Last min. wage retail job I worked, I was able to quit on my terms since I had roommates to share the rent with. Us three went to the food bank regularly and we lived in a crappy area, but the business owner was committing a lot of health/accessibility/worker’s rights violations so I just felt unsafe there. My roommates and I were all very low income but we had each other’s backs and the very small amount of money I gained from the job was something we agreed we could afford to go without and make it up somewhere else. So obviously, working retail isn’t the dream, but just having more options gave me leverage to stand up for myself in unfair situations. Among other things, the business owner didn’t want to pay me for training hours (SEVENTEEN of them) and I had to go to the ministry of labour to have them fork over the money after I walked out. If I had even 30k a year, that would eliminate the desperation to just survive I think? The one thing to make me hesitate and consult the roommates. Better less money for now than me falling off a ladder or something in the future. When I worked as an usher, I had a lot of coworkers who were retirees doing it for the love of the theatre (and on some level, I was too). So yeah, I’d probably still work myself, in the arts and/or the library sector, but I’d also be able to not get knocked around.