Anybody ever quit a high stress/high pay job for a low pay/low stress job?

[TDuncan4]

For the first time in my life, I know that the phrase money buys happiness is false. I'm making a lot of money but I'm freaking miserable. Stress, office politics, coming in on weekends, overtime, wtf man. Part of me envys the guy who just comes in, does routine work, and punches out and leaves. He has more time, less stress, and while not much more money, I think that's a fair tradeoff. Anybody here actually pull the trigger? how did it turn out?

[nacho]

No, but I've gone from one meaningless, low stress job to a low paying, high stress job and went back to the meaningless, low stress job. Do what makes you happy.

[debo]

I think it depends on your taste in entertainment, i.e. if you are used to always eating out, seeing shows, and traveling and cant find entertainment in cheaper hobbies, I would keep the job.

[DMX7]

For the first time in my life, I know that the phrase money buys happiness is false. I'm making a lot of money but I'm freaking miserable. Stress, office politics, coming in on weekends, overtime, wtf man. Part of me envys the guy who just comes in, does routine work, and punches out and leaves. He has more time, less stress, and while not much more money, I think that's a fair tradeoff. Anybody here actually pull the trigger? how did it turn out?

What's your job? I agree 1000% with your premise though.

[Reck]

Wanting to quit a high pressure job for a lower, less stressful job its a poor, lazy attitude from you and makes you look like a follower instead of a leader.

No one gets ahead of the pack by working dead end jobs all their lives.

To me that's more misserable than having a job where you need to perform at a high level.

I dont mean to offend you or anything but you sound like a quitter.

If you want to be the sheep, then go get a 9 to 5, low paying job.

[Big Empty]

MAN you and I are on the same page. I may post out of my position for a lower paying one cause of stress

[man on wire]

Not everyone needs to make the big bucks to be happy and there is nothing, nothing wrong with a 9-5 job as I know quite a few who make good money working a 9-5 job. Don't let others bring you down by saying you are not a leader and other crap like that. Do what YOU want to do.

[Reck]

Not everyone needs to make the big bucks to be happy and there is nothing, nothing wrong with a 9-5 job as I know quite a few who make good money working a 9-5 job. Don't let others bring you down by saying you are not a leader and other crap like that. Do what YOU want to do.

I told him I didn't mean to offend him.

If you want to work it, there its no harm in that. Just dont expect to get ahead in life by working in a cubicle for 50 years.

[NFO]

Mo money, mo problems.

[ploto]

Some people have other priorities. Choose yours. I choose to have a job that does not come home with me. I work a regular work week, but I am not in a cubicle. I have a nice corner office. My definition of getting ahead is obviously different from yours. I have no interest in being a boss. I see his job and I do not want it. I like doing what I do. Often people are good at what they do so they get promoted until they end up doing something they hate. I stay doing what drew me to my job in the first place, and I have time and energy left for my child. I work very hard at my job- I am not lazy or a quitter- but when I leave, I leave, and I work just as hard at my job at home.

[angelbelow]

If you do decide to leave your current job, don't let it be for more free time or lower stress. That won't "buy" you happiness either. Find something that you're passionate about and start from there.

[easjer]

I've never considered it so seriously before. My job is not tenable in the current incarnation and I do not expect that there will be any changes when I return from maternity leave.

I spent most of my pregnancy in a constant state of high stress (to be fair, a chunk of that was related solely to the high risk pregnancy) - I went back on anti-depressants/anti-anxiety meds during pregnancy despite the risks of breathing problems at birth because of my job. I left several things undone when I gave birth because there simply wasn't time to do them.

I have realized since I went out just how completely insane things had gotten because I have anxiety attacks whenever I *think* about work. I had to log in to my work email to retrieve a password to get my daughter added to my insurance and I'm still shaking an hour later (I only read two or three other emails while it was open). For God's sake, my doctor threatened to put me on bedrest if I didn't reduce my hours at work and my reduction was to try to leave at 5 every day (I did that once I think).

