<prompt> Human: Im 25yrs old, work in LA, and live about 10 miles out in an almost suburban area. My current expenditures: Rent - 625mo Utilities - 25mo landlord covers water, roommates and I are almost never home so our utilities amounts to pretty much just internet and some power usage Student loans - 200mo Car payment - 300mo I got a reliable but expensive car because I was expecting to live with my brother and my parents and not have to pay rent, but ended up finding work further away from them.. probably a mistake to expect that. Car expenses - 250mo Parking in downtown LA, gas, insurance, etc Groceries - 180mo EntertainmentEating outetc - 200mo I justify this to myself because of the girlfriend and close friends that I like to go out with Unexpected things - 100 to 500mo I try to take my parents out to eat once on the weekends. The higher range comes from unexpected, but expected things, like car maintenance or health things due to some muscle problems I have to take care of every so often.Currently, my take home pay with Company Aafter insurance, taxes, contribution to pension, 401k etc is about 3,200-3,500mo. I dont have an IRA yet, but Im planning on opening one up soon. A new position might be opening up that Im a shoe-in for at an old company Company B I used to work for. My take home pay would drop to about 2,700mo but would raise back up to about 3,000 after a year after taxes, insurance, 401k, and Company B also includes a pension. Both are located in downtown LA, so my expenditures will remain pretty much the same.Working at Company A would also include regular raises at about 15 other year for about 7 years. Company B would be 10 raises every year for about 6 years. Company B would also qualify me to take my Professional Engineer exam fairly soon compared to Company A - neither offer significant pay bumps for the license but I want it for myself. Company B is also more interesting work and I know I would be happier there - I wasnt able to continue with them a few years ago because they werent able to convert me to full time from my grad student position there. Ive seen the typical pay levels for the higher up positions in both of these companies and Company B will never get me to the pay levels of Company A - it will always be behind about 15-18 when comparing equatable positions. Both of these companies will likely be places Id stay for a minimum of 15-20 years.Ive got enough saved in my bank account to pay off my student loans, but Id like to keep most of it as an emergency fund again, I have some health issues that Im concerned about. My savings are pretty much going towards an eventual house and retirement of course.Im at loss about what my next steps should be Company B has already prepared paperwork for me, they expect the position to open up and I expect to take it. I feel like Ive got a good grip on what Im supposed to be doing with my financials; but I still feel completely lost when I ask my brothers about what theyre doing. How much of my leftover money should be going to a regular savings account, how much should I be putting into an IRA, how much use to try to learn about the stock marketinvesting, etc?Any advice would be great, thanks!Edit: formatting, i think.  <response>: You spend 8 ours a day in a job. Thats a significant percentage of your life. I vote for the job that makes you happier. I would recommend that you either dump the pricey car or get it paid off early. 