Not sure if you get it in the US the same as in the UK, but I find that even just squash is good with carbonated water, e.g. orange squash. Cheaper than syrups and it tastes good with still water too!

Totally understand - each to their own! And we agree on forced fun!

I WFH since COVID, and I definitely wouldn’t go back to the office (we go in once every two months which everyone really enjoys). Personally, I’d swap the 50k for working in an environment that I enjoy, and that for me means working closely and collaboratively with my teammates, who I get along with. Everyone is different though, so what I want from a job is probably other people’s idea of hell.

I wouldn’t say party culture - it is what you make of it! You’re normally at work for a significant portion of your day. Something like a table tennis table can help to break up the day and is just a bit of fun. For example, we had a table tennis tournament at work, which people got really into - it was fun and people bonded over it. I’d take that over working somewhere where you don’t even know your colleagues.

This was at a tech company where culture was a big part of why almost everyone worked there. Definitely wasn’t a party culture, but it was collaborative, where people worked closely together. There was never an expectation to work outside of working hours, or to do anything social - it was purely optional.

Obviously pay is a big factor, but it isn’t everything. I’m lucky enough to be in a sector where I can afford to get paid less and have a better work (definitely not party!) culture and work-life balance.