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I have switched to working a super easy job that is very much beneath my work experience/education (I have three degrees in Finance/Accounting). It doesn't pay very well, but it offers me stress-free living, lots of time off, & less than a 40 hour workweek.
I am wondering if 5-10 years from now I will regret this choice mainly for these possible reasons:
-being more intelligent or more qualified than your boss
-not living up to your potential
-having people look down on you for your title even though you are more qualified
-I do not have nor do I want a family so my free time is significant anyway
I've not done it and would not, for financial reasons mainly. I want to earn as much as I can while in my prime working years, so that my retirement years will be better and I will be self-sufficient during those years. I would think that this is the catalyst for most people, unless they are independently wealthy.
I'm doing it right now. I've had a variety of administrative clerical jobs over the 30 some years of my work history - I've worked as a management secretary in a department store, in advertising research, as a legal assistant - and I'm now a cafeteria cook in a jr./sr. high school. I don't work a 40 hour week and I have no deadlines (other than getting the hungry kids fed). My job is fun, it is low key and informal, and I enjoy the kids very much. I also enjoy my cafeteria co-workers a LOT more than I enjoyed my co-office personnel. They don't back stab, have agendas, or act like they have sticks up somewhere. I get Thanksgiving vacations, Easter vacations, a long Christmas vacation, and three months off during the summer.
I know I could do better if I really WANTED to, but I don't. I don't want to continually go back to school to "get an edge" in the new technology (or ever touch a computer at work again), I don't want to commute a long distance or move to an urban setting for job opportunities. and I don't want the STRESS. But my situation is a bit different, because at this point my kids are grown, I have no major expenses (house and cars are all paid for), and DH has a comfortable retirement business. I don't have any ambition or desire for anything more complicated than my quiet country lifestyle and lots of time with my grandson. By the way, I'm only 53 and would still have time to "set the world on fire", but I do not want that on my epitaph.
In my career I was an over-achiever, always worked overtime, always look for a higher paying position. I accomplished all of that, but at a price . . . Lots of stress, missing time with my family--years and years of that. Now that I am older, I would rather have led a less stressful work life that allowed more time for travel, the family, etc . . . I will always choose quality of life over money, now.
Yes, and it's a good idea for people who value their free time & stress level more than their income and career status.
It's OK to find your self-worth and personal fulfillment outside of employment and then "downshift" your career. I enjoyed my $25,000 job a lot more than my $60,000 job, and I was healthier at the lower end lifestyle too (since I was less sedentary and had an easy commute).
I know someone who's considering stepping down to a lower position at the same employer that will only pay half her current salary. It's less stress, more fun and will still pay her bills. Her current high-stress lifestyle is making her miserable and endangering her marriage.
I haven't personally done this, but back when I was in community college, my A&P professor was actually a dentist. She went through all the years of school and of course tons of debt....and when she finally started practicing it she discovered she hated it. I'm sure being a community college teacher pays much, much less than a dentist makes, but she did not regret it at all and seemed very happy in what she was doing.
I have switched to working a super easy job that is very much beneath my work experience/education (I have three degrees in Finance/Accounting). It doesn't pay very well, but it offers me stress-free living, lots of time off, & less than a 40 hour workweek.
I am wondering if 5-10 years from now I will regret this choice mainly for these possible reasons:
-being more intelligent or more qualified than your boss
-not living up to your potential
-having people look down on you for your title even though you are more qualified
-I do not have nor do I want a family so my free time is significant anyway
I would never willingly take a job that didn't pay very well and if I had to I certainly wouldn't stay there. I would look for other jobs. I didn't go to college and go into that kind of debt just so I would work a s*** job for low pay.
I am interested mostly in autonomy in my career, having more control over how I spend my time, prioritize my tasks, the type of work I will do.
I have worked in food service, cube farm call back customer service center, office administrative assistant, clerk, graduate student, classroom teacher, college teacher. Those jobs paid no money, and they were more stress.
I would not take a job that paid less thinking it would mean less stress.
The truth is, many of us are being laid off and then forced to accept lower paying positions that are beneath us. Maybe we say it's a choice, but is it really?
My husband and I have both done this in the past couple of years, as we are now approaching retirement, for different reasons.
DH was laid off and out of work for over a year. While he had some interviews, his age was clearly an issue. So he decided to go from white collar to blue collar to get a job so we can retire as planned in a few years, vs him not working at all and delaying our retirement.
Me, because I was not been happy at my job for a while, I found a lower level job that had lots of potential to make me happy while I put in my last few years. It was a pay cut and title cut, but as I was older, happiness was higher in my priorities. The BS/politics were getting to be too much, and titles/promotions are no longer the most important thing to me.
Neither of these decisions were made in haste, we discussed the implications of making the changes. We could afford to make the changes, so that is something that is clearly important.
Personally, there are some jobs I would consider more heavily if I didn't live in a high cost region. But I have lifestyle to afford, so the lower skill, lower wage jobs would mean poverty. Or worse. Where I live.
A house in the hood is $200k. And it won't be nice and there will be drive-bys all the time.
In retirement? You'll see me working at the bookstore. Or as a personal shopper.
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Or as a personal shopper.
