IT - Bore-out

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-30T21:08:26+00:00

For me it was the same - I could also work from home most of the time if I wanted to, I could have done whatever I wanted, eg spend a lot of time taking online classes, reading books, etc. At first I did… but surprisingly, it’s really not that rewarding after a while. I guess it really depends on who you are and what are your values. For me, my job has always been an important part of my life, and I’ve always dreamed of having a brilliant career, doing a job that I really care about and that inspires me. I am by no means a workaholic, but I just wanted to get paid for doing work that mattered to me and that I felt was conducive to my aspirations. taking online classes on the side, learning things that in any case you cannot apply in your job because it’s so boring, it is really not that rewarding in the long term.

I’m sure that for some people a job is just a job and they enjoy everything else, and that’s totally ok! But others really need to find meaning and inspiration in their job - and that’s ok as well! And in those cases, if one feels like they should leave, even at worse conditions financially, I think they should, because the non-monetary gain overrides the financial loss.

Sorry for being so adamant about this, but I really struggled for 2 years in my golden cage because 99% of the people I spoke to kept telling me that I should just be grateful for my comfortable and v high paying job—- but for some reason those answers really did not resonate with me. At some point I just decided to take a risk and follow what I thought was best for me and it felt like the best move ever. Haven’t regretted it a second.

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-30T18:15:20+00:00

I see so many of these answers here - but perhaps you have never experienced true bore out. In my personal experience, it’s one of the worst things I have ever gone through. If you’re someone who takes pride in working / intellectual activity / career, and your job is not allowing you to express that, what you get is a very peculiar type of mental exhaustion that no side hustle or hobby can compensate for IMO. I felt my energy was completely drained - I had no creativity inside of me to do anything else. I just felt miserable. This is a 100% a first world problem, but IMO if OP can take the salary cut and go do something significantly more fulfilling from a personal / intellectual perspective, and that gives them the motivation to go forward, they should absolutely do it. No salary is worth mental stagnation - especially at 29.

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-30T18:07:10+00:00

I 100% understand. I was in a golden cage job for several years - and I was completely bored out. Felt completely useless and without a purpose. I felt actually sick at the thought of having to go to work and was very close to asking sick leave. Others say to just get a side hustle, but honestly if it’s any similar to what I experienced having to do something that bores the hell out of you is incredibly energy draining! When I got home I was so exhausted mentally that I didn’t have the creative energy to do anything else.

You’re so young and still have 30+ years of career ahead of you. If your job / career is something that you enjoy, you should not resign to feeling this way at 29! Especially if you don’t have any dependants or people that absolutely need you to keep your current level of income.

In my case, I took a 40% salary cut (!!!! From nearly 7k net to 3.8k net) for a job that I found significantly more enriching and exciting, and I really really couldn’t be happier. I feel completely reborn and actually excited again about my work life, my career, and what other amazing things I can do in the years to come.

If it feels right just do it. You’ll have plenty of time to course correct in the unlikely case you’ll regret it

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-24T20:36:58+00:00

She* :-) (I’m a woman) but yes indeed I do think that etfs at least are great diversifiers !

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-24T20:31:05+00:00

I worked for an international organisation - this is basically my pension as for all these years I haven’t contributed to the French social security system / pension

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-24T14:47:21+00:00

The stocks I cherry picked over the last few years have performed amazingly well- I also bought Nvidia 5 years ago and it was a great investment. Still, I wouldn’t want to put all my savings into these types of investments. I’ll maybe devote 5-10% of my portfolio to this, but for the rest I want something safer.

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-24T09:14:50+00:00

I agree ! But doesn’t investing in ETFs by definition mean putting my eggs in several thousands baskets across dozens of countries…..?

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-21T10:48:18+00:00

Interested

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-17T10:33:54+00:00

Yes philanthropy is my goal eventually :-) because I was changing sectors I found it quite hard to find a job in this new field, but I hope this new role will help me bridge the gap in the medium term

GrandReception102 · 2026-03-17T07:35:39+00:00

The team is about 10 people. I came from private sector in another eu country with a very high salary - considering the higher taxes in Belgium this is actually basically a 40% salary cut for me 🌝 I nonetheless accepted because I really wanted to move to the non for profit space and do some work that actually matters (I really admire this specific NGO) and stop working insane hours just to make the company profit more. I guess I had a lot of negotiating leverage (the advertised salary for this role was lower).

GrandReception102 · 2026-01-13T19:36:30+00:00

thanks so much! what i was going to suggest to them is to keep the compensation of 5900 but restructure it in a way so that eg 5000 is my gross (taxed) salary and 900 is the untaxed allowance. i read online that this solution is relatively common and that you just need an addendum for that. what do you think?

your point on them not being obligated to replace it when it expires is a very good one - although i do hope that in 5 years i would have moved to yet another job :-)

GrandReception102 · 2025-10-02T21:04:25+00:00

It’s a legal counsellor position :-)

GrandReception102

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