What is happiness worth?

KateCon912

I have a very mundane office job that I really despise. I have been working here almost 3 years and I've been miserable every day. I hardly make any money that would even make it worth it to stay. I make less than $15 an hour. My husband makes enough money to pay for the mortgage and all of our bills so my income goes to savings and groceries. We are saving up as much as we can so in about 2 years we can move to another state.

My question is this... Would it be wrong for me to quit my job and find some minimum wage job somewhere so that I can have more freedom and possibly even happiness? I feel so wrong about the thought of it but I'm only planning on staying here 2 more years before we move. Then I can worry about a career once we are in another state. I just really feel like this job is eating my soul alive and these people are the worst kind of people I've ever met.

Should I quit? Or should I stick it out for 2 more years and just deal with it?

askeates

IMHO, it sounds like you are in a position that making that decision would be the right one. Life is way too short to have to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week being miserable!

Best of luck to you and good luck with this difficult decision. :drinker:

patrickblo13

I think you should do something you enjoy and makes you happy if you have the ability to do so (eg. not being the main source of income).

feltlikesound

I have a few questions -- have you crunched the financial numbers on how it would effect your lifestyle month-to-month and long term? If there is a savings shortfall, can it be made up for by reducing other costs (reducing grocery costs, cutting down on unnecessary spending)

Is your current job going to be valuable in providing experience, references, etc. for obtaining jobs in your future? Generally when you drop from what may be a more stereotypically "successful" position, to minimum wage, you will need to explain the change to future employers. I don't think it's correct to say "THEN you can worry about a career..." as your experience now will be a direct part of your ability to obtain future positions and enter your career track.

That being said, I do not believe much is worth being miserable for. I just wanted to share some things you may not have thought about, yet. I work a mundane office job, too, and cannot wait to get out. But where I am in life and with my family's finances, I will only be leaving to move UP into bigger/better, not down based solely on enjoyment. My happiness comes from what I do outside of work and the things that define me as a person, not the 9-5 that puts food on my table.

logicman69

I would say find a new job, then quit. It looks better on a resume. But yes.. if your living situation is temporary, and you are not making much money at a job you hate, then why not go and do something you can at least tolerate

SolitudesMuse

If I were in your position, my only concern would be finding a career once I moved. In terms of an future employer viewing your resume, you went from a 3-year job to a minimum wage job for 2 years. Depending on where you're moving, it can be difficult to find a job in a new city, much less a different state.

That being said, I'm all for happiness. You do seem like you're in the position to be able to do what makes you happy. So if that's OK with both you and your spouse, then do what feels right to you.

KateCon912

Thank you all for your responses!! My Husband sees how miserable my job makes me and he is all for me finding something else. I just feel so guilty because it is a stable professional job and it would definitely look better on a resume if I stayed.

i'm not sure yet what I'm going to do but I really appreciate all of your advice!

Hornsby

I would think since your income in minimal (don't take that the wrong way), it would be well worth it to quit your job and find something you enjoy. $15 an hour isn't worth being unhappy in my opinion.

TheRoadDog

I was offered my current job 6 years ago. I was very happy where I was. I took it for the money. It was about half again what I was making in the company I had worked for 20 years at.

Second guessed myself several times over the past years. Took about 5 years to get acclimated. I'm probably not as happy as I was in my past job, but that company has made many changes that weren't that employee friendly and they have taken several pay cuts. That company that I did not want to leave is no longer the same as the company that I left.

In my new job, I've received a substantial raise each year. I have received a bonus each year that was approximately 10% of my annual salary. My daughter was awarded a $10,000 scholarship for college from my new job. I've made new friends and still have my old friends. The extra money has significantly changed our lives.

Sometimes you just have to say WTF and make a change.

MinnieInMaine

You already answered my questions about Hubby's thoughts. That was my first concern when I read the OP. Just have a few more...

What about benefits? I'm sure there's a good chance you can go on your husband's as a dependent if you aren't doing that already but this may also create a difference in budget depending on the difference between how your company covers benefits and how his company does it. Something to consider.

What about your schedule? I'm going to assume since we're talking minimum wage jobs that you're thinking more of a part-time retail job which means your schedule could be all over the place. Not just what hours you work but how many hours you work per week. Some places are better than others but as the newbie, you usually get last choice since those that have been around longer have seniority.

Consider job duties for part-time retail. Not sure if you've got experience with this but I worked a few jobs in that industry back in the day and you may be asked to do things that are less than pleasant like clean restrooms or mop floors. Again, depends on the store but it is a possibility. Thankfully when threatened with these types of tasks, my living didn't depend on the income at the time so I was able to flat our refuse to do them without worrying either way about keeping my job. I would've walked out the door had they insisted...

The grass isn't always greener, and in this case you get paid a lot less to put up with crap.

Sinisterly

A smile, a kiss, a tender touch.. A sweet embrace and the glance into the eyes of the one you love.
That's happiness.


-derps out of thread-

Dan_Druff

Since you already know you're leaving in 2 years, why not stick it out and help as much as you can with the savings?

Timshel_

My question is this... Would it be wrong for me to quit my job and find some minimum wage job somewhere so that I can have more freedom and possibly even happiness?

I am confused. Why can't you find a job that will make you more happy and fulfilled? Having more time because you are working at a another crappy job that pays less but gives you more free time isn't going to solve anything. Truly though, I would look inside yourself to find more peace and happiness than thinking more of anything will do the trick. You can be happy in anything you do, including your current situation. It's a choice.