My job description is fantastic, fully in synch with my academic education, but I’ve been unhappy in it for several years now. I sometimes wonder if I would be happier in a more simple job. A job where problems come up and can be dealt with immediately, instead of ending up on a long list of complicated tasks that I should be adressing if only my procrastination tendencies didn’t get in the way.
Did you ever take a more simple job voluntarily? Was the reduced stress worth the reduced pay?
I work part time, by choice, in my chosen field for that reason. I have a low overhead so it works for me, not sure if that counts
yes, I’ve taken simpler jobs and enjoyed them. It does make it difficult when you are ready to re-launch some version of a career though.
I’ve never regretted making my work day simpler so that I had more energy for family and friends, though. And as long as you can adjust your daily expenses to accomodate the assumed reduction in pay, you will be fine. You just need to understand what you currently have now, and what you are willing to give up.
Well, it depends what you mean. If by “taken” you mean “got fired” and by “more simple job” you mean “raising children” and by “reduce the stress” you mean “no longer near suicidally depressed,” then yes.
My misery in a job that didn’t match my temperament, under a boss who was nutty, at a time when I was not properly treated for my depression, was extreme. I finally became so non-functional that they cut me loose, and after a month or two of getting over it, I became ever so much happier. I would much rather sell off my vacation home, move into a small apartment, and live on ramen than have that job again. My only regret is that I didn’t realize we could do without the money and walk out under my own power far sooner.
I had a very well paying job that required me to be on call 24 hours a day. IT security stuff related, and I routinely had clients calling me at late hours to come and clean up a mess. Then one day I was leaving on a call on a early Sunday evening, and I was driving through our housing development and noticed all of the families having cookouts, mowing their lawns, etc., and I realized I wanted a normal schedule. The freedom to actually plan days off. Not being afraid to have one too many beers while sitting at home, that kind of thing. I wanted a 9 - 5, weekends and holidays off gig. About a month later I found a job I liked in the same industry (with about a 20% reduction in pay), I put my notice in, and haven’t looked back.
I have not. However, I have reached the top of my earning ratio as a programmer and usually I take a job in management in order to advance my earnings. 2 years ago I was laid off and I have done nothing but program since. If this start up that I work for goes belly up, I am seriously considering staying in programming, because I enjoy it much more than management. I likely will only get small increases the rest of my career, but my stress will be lower and my enjoyment higher.
I tried but could not get one, I gave up and went back to what I know after 9 months.
After working as a lawyer doing federal appellate work for the government for about 5 years, I had the opportunity to join a private firm. The annual salary was slightly higher, as was the long-term earning prospect. Without going into the culture of private litigation practice, I hated it. Was drinking more, and grinding my teeth while sleeping. Tho I was billing the minimum, I was told I had to come in earlier and stay later just in case some partner or client wanted their ass wiped. The kicker was that with the longer hours my hourly income wasn’t much better.
I was VERY happy my old gov’t job took me back. My earnings over the past 20 years have been less than they could have been, but I have no question that the quality of my life has been incalculably better.
Work to live, don’t live to work.
Yep. Moved to a smaller town, took a boring desk job that I could work half-time. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done - I have less money but much more time in which to do the important stuff in life. And the gnawing stomach ache I had for ten years is gone without a trace.
I haven’t downgraded jobs, but rather declined to pursue a more advanced degree and/or position. I really lucked out with the current job; I’d be surprised if I could find one that paid this well even with a Master’s, and it sure wouldn’t be anything where I could spent so much of the day fucking around online.
I once took a pay cut (not huge, 7% roughly) to take a job that I thought would be less stressful. Unfortunately, I was wrong about the “less stressful” part.
I was thinking about it (I think I have a thread about this topic somewhere,) but I stuck to it. What changed was that I developed a network of friends and allies at work, and I also took advantage of medical services. In other words, I started trusting other people. So far, it’s been working out, and I’ve taken a temporary promotion.
I’ve never taken a more simple job, but I have refused to entertain promotions at my current job because the increased salary wasn’t worth the increased stress. Does that count?
The key is money. Money does matter, if it’s gonna make a real difference in your life.
As others have noted, people want to to know WHY you took a backward step, if you have to look for another job. So come up with a darn good reason, in case down the road you need to look for another job.
It probably would be better for you to keep the job type but go work for a different place.
I have found if you simply LOOK for another job it often reduces the stress immeasurably.
Part of stress comes from the fact that you may feel trapped because the money is good or whatever. Once you look for a job two things happen.
First you get a job offer and you know you’re not trapped or at your current company’s whim. Because you can leave you’re empowered and that reduces your stress.
Or second you find you can’t get another job and you suddenly appreciate your current job all the more.
So start by updating your resume tonight. Then start looking, start slow with applying to different job one hour per day. Go on a few interviews.
Even if you get a job offer you can always turn it down.
So look for a similar or same job with another organization.
I took a simpler job back in the late 90s so I could finish business school. I was working at one of those “hot Internet ecommerce consulting firms” that was all the rage back then. Long hours. Cultlike work environment full of socially retarded “delicate geniuses” run by their pompous Ivy League handlers. So I left to go work in the IT department at a regular ole nine to five consumer products company with flextime. My job? Being the liaison to some other “hot Internet ecommerce consulting firm” they hired to mismanage their project.
The difference? Whenever one of those jackasses would get on my case about wanting me to pull an all-nighter with them or whatever asinine thing they were doing, I could be like “I don’t work for you. I’m your client. Now go get me a Coke bitch.”
This is timely- I just updated my resume today.
I like:
My rate of pay.
Many of my coworkers.
The job itself is interesting.
I don’t like:
The 12 hour days.
The long drive.
My feet hurt almost all the time, despite treatment.
I’ve been there well over 10 years and may be suffering some burn-out. I think I would like to leave the hospital and work in a clinic or Doctor’s office.
I worked in critical care; burn units, pediatric open heart units, adult and peds trauma. I burned out. Then I became a file clerk for a quarter of the money at a company that had nothing to do with medicine. It was a good transition. I’m now fully retired.
Yes. I was on the track to head up a research lab in an R1 university- doing a high powered post-doc and all that jazz. DH and I both looked around at how insane people were working to make that track come true and said no thank you. We were expecting our first child and wanted to have time on weekends and evenings to be a family. We took industry jobs and eventually I stepped off the research track completely and teach at a primarily teaching college.
Not a day goes by that I don’t long to be directing an academic research lab. But it was still the right decision for our family.
I get more stressed when I’m slow at work than when I’m busy. So a while back I upgraded to a place with enough work to keep me busy.
I guess you could say that; when my husband and I were both working full-time, I realized that I was still doing most of the household stuff. I decided to work part-time, then, and consider the other half of my job looking after our house.