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People Who Quit Their High-Paying Jobs For Happiness Explain How It Turned Out
Having money and a job with security can make life much easier to handle.
But chasing that goal can lead to ulcers and unhappiness.
Not every job and not every dollar is worth worrying about.
That's why so many people make drastic career changes out of nowhere.
Certain jobs can kill your soul.
You have to know when to walk away.
Redditor mintyowl15 wanted to hear from the people who have put self-care ahead of career, so they asked:
"People who quit a high-paying job for happiness, how’s life now?"
It's Bad
"Worked as an attorney, quit to be a teacher. It was ok for a while, but years later it's bad. I'm poor, and terrified that I will be poor forever."
- No_Candle3268
Nervous The Big Bang Theory GIF Giphy
Happily Ever After
"I made six figures selling cars at a large dealership group in the Midwest."
"I worked 8 am-8 pm Monday through Saturday and never saw my family."
"I dreaded weekends because I always had five or six appointments on Friday-Saturday."
"My kids were growing up without me, and my girlfriend/fiancée was growing apart from me."
"I left that job to get back into the manufacturing field, and I now buy/sell stainless steel, aluminum, copper, bronze, alloys, etc from 8:00 to 4:30 M-F."
"I make about $40k less per year, my sons are f**king awesome, one just started 3rd grade and the other his Freshman year, I just married the woman mentioned above, and I could not possibly be happier."
- 5DsofDodgeball69
Focus
"I sleep better. I poop better. My blood sugars are better. My hypertension is better. My social life is worse. I make less, but I also spend less because I'm not constantly trying to compensate for bad days. I'm more focused. I'm also more challenged, and some days are harder. I like to show up early. I still hate staying late."
"I used to work in finance. Now I'm a nurse."
- chapterpt
Do it Sooner
"I didn't exactly quit it for happiness; I quit it to take care of my mom. I left a job as an SRE at Google, which paid well, and took an academic staff software engineering job, which paid crap."
"My mom made it four more years, and I got to spend them all with her, and it was the best decision I could have made. I'm back to what I was making in 2012 and plan to retire in a year or two."
"She was a good person, and I miss her, but I'm glad I got that time with her. She was my career counselor, and she willed me a good bit of money, so there is honestly no level I regret that decision - if anything, I wish I'd done it sooner."
- yankdevil
Calm before the Storm
"I mean, I quit a poor-paying job for an even worse-paying job."
"My mental health is tons better. All my sleep problems have gone; I fall asleep quickly and wake feeling well-rested. I'm calmer, less irritable. My IBS symptoms have significantly improved for the first time in 10+ years."
"But on the flip side, I am now poor as s**t. Holidays are no longer a reality. A take-out is maybe once every six months. My days off have to be spent doing something very cheap/free, either at home or somewhere I can walk. When my 17-year-old car inevitably breaks, I won't be replacing it and will have to walk or cycle everywhere."
"Also, with how bad the pension payments are on a low wage, I'm pretty concerned about what quality of life my future self is going to have."
"Overall, life feels a fair bit less enjoyable now but a whole lot calmer."
- Dave_Tee83
Sail Away
"Went from corporate IT to residential concierge (handyman for rich people.) Couldn't be happier. 61 years old and semi-retired. Clients instead of managers, lots of referrals. Make my own schedule and cruise from job to job listening to 80s music on Spotify."
- Educational_Emu3763
Happy Jim Carrey GIF by Laff Giphy
100% Commission
"I was a Mortgage loan officer back in 2022 when I quit. 100% commission. Made the most money I’ve ever made, but worked every minute of the day, 7 days a week. Mindless work. My job used to preach 'work/life integration.' Which I now see was manipulation. I quit and took a job with my state government, making a lower salary, but I have my life back now, am much happier, and am actually using my college degree rather than kissing real estate agents’ a** all day every day."
- taymacman
BYE
"I quiet quit, I wouldn't say I have a HIGH paying job, but I'm comfortable."