In the end, you have to weigh out what is important to you in life and go from there. I can't just quit my job - we have bills and obligations. But I can try and find something comparable - it's not like they've paid me for the additional work I took on in September (and I realized today that they can't replace me with a single person - they would have to have at least 2 people). Going back to work and being away from my daughter for 10 hours a day is going to be hard enough - and I have never wanted to be a stay at home mom. Going back to a job I hate that is literally taking years off my life and cannot be done even in 55+ hours a week simply isn't worthwhile to me any longer.

If that's where you are in your life, look for something else. You get one chance at this, you know? May as well enjoy it.

[dav4463]

I'm not lazy. It's just that I feel that sometimes work is just a waste of time filled with mundane boring tasks that rich people do not have to worry about. I wish I had the free time to explore, travel, write, play, etc....but no, I have to go to my boring job day after day. Any ideas on how to get out the rut?

[Frenzy]

I'm not lazy. It's just that I feel that sometimes work is just a waste of time filled with mundane boring tasks that rich people do not have to worry about. I wish I had the free time to explore, travel, write, play, etc....but no, I have to go to my boring job day after day. Any ideas on how to get out the rut?

Find another job.

[chunticakes]

fuck yo easy job clown.

how else are you gonna ball so hard?

[DeadlyDynasty]

Find something that you're passionate about and start from there.

Easier said than done. I've love a job where I get paid to shoot minorities, but those aren't always available on careerbuilder.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Also, :lol mouse's numerous trolls giving career advice in this thread...if that don't beat it all.

[Trainwreck2100]

i quit a high stress low paying job for a low stress lower paying job, feels great

[Capt Bringdown]

Yes. Changed careers and moved to another country because I was tired of the rat race. Originally planned to take a sabbatical of sorts, 1 or 2 years, but I've been living & working as an expat for 10 years.
Not for everyone & it has it's ups and downs. I make a fraction of the money I made in the US, but overall I'm better off, especially in the time off dept.

However:

If you do decide to leave your current job, don't let it be for more free time or lower stress. That won't "buy" you happiness either. Find something that you're passionate about and start from there.
I mostly agree. If I had to do it all over again, I'd focus on making my life's passion my life's work. How many of us are stuck in jobs/careers we don't enjoy and/or aren't really interested in? The vast majority I reckon.

It takes time to find your passion, so I think that in that regard, free time is a beneficial thing.

Best of luck. Here's something worth considering IMO:

Top five regrets of the dying (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying)
A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life?
I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence."
- more ->> (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying)

[Wild Cobra]

For the first time in my life, I know that the phrase money buys happiness is false. I'm making a lot of money but I'm freaking miserable. Stress, office politics, coming in on weekends, overtime, wtf man. Part of me envys the guy who just comes in, does routine work, and punches out and leaves. He has more time, less stress, and while not much more money, I think that's a fair tradeoff. Anybody here actually pull the trigger? how did it turn out?
Absolutely.

I have some stress at times at work, but my normal day is usually pretty stress free.

If you can manage with a lower income, and not stress financially, then that is far better in my view. I learned a very long time ago that if you let money drive you, it's an endless vicious cycle. The more you make, the more you want.

I can't say I ever "pulled the trigger," but seeing what I've seen, I simply never pursued one of those high stress jobs. I can say however, I would, as long as I could live on the lower income.

[ididnotnothat]

I told him I didn't mean to offend him.

If you want to work it, there its no harm in that. Just dont expect to get ahead in life by working in a cubicle for 50 years.

Not everyone's vision of "getting ahead" is the same as yours.

[Good 'N Plenty]

Benjamin Franklin wisely said, “There are two ways to increase your wealth. Increase your means or decrease your wants. The best is to do both at the same time.”

Do you really need all that you want? Will the possessions that you want bring true happiness? I think not, possessions do not bring you happiness.

Have you thought about what does bring you true happiness?

[Drachen]

well I heard a story on NPR the other day if anyone is interested. If you have any experience in an oil field or with plumbing Austrailia will relocate you and your family and pay you far far more than the same job gets paid here (Average boilermaker there is making 300k, was an example given). It seems that they have a lot of minerals/oil/etc in the ground and a willing customer (china) to pay top dollar, but they don't have many workers to get it out of the ground. They are importing a ton of workers giving anywhere from a 1 year visa to a permanent work visa. It would seem like that would be a low (mental) stress job. It might be physically stressful, but when people are talking about this kind of thing they usually aren't talking about physical stress. (this sounds cool to me, but I have no experience)

Oh and, to each his own, but I have a shitty routine job that doesn't pay well and I can't stand it. There is literally no challenge and it is mind numbing. It weighs on me every day. Before anyone says to go get another job, I am trying.

