How much would you leave for a comfortable remote job for a higher paying startup with less work-life balance? Are you willing to sacrifice your ideal work-life balance for a potential pay increase and career progression? #WorkLifeBalance #CareerGrowth #RemoteJobVsOfficeJob
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Current Situation:
In my 20s, renting in a VHCOL city, I have a comfortable remote job with good pay (90-110k), a great team, and a perfect work-life balance. However, it’s somewhat of a dead-end career-wise.
Pros of Remote Job:
- Decent pay
- Comfortable work environment
- Great work-life balance
Opportunity at a Startup:
I have a chance to join a startup with potential pay increase and better career prospects, but it requires long office hours for 5 days a week.
Cons of Startup Opportunity:
- Long hours in the office
- Short commute but significant time loss
Considerations:
- Youthful age with time on your side
- Desire to save for future home ownership
How much would it take for you to switch from a comfortable remote job to a more demanding but potentially rewarding startup position? Are pay and career growth more important to you than work-life balance?
That’s a very privileged question… it’s a significant minority of people who view themselves as being in a position to consider work/life balance, let alone stand on it as a principle.
The question should be How much do you value your health?
Everyone has a choice
I think everyone values work life balance, most people just aren’t privileged enough to have access to a solid foundation of it.
Tough decision. It’s cliche but I truly believe that there’s nothing more important than the time you get to do what you want to do. For me work should only be a way to reach your goals, not the goal. Being able to just have this philosophy is a luxury, and it depends on so many things.
You say you want to buy a house. Is your current level of saving taking you there? Do you feel bored at work and frustrated? Do you actually want a career, or is it just something you’ve been sold like everybody else? I think it depends on the fulfillment you get from your current life out of work too.
Imagine yourself in 10 years. How would you feel about yourself/your life if you looked back and saw each potential path you might choose today?
Imagine meeting someone in their 40’s and they tell you that they have a great career, or on the contrary that they’ve had a slow evolution and an easy job but are remote and make 100k/year. What would be your spontaneous reaction?
You still have time to figure it out, develop your skills and move up the ladder later if that’s what you want. You can totally have a comfortable job and still progress, even slowly.
Do not leave your current job.
When I was young, I worked a lot and was paid well for it. I took the risks, relocated for promotions, traveled etc. now that I have that experience, I have a well paying job that gives me much flexibility and a good balance. I waited to have a family so now that flexibility and balance is precious to me. Working hard in my twenties and early thirties gave me a great financial foundation as well. You do you, and consider your long term plans for life into your decision.
Can you try to over employ or get a side hustle (s) instead of switching full time jobs ?
Do you have a family?? Something holding you back otherwise from commuting ??
Go get that bag
I’m mid 30s right now, have a mortgage, married with 2 kids under 5. I prioritize money over work/life balance. Rather rake it in, capitalize on compound interest, and retire early over coasting now. I’m in SF and would leave a job where I’m objectively performing 50% better than my peers, for a 10% pay increase assuming all else is the same.
Enough to take a 90k pay cut
I value it as much as my salary.
I make around the same as you and I would give my arm for a situation like yours. It’s hard to find.
I’d say stay at this job since you like it, keep looking for another role that has a pay bump with good culture and work life balance. You have all the time in the world and you’re in a good situation.
I can tell from your question that you live in a high COL area like me. I know it sucks not being able to afford as much but trust me when I say your sanity isn’t worth it. I have long covid and one of the contributing factors was likely working too hard after I recovered from my covid infection. Is it worth giving up your health and your sanity for a pay raise that’ll make you want to leave on week one?
Go for it in your 20s. Staying in a dead end job a terrible idea when you just barely starting your life.
I value it more than anything
A startup in itself is a big risk. But you’re in your 20s, so if you’re gonna do it, now is the time. I will say this, money doesn’t always mean happiness. Personally I would stay where its comfortable. But only you can make that decision. It’s possible that startup folds in a year which is statistically very possible. Then you would have no job.
No to 5 days a week
They’re going to have to pry it from my cold dead hands. I’ve spent the last 20 years building and selling businesses and now that I’ve settled down into a nice 9-5 job with about 99.9% less bullshit I’m never going to leave. Retiring here.
Not saying that my situation or what I’m about to tell you applies to everyone, not by a long shot – just sharing my experience.
I’m in a very comfortable financial situation but work at an agency. I am overworked, undervalued and deal with a toxic team mentality and culture. My work/life balance is non-existent, on call 24/7.
I’ve dealt with it for the last 5 years because it’s allowed me to be comfortable (within reason, mind you – the job necessitates I live in a very HCOL area where your money doesn’t get you far. I can’t afford a house, for example. But I don’t have to penny pinch).
But I’m now reaching a point where it’s affecting my health and my mental and physical well-being. Because of that, I’m seriously considering quitting so I can do something else with my career. I don’t even know what, but this job has made me hate my current field so much that I think I might have to do a total reset and get an entry level job. I’m just super unhappy and my anxiety is out of control.