"I busted my a** to be a top performer, and got a 2% raise as a reward. So I no longer go out of my way to do extra work, I don't keep every minute of my day busy, I listen to audiobooks, do my homework (going for my master's), take some time to go outside in my garden, and I spend time growing weed as well! (Legal in MN, I don't recommend breaking the law lol)."
"I'm much happier now. Eventually, I may look for a higher-paying job, but right now I'm coasting!"
- high-tylrrr
Cargo...
"Halved my salary but doubled my work and life satisfaction! Went from working at a desk 5 days a week, not wanting to get out of bed, and getting closer and closer to a mental breakdown, to cycling around the city I love 5 days a week, delivering coffee, pastries, and other items between businesses as a cargo bike rider. Would love a little more money, but I can't really complain when I think about where my mental health was before!"
- robertjmcgill
24/7
"I quit my job (or rather, was asked to leave). I had some financial security, but the truth is, I hated every single working hour, and most of my colleagues, too. For about 5 years, I was high on weed 24/7. Before that, alcohol was my main thing."
"Now I’m on pause. I’ll be on unemployment for a while, trying to figure out my life. To be honest, I don’t feel much happier yet—but I guess 9 months sober from weed, 2 months off nicotine, and doing a lot of heavy shadow work has to count for something."
"What I do know is, if I’d kept going the way I was, I probably would’ve killed myself slowly with anger and substances."
- Suitable-Edge6136
Success...
"I quit being a Delta flight attendant. After a decade of alcoholism and zero relationships, I’m 3 years sober, in a loving relationship, and have a dog. Couldn’t be happier."
- J_J_987
Happy So Excited GIF Giphy
Better Scenery
"I was fired for refusing RTO order, but that's just semantics."
"I left my field to work in an adjacent one. I took a $40k pay cut, but instead of working in defense, I'm at a nonprofit I personally admire."
"If I didn't have VA disability, financially it would have been rough. I'm still paying my bills and saving, so the change of scenery remains great."
- Diablo4
Losing the Dread
"Quit as a construction engineer to work in a warehouse. Couldn't stand the office life, meetings, clients, e-mails, writing reports, etc. Much happier working manual labor. I've always been very frugal, so despite the considerable pay cut, it hasn't affected my day-to-day life much. Except I don't spend all my free time dreading going to work anymore."
- bwestlie
HELL
"I was a pharmacist, quit, and went to a call center (hated it), but moved to another department for service implementation, and I love it. Recently, I started working a few shifts a week as a floater pharmacist to help pay for home renovation projects, but it’s still much better than full-time."
"Being a pharmacist in a retail environment was absolute hell, and this was pre-COVID. I damaged my mental health to the point of multiple breakdowns a week."
"Pay went from around 90k a year to 32k, then when I went up to 45k when I moved positions."
"Long story short, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. :) "
- asterisk-kid
Rather Be
"I went from stressing out about work to stressing out about money. But I’d rather be broke, stressed & own my time than constantly working for someone else with minimal time off."
- BeachBound1
Breathe Jack Black GIF by Regal Giphy
So what have we learned?
Prioritize a healthy life and a clear mind over money and the grind.
It can be scary to walk away and try new things.
But that is life.
Life is a scary, daily struggle of "who knows what's next?!"
Not all of these stories had a happy ending.
That doesn't mean it can't work out for others.
There is still time, but it won't last forever.
Who else has left a job for happiness?
Most Read
Bride In Tears After NYC Firefighters Surprise Her At Her Wedding To Honor Her Dad Who Died On 9/11
TikToker Kristin Marino, now Kristin Schnacky, was three years old when her father was lost, among other members of Rescue One.
On her wedding day, Kristin received a special surprise from the FDNY, who wanted to honor her next big milestone and also honor her late father's memory.
In a touching TikTok video, Kristin appears in her full, flowing wedding dress, stepping out of the hotel where she got ready.
"My dad couldn't show up to my wedding because he was taken from us on September 11th..."