[JudynTX]

For the first time in my life, I know that the phrase money buys happiness is false. I'm making a lot of money but I'm freaking miserable. Stress, office politics, coming in on weekends, overtime, wtf man. Part of me envys the guy who just comes in, does routine work, and punches out and leaves. He has more time, less stress, and while not much more money, I think that's a fair tradeoff. Anybody here actually pull the trigger? how did it turn out?

Is this your first job?

[FortuneCookie]

They who are of the opinion that Money will do everything, may very well be suspected to do everything for Money. ~George Savile, Complete Works, 1912

Lucky Numbers: 5, 9, 18, 21, 44, 49 33

[lefty]

I quit a low pay, high stress job for a higher pay, low stress job

It's a win-win

[RichieRich]

To give is to receive.

[coyotes_geek]

For the first time in my life, I know that the phrase money buys happiness is false. I'm making a lot of money but I'm freaking miserable. Stress, office politics, coming in on weekends, overtime, wtf man. Part of me envys the guy who just comes in, does routine work, and punches out and leaves. He has more time, less stress, and while not much more money, I think that's a fair tradeoff. Anybody here actually pull the trigger? how did it turn out?

Is this "just a job", or is it a career? Generally the answer is going to be "do what makes you happy". However, if it's a career situation then you need to consider that the jobs you've held and the choices you've made will stick with you for a while, for better or worse.

[Sportcamper]

Just how much money are we talking about between high pay job & low pay?

[DarkReign]

Depends how old the OP is.

If youre 20-40 years old, you need to suck it up. Those are your prime earning years. If you have any aspirations of retirement, material things, vacations, children, wife, second home, nice-ass car, etc, now is the time to earn the means to acquire those things.

If youre 40+, call it a day. Youre not going to get any raises or promotions, youre done like dinner in the career world. Youre young enough to be productive but old enough to have gaps in capability with the added "benefit" of costing too damn much relative to someone who could replace you.

In the end, do what you want, but make an informed decision based on the self-important factors you want out of life. Some people are happy with nothing, nothing wrong with that. But if you want something(s) in life that require $$$, think long and hard.

[tlongII]

I make a lot of money. But I spend a lot of money too.

[The_Worlds_finest]

Just how much money are we talking about between high pay job & low pay?

38k high paying

[lefty]

38k high paying
38K is not high paying

[Sportcamper]

If youre 40+, call it a day. Youre not going to get any raises or promotions, youre done like dinner in the career world.

That is really a negative, depressing assessment of our workforce and I could not disagree with you more….:lol
20-30 Apprentices
30-40 Starting to reach full stride
40-50 Peak earning years
50-60 Supervisors, trainer, teacher…Maybe not working the Over Time but a valued mature employee to most U.S.A companies….

[SpurinDallas]

Being in sales, the potentially high paydays are worth the stress for me. Sometimes the day traveling sucks and the presentations don't always go your way, but I'd take that than working in a call center for 12 bucks an hour and always having every bathroom break I take monitored, and then coming home feeling unfulfilled.

[lefty]

That is really a negative, depressing assessment of our workforce and I could not disagree with you more….:lol
20-30 Apprentices
30-40 Starting to reach full stride
40-50 Peak earning years
50-60 Supervisors, trainer, teacher…Maybe not working the Over Time but a valued mature employee to most U.S.A companies….
It'S the Detroit market :lol

[JoeChalupa]

Being in sales, the potentially high paydays are worth the stress for me. Sometimes the day traveling sucks and the presentations don't always go your way, but I'd take that than working in a call center for 12 bucks an hour and always having every bathroom break I take monitored, and then coming home feeling unfulfilled.

