

Low pay low stress jobs/lifestyle - dwong

This is something I've been wondering about for a while. How many of you have tried a low pay/low stress job or lifestyle and liked it? I'm talking about pretty low pay, like working as a waiter at a restaurant.<p>My parents have always pushed me toward the impressive jobs, so I'm curious about how "bad" (or not bad) these lower-salary jobs are. I like intellectually stimulating things, but I can see myself enjoying a relaxed 9 to 5 drudgery job for a few years. I don't plan to do it forever, just while I work things out and maybe develop a client base as a freelancer.<p>I feel like my parents have conditioned my thinking in a restricted way, and would like you guys to possibly provide me with a different perspective. Thanks for any advice and experience.
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dreadsword
I have a friend who worked at Arthur Andersen before it imploded. Before all
of that went down, he quit, stopped working on the CA designation, and worked
at Starbucks. After a while, he became store manager, then took a corporate
job as a location scout/developer. He did that for a few years, and then
pulled the plug again and is now a letter carrier for Canada Post.

AFAIK, he's enjoyed life more while in the two "easy" jobs - less money, but
more freedom and energy to enjoy life.

I'm trapped on the hamster wheel myself.

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pbj
You might want to check out Mike Rowe's Ted talk, he touches on some of this.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVdiHu1VCc>

I'm in the process of changing careers now. I tried doing the IT thing for
several years and ended up hating it. There was a lot of poor work/life
balance, stress with meeting deadlines, poor job security (I'm not a
developer), etc. This was with several different companies so I don't think it
was just poor luck. My passion is working with computers & technology but I
realized one day that it just wasn't worth it for me to be so stressed out.

So I spent some time researching careers and I'm now going back community
college for something health related. The job security is outstanding, the
stress is fairly low, and I actually get to directly help improve the lives of
others every day. The pay isn't anything crazy but it's definitely enough to
live comfortably on if you just want a modest lifestyle.

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dirkdeman
I started a little catering business on the side. Italian and French cooking
is a passion of mine, and I had this plan of starting a catering business.
While it is a fun side project, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't want
to do it fulltime. I can live with the pay cut if you're doing something that
you love, but after a while you kind of miss using your brain instead of your
hands. The upside is that you're directly in contact with your customers,
which is refreshing after building web apps for people you never meet in
person. Very rewarding to see and hear that they are happy with something
you've made.

Occasionally I do a catering gig, so it's more like a nice, paid hobby.

On a side note, if you're looking for a stress-free job, don't do anything
that has to do with restaurants or catering. It's like juggling six flaming
torches in one hand while being yelled at.

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coryl
You could try building out an online lifestyle-type business, like selling
apps or some affiliate marketing stuff.

That would give you enough passive income for you do whatever you wanted with
your time.

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dreadsword
If it were that easy, we'd all be affiliate marketing to each other and
hanging out at the beach...

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coryl
Well, it is easy if you invest the time into learning it. Not absolutely easy,
but relative to any day job, the return on investment ( time spent learning )
is exponentially higher than any wage.

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bartonfink
I cut grass for a while immediately after college, and enjoyed it thoroughly
at the time. I was always in shape, had a great tan and could do the job on
virtually no sleep. I read a lot of books during that time and did a lot of
thinking while I was behind the lawnmower, and the best part was that my
mental energy was mine to spend. If all jobs paid the same, I'd have a hard
time not going back to something like that.

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CyberFonic
Do your parents have "impressive jobs"? Beware of those who want you to fulfil
their thwarted aspirations. And even if they do, you don't have to follow in
their footsteps.

In my experience when in high pay/high stress jobs, I spent far more and could
never save. The low pay/low stress jobs were the ones where I had fun and
managed to save heaps.

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dwong
That's interesting. What exactly did you spend money on when you were in the
high-paying jobs?

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aespinoza
I think you should try it. I have always thought that Albert Einstein was able
to focus a lot more on his research thanks to his low pay/low stress job.

I have also been thinking on trying, it is a bit difficult to try that with
family, but I guess it could work.

Do try it, it would be nice if you share your results after.

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dwong
Yeah, I might try. I'm currently in college, though thinking about just taking
a leave of absence.

There seem to be a good number of people who are happy working low pay jobs. I
can't help but think that there's an unfair social stigma against it.

~~~
CyberFonic
When you transcend being concerned with what other people think - that's when
you truly become free.

Take the leave of absence and enjoy a semester of doing something different.
Then with that experience under your belt, you will make better decisions for
your future.

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ssylee
While it's a novel thing to try, I don't know how low stress those jobs can be
when you have financial pressures to pay the bills. I think it's a matter of
what stress you will face in today's society.

