I run engineering teams and get paid 8X more than my wife’s salary but I want to quit – am I stuck?

Making a lot of money isn’t something most people would complain about. However, one Reddit user is not happy in his high-paying job but feels like he has no choice but to stick it out. That’s making him feel really empty and worried about his future. 

The Redditor explained that he grew up solidly in the middle class so he realizes that he is lucky to earn a lot of money. He runs engineering teams for a big tech company, which is a job he finds both cushy and unfulfilling. However, he and his wife have two kids, they live in a high cost of living area, and they have a nice lifestyle. Since he makes eight times his wife’s salary, he is reluctant to quit the job he describes as “horrible” and he feels guilty about the prospect of leaving so he’s wondering if he’s stuck for good. 

So, what should the original poster (OP) do about the job he hates? 

How to deal with a high-paying but unfulfilling job

The OP has a few possible choices for how to handle his situation:

• He could look for a job that pays a comparable amount of money but that he doesn’t hate: This might be possible if he’s upset about the specific company he works for, but is generally OK with his career choice and would potentially be happy managing an engineering team elsewhere. 
• He could stick it out at his current job, saving aggressively to achieve financial independence as soon as possible. This would mean trading some short-term happiness for potentially more happiness later — and it might make sense depending on how long he would have to work to build enough wealth that he can spend the rest of his life doing what he wants.
• He could take a lower-paying job that makes him happier. This might mean that he and his wife must scale down their lifestyle or that he has to work longer to achieve financial success– but those sacrifices could be worth it if he ends up happier in his career.

Ultimately, all three of these approaches could be good ones, so it all depends on whether the OP values making more money now to have more opportunities later, or whether the OP wants to be happy today — even if that means he may not have all of the same opportunities tomorrow.

Talking with a financial advisor could be helpful

The best thing for the OP to do would likely be to talk with a financial advisor. He has said that he has enough savings that he and his wife would be fine for a while if he stopped working the job he hates, but he should confirm that with a professional before he explores his options.

The advisor can also help the OP to understand what life would look like both at his current higher income and with a lower income. By running the numbers to see what sacrifices would be necessary, and what life would look like at at each pay rate, the OP can decide which feels more like a life worth living. If he sees that he can work for an extra few years at the bad job to achieve great wealth, he may decide that’s the best option — but on the other hand, if the advisor shows him that a lower pay would still provide a great life, he may opt for that approach instead. 

Ultimately, it will come down to a value judgment — but one the OP should make with all the information at hand so he’s not left with regrets. 

The post I run engineering teams and get paid 8X more than my wife’s salary but I want to quit – am I stuck? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..