"So look who did..."
Outside the hotel were Rescue One's two primary firetrucks with the team standing in full uniform, waiting to greet her. The team was a combination of new firefighters who'd joined since September 11th and even retired members who returned for the occasion.
Kristin reflected on the moment:
"I finally understand why they say, 'It's a brotherhood.'"
"I know my dad was smiling down, knowing I was taken care of."
"Thank you for never forgetting, FDNY."
You can watch the video here:
Some fellow TikTokers were deeply touched by the video.
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
Others honored Kenneth Marino's and other lost firefighters' memories in the comments.
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
@kristin_schnacky/TikTok
To make the day even sweeter, Kristin was walked down the aisle by her grandfather, Kenneth's father, and her father's firefighter uniform was hung over the chair that she would have wanted him to sit in to watch her get married.
Kristin reflected:
"As a girl who lost her dad at a young age, I truthfully never dreamed of my wedding day the way girls usually do."
"The thought of walking down the aisle without my dad would bring me to tears."
"But having my Poppy (his dad) walk me down was exactly how it was supposed to be... and I know my dad was there with me the whole time."
You can watch the video here:
Thousands of families' lives were changed on September 11 with the falling of the Towers, first responders risking their lives, and bystanders impacted in the surrounding city.
This is a beautiful reminder of how we came together during that time and how people are still standing together to hold each other up when we realize yet another way that our lives look different because of the tragedy.
Kristin Schnacky was surrounded by love that day, and it was undoubtedly everything a late father might have hoped for for his daughter.
Cardi B Goes Viral After Revealing The Hilarious Reason She Wants To Have More Kids
Cardi B is making the rounds to promote her new album, which led to the sort of charming confession that could only come from Cardi.
While on the Jennifer Hudson Show, the two of them got into a discussion about her children, and if she wanted to have more. She does, she said, but not for the reason that you might usually give.
No, Cardi B gave her the straight, honest truth, in a deeply hilarious way.
“The more kids you have, the less of a possibility you go to, like, a [nursing] home. One of them is gonna wipe my butt!”
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Commenters were deeply amused by her reasoning, because that's usually an inside thought that we don't share with others, let along an entire studio audience and those watching at home.
@karengutloff2004/YouTube
@bobbielopez1542/YouTube
Some people, including care teams but also fellow "butt wipers," chimed in with their experience. The job does often fall to daughters, and can come with serious impacts on the caregiver's health and potential for burnout.
@SincerlyLaCrystal/YouTube
@kaydeeedavis3371/YouTube
Still, super funny stuff. While Cardi B is mostly known for her rap career, some people were thinking she could easily switch tracks to comedy.
@satya_satori/YouTube
Cardi B is known and beloved by her fans for her unpolished honesty, unfiltered sometimes to a fault.
@kerrylarry8110/YouTube
@wileyjohnson5681/YouTube
@cameshiathaw9965/YouTube
The rest of the interview is also charming, even if just to see how happy she is to talk about her children and their lives together. But she keeps it real, making sure her children know her roots and the world that formed their mom.
“They have like a lot of cousins and a lot of my friends, they still outside, they still in the hood and everything."
@alissonlaroche626/YouTube
@DANIEB811/YouTube
As Cardi B has over a month until her album drops, it will be an interesting press tour to watch.
@moniquemonique7543/YouTube
Her new album Am I the Drama? drops on September 18.
Nancy Mace Melts Down After Dem Rep. Points Out That Cosmetic Procedures Are 'Gender-Affirming Care'
Representative Jacobs stated:
"I would just like to point out that it’s interesting my colleague from South Carolina is so obsessed with the issue of trans people, using horrible slurs to talk about them, when many people in this body have received gender-affirming care."
The California Democrat then gave examples of such care—some of which Mace appears to have taken advantage of herself.
"Filler is gender-affirming care. Boob jobs—gender-affirming care. Botox is gender-affirming care."