I feel horrible doing this though, because I don’t want to put the pressure on my fiancée to support us. She does well, but the guilt of giving up a situation that can help us over the long term I think would give me a different kind of anxiety. I’m risk averse, so it’s kind of eating me up inside and I don’t know what to do.
Edit: meant to add that it’s very very hard for me to job search because I have literally no time to do so because of my current job.
Anyway, sorry for the long-winded anecdote and maybe I just needed to vent somewhere, but my advice would be to research as thoroughly as possible before taking a job where you have no balance. Or at least be sure that you’re passionate enough about the work that you can make it to the next level where the grass is greener on the other side. Just my two cents!
Enough that I’d rather be unemployed than working in the wrong situation.
Best thing that ever happened to me is when i switched to salary and stopped working 55-60 hours a week.
Hired 3 more people and started working 36-40 max. I was 27 at the time and have been enjoying work life balance for the last 9 years.
When i was working 55+ hours per week i was fat and un healthy. Now I’m in much better shape.
Do not go to a start up if you value work life balance. If you’re comfortable with your job, only leave for a perfect opportunity. I’m 38 and just made the mistake of working a business that is public but runs like a start up, and I’m trying to find any way out possible.
Zero. I value being capable of paying medical bills
When I was young, 18-35. I worked 72 hour weeks and we would all joke “do it when you’re young”. I got married, had kids and continued. 2 years back I took an office gig, 4 10s. Remote 2 days. 4 day weekend every other weekend. I fucking love it. All that other hat got me all the extra debt ( glad I paid it off ) but I missed birthdays, vacations, camping. I gave up so much for money, that I don’t have. I do own a house and have decent things. But who fucking cares haha
Took a 9k base salary cut and lost out 40k in OT. Never been happier.
Startups have a high chance of failing. Forget the percentage, but the majority go belly up in the first year. I wouldn’t bank my financial wellbeing on a startup.
Plus, you have a good salary now and a good work life balance. Remote jobs are also highly sought after. I wouldn’t trade that if I were in your place.
Hustle while you are young. Choose wlb once u cross 35+. That’s just my advice. If you are happy with your current scenario no need to change anything.
Nobody remenbers work, its a byprocess of living in most cases. I would not change roles. The time you have now could be invested in a diploma of some sorts which guarantees a pay rise. In the long run you could be even better of than if you switch jobs, in the shortterm it seems you make progress because you earn more. But slow and steady wins the race.
I quit and went to a different company to a 30% less paying job with better work-life balance and better interpersonal relationships.
That much.
Never regretted it one bit.
Appreciate all the responses here. Great to hear everyone’s views and experiences in similar situations. I’ll be going through all the replies here while making my decision.
I’d make sure I leave on good terms with the current company and join the startup, if it doesn’t work out, ask the previous manager if you can come back.
Everybody is different.
I personally would and could do 60 hours a week, all day everyday, as long as the money is right.
I know a lot of people in different industries who does 80-100 hours a week, for decades.
And there are people who refuse to work over 20 hours a week.
It’s up to you.
It may have a significant in dead in pay and potential for career growth. But are you happy? If you don’t particularly enjoy the work and are only doing it for money, how long do you want to put yourself out there for a job? Physically work will slowly drag you down, so you have to make time to take care of yourself. But also mentally. Is it better to stay at a lower paying job if you’re happy or go somewhere that you may be miserable but paid more? How much are you willing to sell yourself?
Also, when I worked from home it was hard to separate work and home time. I’d work until 10pm some nights to stay ahead. But the minute I had to return to the office, I made a firm rule that I only work from home if I’m getting paid OT, or it’s urgent. All my stuff sits at the table in the kitchen and home time is me time.
The grass may look greener on the other side, but your currently setup sounds dope af. If you are content with what you already have, why risk it?
my current take is that I like working. But I also like spending time with my partner. As long as work isn’t causing me to neglect my partner im fine with it.
Sounds good. I would like to focus more on life then work. Now it kind of feels like its still the other way around. All the prices of everything skyrocketing is also not helping. Things like just work for a while and then take breaks inbetween would be nice or work part time/seasonal work. Just because I do not think its worth breaking yourself to be able to save up 200k for a small house. I think my earnings will be betweek 9k and 20k a year.
Imo if you’re pretty certain about the career advancement and are passionate about it, do it. But if you’re not pretty certain, you could be hopping ship from what sounds like an already really nice job. In 99% of places I don’t think 100k/year is squeezing anyone. Do you think the pay increase would make you happier than the harder work load would make you stressed?
Personally im.glad I grinded the first 5/6 years of my career so far. I more than doubled my salary and I feel like im.still in a good spot to get a couple more promotions in the next 5 years and then coast the rest of my career
. I live in a HCOL, but I hate my paycheck. I work remote and have a great work life balance. My schedule is nice. I wake up and get off early, but my pay doesn’t allow me to do both spend and save. It’s one or the other. I seen new jobs coming up which pay good but there’s the trade off. I’m thinking of staying another year of experience but when inflation is high. It’s kinda hard not to think about the money part.
Too young to be stuck in job like this. Take risks now and grow your career.
I don’t know, i just wonder if you will get bored in
A few years where you are.