them happy but rather the contributions they make in the long run.

事实上，研究的结果却有所出入。在Zwell的书中，Smith Economics Group公司创始人、首席执行官Stan Smith说，一些人拿五位数的工资，但他们的收入比公司多数人高，另一些人拿六位数工资，但他们的收入比公司多数人少，研究表明，前者比后者更快乐。最后，他说，要保持快乐，人们不能依赖于短期的（高）收入、晋升或提拔，而是要着眼于长期来他们所做出的贡献。

Smaller paychecks reap large rewards 收入少、收获多

In some situations, having a smaller paycheck than you'd like can actually be a bonus. If you are in a job where there's a steep learning curve, for example, getting a smaller paycheck will buy you time to develop the skills and experience to earn more in long run, Zwell says.

有些时候，低于期望的收入甚至成为一份奖励。Zwell说，例如：如果你处于一个需要短时间大量学习的工作中，那么低收入意味着你有更多的时间来培养技能、获取经验，帮助你以后赚更多钱。

Additionally, less money can buy you more flexibility⁶ on the job, Zwell says.

另外，赚钱少能给你在工作中带来更多灵活度。

"Compensation is based on an exchange of value for value. Depending on your life circumstances, you may want to contribute less and put in more time on another key area of your life," he says.

他说：“薪资是基于等价交换。根据你的生活环境，也许你希望对工作贡献少些，而把更多的时间放在生活其它关键领域。”

If you've always thought a bigger salary was your dream, take a look at how making more money can actually work against you. You might start to appreciate what you currently earn.

如果你一直都认为自己的理想是拿高薪水，那么下面看一看赚更多钱会给你造成什么实际困难吧，这样你也许就会乐于接受现在的收入。

Potential backfire No. 1: You're one of the first ones to be laid off 潜在问题1:你将会是第一个下岗

When the economy is weak and companies need to cut back on costs, one of the first places they look is the highest-salaried employees, as exemplified in Amanda's story. This is not to say that just because you earn more than others you're a target for layoffs. Nevertheless, if you're earning more than you should be for your market or contributions, chances are that your job could be under scrutiny⁷.

当经济疲软，公司需要削减开支时，首要关注就是领最高薪水的员工，正如Amanda的例子所示。这不是说只是由于你赚的比别人多，就可能下岗。不过，如果你的收入高于市场价或贡献程度，那么很可能你的工作就要被细细审查了。

Potential backfire No. 2: The more money you make, the more money you lose 潜在问题2：赚得越多，损失越大

Let's say you earn $85,000 annually⁸ and you received a raise that brought you up to $90,000. Sounds exciting at first -- until you the do the math and realize your new check is only a couple hundred dollars more than your old one.#p#分页标题#e#

假设你每年赚8.5万美元，在获得加薪后收入是9万美元。开始听上去令人兴奋——可是计算后你会发现新的工资带来的涨幅仅为数百美元。

One of the negatives to earning a high salary is that your marginal tax rate is higher than other people's. While you might be earning more than your co-worker, he or she might be taking home a similar -- or higher -- amount per check because they aren't taxed as much.

高工资的一个消极点是你的边际税率比别人高。你也许赚到的比同事们多，但是他/她不用交那么多的税，实际收入可能和你差不多——甚至更高。

Potential backfire No. 3: You might be priced out of the market 潜在问题3: 你可能因“身价太高”而被挤出市场

Zwell uses the example of, Joseph, an accountant for one of today's biggest accounting⁹ firms. After three years, he got a huge promotion⁴ and was making $10,000 more than any of his peers. He was in a dead-end job however, doing accounting work that became routine.

Zwell举了Joseph的例子，Joseph在当今最大财会公司就职。三年后，他获得了一次大的提拔，并且比别的同行都要多挣1万美元。不过他遇到了工作的死胡同：做着例行公事的会计工作。

When he looked for another job, he found that all the jobs he was qualified¹⁰ for paid much less than he was making. He didn't want to take a pay cut and even if he was willing to, companies would rather hire someone for whom the move was an increase in pay, not a decrease. In other words, nobody would hire him because he was currently making too much money for his experience -- thus, his high salary backfired.

当他要寻找别的工作时，他发现他符合条件的一切工作所提供的收入都远远低于当前收入。他不想降低收入，即便他情愿，公司也宁愿招一位为了加薪而不是减薪的求职者。换句话说，相对于他的经验，他赚得过多，所以没人愿意雇佣他——高薪水反倒带来了问题。

Potential backfire No. 4: You could inadvertently trap yourself under a glass ceiling 潜在问题4：你会无意中被“玻璃天花板”困住

Knowing where you are in a salary range reveals a lot about your career path, Zwell says. A young man is recently hired by a bank, for example, at the highest salary grade for a non-manager. He is already at the top of a salary range for his title, therefore less likely to earn any more money without changing positions or companies.

Zwell说，你的薪水在整个薪酬体系的位置很好地体现了你的职业发展道路。例如：最近一位年轻人受雇于一家银行。他获得了非经理人职位的最高级别工资。对于他的职位头衔来说他的收入已经处于顶端。因此除非改行或跳槽，否则要有更高收入便不太可能。

Potential backfire No. 5: Earning more money does not mean more happiness. 潜在问题5: 赚更多钱不代表更快乐

Sure, you might earn $200,000 annually -- but what does it matter if you're not doing something you enjoy? Many workers find themselves saying, "If only I earned $XX, then I would be happy." Then the day comes when you are earning that amount and -- surprise, surprise -- it's still not enough. Ultimately, the only time you'll really be happy is when you don't care about salary at all.

你也许每年能赚20万美元——但是如果你不能做喜欢的事情，那又有什么意义呢？许多人都说：“要是我赚了XX美元，我就会快乐”。当那一天来到，你真的只赚那么点的时候——想不到啊，想不到——那还不够。最终，只有在你一点也不在乎薪水的时候才会真正快乐起来。

"The ultimate freedom is the executive who says, 'Pay me $1 a year because my salary doesn't matter. I have all the money I need. I'm here because I want to make a contribution,'" Smith says in Zwell's book. "Based on the intangibles, he's making more than everyone else."

Smith在Zwell的书中说:“所谓最终的自由，是如某位执行官所说‘付我1美元年薪，因为我的工资不重要。我有的是钱。我在这是为了希望做出一份贡献’。根据无形资产来计算，他比任何人赚的都多。”