Recently I did the math and have found my weekly income has dropped about 20% from what it was when I was working full time at the newspaper and part time on my internet marketing business. (To refresh, I am now working full time at my internet marketing business full and part time at an inn.)
But here’s what my life looks like at my part time job:
There is also the added benefit of being able to bring Sadie with me to work. And the worst thing I’ve dealt with to date was a flooded bathroom and in the end, that turned out pretty funny and not at all stressful.
Full time, I’m at home at my desk, and very occasionally on the road meeting with people. And being home is a pretty comfortable place for someone to be.
Sure, it has gotten more stressful working for myself in some respects (like not having a regular paycheck) but in a lot of ways, my life has simplified.
I am saving lots of time commuting, and using that extra hour a day to get in a morning hike or workout. I am feeling much less tension and pain in my back and shoulders which I attribute to a combination of a nice chair and taking breaks when I need to. My friends and family say I seem happier. So in short, I have a simpler life with a smaller paycheck.
But the other side of a coin is the prestige and challenges that come with a higher stress job. At the Inn, it’s funny that people often think I’m a college student, or seem surprised that I’m well educated. Is my ‘simple life’ a cop out because I am worried about how I’d do climbing a corporate ladder?
It’s a tough call in some ways. I feel like I’m still figuring it out.
What about you: Given a choice, would you pick a higher paying job with more stress or a lower paying job with less?
“ This is an excellent question. Looking back at my own experience makes it even more difficult to answer. In 2001, I was working 40-hrs a week at a contracted gig for an insurance company. I was bored out of my mind, I didn’t seem connected with what my tasks were supposed to be, and if anyone noticed, they didn’t seem to mind. After a few weeks I was offered a job at a newspaper, which I promptly took. That meant taking a nearly 50% cut in pay. The payoff was that the newspaper job (working as a reporter) was more prestigious, often challenging and interesting, and I worked with people with whom I strongly connected. I left that job to continue a career in newspapers, but today I find myself at another crossroads. The newspaper industry is, to put it mildly, in the crapper. I’ve been laid off, and am trying to figure out my next step. Had I stuck with the insurance job, which would have provided me with a cushion of savings in tough economic times, would I be happier today? Then again, could I even had succeeded at the insurance job? Often hindsight is 20/20, but in this instance, it feels more blurred.”
stress I work in a relatively high stress environment as an editor and writer of a monthly magazine. but while people around me freak out i’m able to stay quite calm. i handle stress much better than most of the people i work with. i’m used to deadlines and i am very organized and priority driven. i feel stable in my job (which is amazing considering the status of journalism in this day and age). i don’t want to take on MORE stress…even for more money. i really like my work/life balance as it is now.
“less stress! I’m not going to work at a job licking envelopes, but I would pick my current job over my last one any day! I find that being able to go home and knowing that I can relax instead of catch up on projects is worth every penny that I’m giving up!ps We did take your dog to work day in my office, and it was actually my most stressful day as yet… My dog felt like it was her responsiblity to guard my cubicle.”