To be fair, sometimes it's not all about money. Better work life balance after making bigger money can be a nice transition as one gets older or starts a family. But yeah, those lower paying jobs have to play some kind of angle other than money. Some are garbage, but some might have perks.
This is true, but whether or not it's all about the money isn't something anyone outside of your own head can determine. A recruiter or other outside interested party saying it is that person straight-up trying to manipulate you. That would be the red-flag part to me even if I were fine with a reduced pay rate.
Honestly I just found it irksome that the recruiter was trying to tell me how to prioritize my needs in the job search when it was obvious he was just trying to make a placement.