I hear ya but I work in a call center and make more than that and I enjoy my job, I work from home, love servicing my clients and yeah, I have a few complaints but overall I enjoy it. I don't have a college degree, and yes I wish I did, I'm over 50 and just got another promotion.
For some 38K is enough for others it is does not even come close. I work with our Sales people all the time and yes, they do make good money and they all have college degrees.
I am attending college during some evenings since we do have tuition re-reimbursement. Even at my age there are growth opportunities but a degree will help even at my age.
And I know people who make $12 an hour and own a home and are providing for their families.

[SpurinDallas]

I hear ya but I work in a call center and make more than that and I enjoy my job, I work from home, love servicing my clients and yeah, I have a few complaints but overall I enjoy it. I don't have a college degree, and yes I wish I did, I'm over 50 and just got another promotion.
For some 38K is enough for others it is does not even come close. I work with our Sales people all the time and yes, they do make good money and they all have college degrees.
I am attending college during some evenings since we do have tuition re-reimbursement. Even at my age there are growth opportunities but a degree will help even at my age.
And I know people who make $12 an hour and own a home and are providing for their families.

I hear ya. I was speaking of my own experience. My first job outta college was in a call center and I hated it. It was the company I worked for. And yes, 12 bucks an hour in 1999 when I was only 22 was great for me. But I hated having to log in and out of my phone when I wanted to go to the bathroom or grab a drink from the vending machine. Once I got into Sales, the level of stress went up as far as job performance and results go, but I was away from that Gestapo environment where I had zero flexibility.

[Capt Bringdown]

Depends how old the OP is.

If youre 20-40 years old, you need to suck it up. Those are your prime earning years. If you have any aspirations of retirement, material things, vacations, children, wife, second home, nice-ass car, etc, now is the time to earn the means to acquire those things.


That's a valid path, but it is not the only one, nor is it for everyone.

Depends on what you want out of life. I won't deny that it gets harder and riskier to change your life as you get older, but that's what courage and forbearance are for.
"Never on this side of the grave again."

[DMC]

Being a contractor has it's benefits.

[TDuncan4]

What's your job? I agree 1000% with your premise though.
It's an analyst position (don't want to go into more detail as I'm paranoid someone might know who I am)

[TDuncan4]

Wanting to quit a high pressure job for a lower, less stressful job its a poor, lazy attitude from you and makes you look like a follower instead of a leader.

No one gets ahead of the pack by working dead end jobs all their lives.

To me that's more misserable than having a job where you need to perform at a high level.

I dont mean to offend you or anything but you sound like a quitter.

If you want to be the sheep, then go get a 9 to 5, low paying job.
I appreciate the advice. It's not about quitting. If I really wanted the high stress/high pay job, then I would view what I was thinking as quitting but I don't want it. You have to know when to quit right? Why would somebody try to not quit something they don't want to do?

[TDuncan4]

i quit a high stress low paying job for a low stress lower paying job, feels great
Inspiring man! Thanks for the confirmation.

[TDuncan4]

Absolutely.

I have some stress at times at work, but my normal day is usually pretty stress free.

If you can manage with a lower income, and not stress financially, then that is far better in my view. I learned a very long time ago that if you let money drive you, it's an endless vicious cycle. The more you make, the more you want.

I can't say I ever "pulled the trigger," but seeing what I've seen, I simply never pursued one of those high stress jobs. I can say however, I would, as long as I could live on the lower income.
Wise words.

[TDuncan4]

Is this your first job?
No. 3rd.

[TDuncan4]

Is this "just a job", or is it a career? Generally the answer is going to be "do what makes you happy". However, if it's a career situation then you need to consider that the jobs you've held and the choices you've made will stick with you for a while, for better or worse.
It's supposed to be a career which worries me...I don't want to start from scratch but maybe again, it'll be worth it.

[TDuncan4]

Depends how old the OP is.

If youre 20-40 years old, you need to suck it up. Those are your prime earning years. If you have any aspirations of retirement, material things, vacations, children, wife, second home, nice-ass car, etc, now is the time to earn the means to acquire those things.

If youre 40+, call it a day. Youre not going to get any raises or promotions, youre done like dinner in the career world. Youre young enough to be productive but old enough to have gaps in capability with the added "benefit" of costing too damn much relative to someone who could replace you.

