Question

Which job would be better?

One that has a salary where the mean and median are close OR

one where the salary of the mean and median have huge gap (like mean 36,000 and median 20,000)

Answer 1

one with the mean and median close

Answer 2

Are you assuming that the person has the mean or median salary? You cannot judge a person's salary by the difference between mean and median, unless the salary = either measure. <I>Where your salary is in the distribution</I> is more important than the mean/median values. (e.g., If your salary is the lowest in the distribution, you will be dissatisfied, regardless of the values of the mean/median.)

Also, remember that the mean is most influenced by extreme scores, whether they are higher or lower.