People Who Quit Their High-Paying Jobs For Happiness Explain How It Turned Out

Sometimes money isn't the goal.

It is a BIG goal for many.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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?