In the end, do what you want, but make an informed decision based on the self-important factors you want out of life. Some people are happy with nothing, nothing wrong with that. But if you want something(s) in life that require $$$, think long and hard.
Haven't thought about the age thing. You make a good point. Unfortunately I am in the 20-40 range so I have some thinking to do...

[coyotes_geek]

It's supposed to be a career which worries me...I don't want to start from scratch but maybe again, it'll be worth it.

I'll say this, within my career field (engineering) it's been my experience and observation that putting up with stress and BS early in your career gives you more options later in your career.

[DarkReign]

That is really a negative, depressing assessment of our workforce and I could not disagree with you more….:lol
20-30 Apprentices
30-40 Starting to reach full stride
40-50 Peak earning years
50-60 Supervisors, trainer, teacher…Maybe not working the Over Time but a valued mature employee to most U.S.A companies….

I can only speak regionally, so take it for what its worth.

But every 50+ employee I know is being forced out in some capacity. Whether its reduction in pay, reduction in hours, reduction in position, etc, theyre being hassled into quitting/retiring.

Its happening everywhere. My 58 year old stepdad has worked for the same company for 40 years, pretty high level management. He spent 3 years training his replacement, that replacement is now fucking him over per the new company policies. Because its a holiday weekend is the only reason he has any days off. Just got done working 18 days straight. Who else is working 18 days straight? No one, just him.

When I first started to deal with customers at the big auto companies, my contact sheet was filled with older white men. I could name you, no bullshit, 20 names who are gone before retirement age. I realize its the auto industry so its an isolated instance relative to the rest, but the point stands.

Everyone I am about to name was a non-auto industry employee:

My uncle - forced out/retired at age 55
My 2nd cousin - same
My cousin - is going through the same thing right now
My stepdad - see above

I think you folks who think youre going to be some "valued employee" at 50+ are going to be in for a very rude awakening. Mind you, if you work for a small company, you may be good to go.

But if you work for a large corporation of any kind, youre going to be abandoned the moment your health insurance raises the effective rate for the whole company. When your productivity slips to even slightly above average, when your vacation time never goes unused year after year like those below you, when you wont work weekends like you always used to, when the world passes you by in technology that you barely understand or even care to, when your job can be surplussed because some 25 year old can do what you did in half the time for 1/3 the pay...so on and so on.

Think what you all want, doesnt matter to me. But unless you work for a small company, youre nothing to the company you work for. Sure, you offer value now relative to your pay scale, but talk to me when youre pushing 40 and your entire set of priorities in life have completely changed compared to today. 45+ year old people have grandchildren they rightfully adore, family time becomes more important, working 70 hours isnt on your radar anymore, vacations are lengthy and important.

You, as an employee, are not the same as you used to be and that is very normal and has always been that way. What has changed is the corporate perspective on those employees. You cost too much, you dont work enough, your age + average healthcare needs blows the company average to the top rate, youre behind technologically, your priorities are not the same and the most obvious cost-benefit is the fact that someone younger and cheaper can do your job in some passable capacity.

[Wild Cobra]

Yep.

Places are trying to force early retirement and the feds want to raise SS eligibility age.

Better all save in personal savings.

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

I just quit my high stress well paid job without having a back up yet, and let me tell you it feels amazing. Granted I have some money saved up where I dont need to stress about finding a new job right away but that's besides the point.

[Capt Bringdown]

A QUOTE FROM STERLING HAYDEN'S BOOK, WANDERER

To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... "cruising" it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.

"I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.

What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?

[Sportcamper]

Dark Reign- But every 50+ employee I know is being forced out in some capacity. Whether its reduction in pay, reduction in hours, reduction in position, etc, theyre being hassled into quitting/retiring.

That’s horrible that really is…Having your pension tied to the company & they can let you go before you are able to collect…Who wants to retire at age 55?

Many companies have a pay as you go pension & benefits…It does not cost my employer more to keep a 65 year old on payroll than a 25 year old…The pensions are regulated & managed by an outside investment group…The older workers require zero supervision…They are experienced & assigned more difficult projects…Its a win win for the employee & company...