Hey r/AskMenOver30,
About me: UK based, 27 years old, university graduate, young professional etc. Never had a particularly well paying job but have great savings (£70k) due to living with parents for a long time and being frugal. My only big asset is my car worth £7k but I also have no liabilities other than student loan.
About a month ago I left a job I had as it was affecting my mental health. This job paid about £1.8k a month (about £30k per annum). I had nothing lined up which was pretty bold of me but my goal was to find something I enjoyed and gives me purpose/fulfilment in life; bonus points if it’s well paid but that was not my primary focus.
By pure luck and a bit of networking, I fell nicely on my feet and I’ve got a 21st century form of income that pays very well but takes up all of my time. It’s not what I expected to do, however I’m not in the corporate world of attending stand up calls each morning, back to back Zoom meetings, and checking my emails throughout the day while doing boring tasks.
What I’m doing now is not my standard career-based/professional job but it pays well. It’s not 0nly f@ns, Btc related, adult work or anything illegal, however it’s not your traditional job either. I’d rather not discuss what it is as that shouldn’t change what I’m trying to ask :). I can say though that it’s relatively easy, working from home, low stress and I feel in control of everything.
I’m taking home approx £5k a month from this. If I stuck it out, it could go on for a few months, or it could go on for years; I will never know and will live with that uncertainty. However it allows me to really save for my future.
I’ve got an interview tomorrow for a job that would be really rewarding. It’s working for a mental health charity rehabilitating prisoners so they can settle back into civilisation in a way and giving them the care and protection they need so they won’t be vulnerable or reoffending. It sounds amazing and I was super keen to join despite the low pay (£22k per annum). I live in a cheap part of the country (Newcastle) but still that’s a low salary when you consider cost of living rising.
But I recently had second thoughts. It seems crazy to leave what I’m currently doing which is an incredible opportunity to set myself up for life. As amazing as the mental health job would be, I think my monthly salary would be approx what I’m currently earning per week.
**Do you think I’d be crazy for leaving what I’m doing now?**
In addition, I’m applying to become a firefighter. This involves lots of tests spread out over a length period of up to 6 months (all tests are unpaid). This is another ‘job’ that I’d love and get a lot of fulfilment and life purpose from, knowing I’m benefiting the community, potentially saving lives and making a difference to people’s lives. It’s also low paying job of a similar salary and I wouldn’t be joining it for the pay, but the opportunity cost of leaving such a good form of income at the moment puts me in a difficult position about becoming a firefighter in 6-12 months (if I pass all the tests).
Both firefighting and the mental health job would have some career progression but right now I’m hitting the ground running in terms of building up my savings.
6 comments
I suggest you take a mental health week off. Maybe you just need a break from this high pressure job. If they won’t allow for that, I’d say it’s a red flag. In that case, for the sake of long-term health – physical, mental, spiritual – I’d take a lower-impact job but gives me the option to work on my passion projects on the side. In situations like this, I remember Frank Ocean’s words: “You just gotta be comfortable making less money.”
If you’re doing something that’s not sustainable, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with it for a while, especially at your age, but I would do two things: save a good deal of money to live off of if/when that bubble bursts, and write up a good resume that spins what you’re doing now in such a way as to present it as valuable experience for whatever job you’ll end up applying for (again) if/when the bubble bursts. If you can’t do that, a gap on your resume that you’re unwilling to explain to employers might cause some harm to your future employment prospects.
Other than that, I think it comes down to your values. It sounds like you are looking for more meaningful work; I’d suggest you pursue that at some point in your life, whether that be right now or five, ten (or more) years down the line.
Union Commercial plumbers in Seattle make $58.41/hour as a base wage before any benefits.
Hey mate, I am in UK FRS. You’re only on about 23k for the year of your probation. Then on full pay of 31k.
I am super curious what it is you’re doing for 5k a month. Can it be done as a side hustle?
Can you do the current thing during your off hours/days from the MH job?
High pay / high time commitment jobs typically lead to burnout. Be aware of it and take time off as you can to recharge. If you can’t take time off that basically puts an expiration date on the job. You may see it coming, you may not.
If it were me, at 27 and with few commitments (e.g. wife, kids, house) I’d keep working the high paying job and live as frugally as you possibly can in order to save money. The UK is in a similar spot as us in the US with respect to housing in that it’s gone crazy.
If you have the ability to save and buy a place in the long run you will be _far_ better off financially.
I’d grind it out and build the foundation for the rest of your life. Then do the fulfilling work that feeds your soul.