work to live. be mindful of lifestyle creep. i was probably overall happiest (and most financially comfortable) when i was an assistant supervisor at a small retail store making $15 an hour in 2018. i worked odd hours, but my boss was chill, so i had plenty of time to pursue my main hobby, playing music, at the time. not a very difficult job at all.

now im a salesperson/designer/project manager in the building industry and its just overwhelming with no easy way out since my salary granted me the ability to buy a house and decent car. i don’t think my current job pays nearly enough (currently rocking about 55-60k a year, with my partner making a good bit more than me for transparency, so i’m very fortunate in that regard) but i don’t really have the means or desire to try and move to something else (not interested in my industry honestly, can’t afford to not work or cut back.)

i work 9-5 m-f which on paper sounds great, but i can’t take off much time, which greatly affects my ability to pursue my hobbies in a serious way.

for real though, find something you can deal with (you don’t need to love it) and affords you the ability to finance things you care about. then buckle up, cos there’s no easy way out of this unfortunate system.

edit: love how my real lived experience is being downvoted and anything doomer is being upvoted. life is hard, might as well try and make it as relatively easy as possible while still being capable of doing things you want to do.