Took the lower paying job with better hours instead of the high stress 6 figure role and 3 months in I feel way less burnt out even though my bank account hurts

My old coworker told me she left her manager job for a receptionist gig at $38k and said her only regret was not doing it sooner, so I chose the $45k state job over the $95k consulting offer and now I actually sleep through the night for the first time in years - has anyone else made a similar tradeoff and regretted it or was it worth it like she said?

2 comments

2 Comments

kaimiller25d agoTop Commenter

Do you ever get worried that if you go back to the high paying track later, you'll have lost too many years of experience or contacts to make it work?

zara_perez6225d ago

Honestly that's the thing that gets me the most. Like you can always make more money later but you can't get back the time or the relationships you built up. I've seen friends who took a few years off to travel or start a family and when they tried to get back into their old field it was like starting from scratch. Not just the technical stuff but the networking too, the inside jokes and the shortcuts people share over lunch, that stuff takes years to build again. And then you're competing with 25 year olds who have the same degree but fresh energy and zero responsibilities, which is a hard sell to hiring managers.