"Lots of my colleagues have received gender-affirming care, and let me be clear, everybody should have access to the gender-affirming care they need, and I think that we should respect everybody in this country."
Whether it was being called out for her hypocrisy or attention being drawn to her cosmetic procedures, Mace was enraged by Representative Jacobs' statement of facts.
In yet another example of her unhinged behavior, Mace screamed at Representative Jacobs:
"Ridiculous. You are absolutely ridiculous. What the hell is your problem? You are disgusting. You are an insult."
You can watch the moment here:
GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson had not recognized Mace, making her outburst also a violation of congressional floor procedure.
Speaker Johnson stated, while wielding the House gavel:
"The gentlelady is not recognized. The House will be in order."
Mace's mic was cut, but she could still be heard shouting in the background as Johnson tried to restore order.
Unable to gain an audience via C-SPAN, Mace took to X to cry victim—claiming the comments about boob jobs, Botox, and fillers were all about her own body.
Mace finished her X post with what many consider an antisemitic dig about Representative Jacobs' nose, writing:
"PS—I have a good surgeon if you ever want to get your nose done."
Mace's post didn't rally support to her side.
Representative Jacobs told The New Republic in an interview on Wednesday:
"Look, I didn’t actually say anything about Nancy Mace. I said many of my colleagues have had this kind of care. I think it’s very telling that she thought that I was picking on her. It sounded like she told [on] herself."
"And to be honest, I think everyone should get whatever gender-affirming care they want. Like, you do you, girl."
"But the idea that she would use that to target this already vulnerable population is horrible. She knows it gets her headlines and clicks. She thinks it’s going to help her in her campaign for governor of South Carolina. And she’s targeting vulnerable young people to do that."
Earlier in the interview, Representative Jacobs explained the context of the House floor exchange, saying:
"[Mace] offered a number of amendments that would have prohibited gender-affirming care for service members and their dependents, which would have included mental health care, that would have stopped trans people from being able to use the restroom that they need. There was a number of other things she was trying to do."
"This particular one we were debating was preventing trans service members from using the bathroom that they need to use. And she has, over the course of the last few years, said some pretty terrible things about trans people, constantly using the T-slur, using words like deranged and all this other really emotion-evoking terminology."
"She went after [Delaware Democratic Representative] Sarah McBride when she first got here, and I think just generally has tried to get attention by targeting trans people and in particular trans kids."
The California Democrat added:
"[W]hat Nancy Mace is doing is not about misunderstanding. She is intentionally targeting a vulnerable group of people because she wants the attention."
"It is cruel. It is mal-intended. And it is not just about she said something wrong once. This has been a very strategic targeted approach she has taken."
In response to another post Mace tagged her in on X that same day, Representative Jacobs wrote:
"I feel sad for you. Stop lashing out against trans kids and pretending it's to 'protect women'. Hope you get the help you need."
While Mace may have been shocked to learn her alleged (personally confirmed?) extensive surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures intended to enhance her femininity were the definition of gender affirmation, others were aware that cisgender people routinely get work done to feel more feminine or masculine.
WCBD News 2/Facebook
WCBD News 2/Facebook
WCBD News 2/Facebook
WCBD News 2/Facebook
Johns Hopkins Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the Association of American Medical Colleges list brow lifts, jaw recontouring, forehead cranioplasty, breast augmentation, and operations or non-surgical medical procedures—like fillers or Botox—to enhance or reduce specific body features—such as the face and chest—to appear more masculine or feminine as gender affirming care procedures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition states "gender-affirmative health care can include any single or combination of a number of social, psychological, behavioural or medical (including hormonal treatment or surgery) interventions designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity."
These procedures are routinely performed on cisgender people seeking their idealized version of the gender they were assigned at birth. But Republicans being ignorant of current science and medicine isn't new. After all, most of them still think gender and sex are binaries after decades of research and data have proved otherwise.
Sorry you didn't know what gender-affirming care was, Nancy.
But ignorance of facts doesn't make them untrue.