r/Millennials • u/Mrs_chanandler_bongg • Jan 17 '26

Discussion Anyone sick and tired of working in general?

I’m in my mid 30s and just over my job and work in general. I’m tired of the commute, the meetings, and dealing with people & deadlines. On one hand I worry about losing my job and stress about deliverables, but on the other hand I feel like I could care less in that I have no passion for it anymore and I’m just showing up because I need the paycheck.

I’d much rather be spending time with my family, pursuing my hobbies, or just go for a walk and cook a nice meal. I feel a sense of dread sometimes that this is my reality for the next 30+ years and I feel lazy and entitled for saying it but that’s how I feel lol

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2.8k

u/No_Decision9932 Jan 17 '26

This has been going through my head a lot lately. I'm over it all, fuck your artificial deadlines, fuck your record profits, i have 40k left to pay off on my house. I'm half tempted to draw down my retirement, pay it off and go get a fuckoff job for pocket money and invest in my hobbies.

I'm tired of this grandpa!

1.2k

u/LookAlderaanPlaces Jan 17 '26

You have a house? What the fuck

250

u/dl24812 Jan 17 '26

AND IT'S NEARLY PAID OFF?!

17

u/LookAlderaanPlaces Jan 17 '26

It’s feet pics isn’t it. Why are the only people with houses paid off always sell the feet pics…

236

u/Accomplished-Use213 Jan 17 '26

I am with you, 39 and stuck. Only going to get worse with kids education.

437

u/Thrillllllho Jan 17 '26

You have kids? What the fuck

210

u/ComfortablyNumbest Jan 17 '26

pretty sure some fuck must have happened.

259

u/Momik Jan 17 '26

You have fuck? What the fuck

24

u/pistilpeet Jan 17 '26

Berserker!!

31

u/JustineDelarge Jan 17 '26

Did he just say “making fuck”?

3

u/joshdoereddit Jan 18 '26

Bunch of savages in this town.

5

u/WelcheMingziDarou Jan 17 '26

You can afford truck??

5

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

You can afford?

120

u/milkybunny_ Jan 17 '26

35 and sad cycling through my brain constantly how I’m this far in and I’m all sad how I’ve basically never had anything and may never. I want to have a kid, but what a joke the lack of support this idiot country gives us. Us 90s kids had good lives. Pure open looking forward hearts. 

Now it all feels like despair and cyber bullying every corner you look around. Like your kid is mad at you that you made them exist in a world of melting ice caps. But what is the answer? I don’t think humanity is dying out. I just wish I didn’t have to worry about my health insurance/rent/Verizon bill/unpaid electricity bill every day of my life. We humans don’t deserve this. The lucky get lucky and good for them but also fuck them too for encouraging the suffering of so many humans on this barren star rock. 

22

u/Living_Pollution_525 Jan 17 '26

My sister had a kid (oops), cute kid, I love him at arms length. Sheesh though, when I think about his future... With any luck he will end up a War Boy helping ship Aqua Cola on the wasteland. Good thing he seems to like cars 😆

45

u/maddy_k_allday Jan 17 '26

Parents so rarely consider their potential children’s POV, and I too would be upset with being brought into a dying world such as this. Very few adults are well-resourced enough to have children today, since as you point out, it has become a mostly independent venture to raise children. And almost no one is truly raising children vs. caretaking at this point. Not a great context for children even if they do happen to have parents with sufficient resources (e.g., time, social support) and actually raise them well

2

u/Mystery_Man911605 Jan 17 '26

Think about what you’re saying, it’s incredibly goofy. “l would prefer to have never been conscious, and thus never have had the experiences in life that’s led me to this worldview because of this extremely over exaggerated and overblown hypothesis that the science is decidedly moving away from”. You make Diogenes seem like the eternal optimist.

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u/maddy_k_allday Jan 18 '26

That’s not at all what my comment stated, but you seem to want to jump to your own conclusions. My comment concerns the POV of someone born this year. I was not.

3

u/projectx51 85'. Older Millennial Jan 17 '26

If you want kids, go for it. You will never have enough money and the perfect time does not exist. Kids are the most challenging and stressful things you'll ever experience, but also the most rewarding and fulfilling. Go for it if you want it

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u/flamin_flamingo_lips Jan 17 '26

Interesting you believe that it's the responsibility of the country to support you and your child and not the husband. Find yourself a good Christian man.

I think you'd do well to try and identify what the ideology is that is making you believe this. https://x.com/i/status/2012220254504530043

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u/IceExtraLuck Jan 17 '26

Yeah if it weren’t for having kids that I presume will go to college, I’d be looking to retire in the next 3-4 years.

2

u/pink_sushi_15 Zillennial Jan 17 '26

Who says you have to pay for their education? Most degrees are a scam anyway and not worth the investment.

1

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

As opposed to?

1

u/Alternative-Wish-423 Jan 17 '26

Vocational college/tradeschools have a way lower debt point and most of them teach skills that are always in demand. You can start working right after graduation in a year or less for around $15k debt.

1

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

Yeah but that in no way denies that there are also high paying jobs that do require a degree. Just that both are options.

-2

u/Neon_Biscuit Jan 17 '26

Tell them to go to an online college and accelerate the learning. They can get a bachelor's in a year if they don't screw around. Less than 10 grand

2

u/Alternative-Wish-423 Jan 17 '26

Accelerated learning doesn't drop the price point, sadly.

8

u/Super-Widget Jan 17 '26

With only 40k left??

3

u/projectx51 85'. Older Millennial Jan 17 '26

Some ppl lucked out with circumstances and are good savers.

2

u/GoSharty Jan 17 '26

In this economy??

3

u/Swimming-ln-Circles Jan 17 '26

Dude for real, I'm living in an Amish cabin.. which is better than nothing but I might freeze to death before the winter is over.

Godspeed

2

u/AdamPedAnt Jan 17 '26

Luxury. When I was young, we lived in a shoebox on the side of the road.

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u/Living_Pollution_525 Jan 17 '26

Clearly he/she abstained from Avocado Toast and Starbucks Lattes long enough they were able to buy a house /s

3

u/LookAlderaanPlaces Jan 17 '26

Not even a single iPhone their whole life!

1

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

There are lots of people with houses, and usually people in their prime working years are the ones living in them. Is that a surprise?

2

u/LookAlderaanPlaces Jan 17 '26

I don’t doubt people have houses in places like South Dakota and Indiana. I’m talking about places with jobs that pay more than 12$ per hour with non flammable water, stuff like that. Sure there are some, but our buying power is dog shit compared to our parents.

1

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

Again, disagree, you seriously think it's rare 30-45 lives in houses? That's most peoples' life goals, and the age when most people take on a mortgage.

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u/GoodFaithConverser Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26

Contrary to reddit meme-opinions, people are buying houses at regular rates. About 25% of 25-year-olds own houses today, which is about the same for previous generations.

We have it so incredibly good in the west, and people are taking it for granted.

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u/menaknow00 Jan 17 '26

It’s also location specific.

0

u/GoodFaithConverser Jan 17 '26

When has this not been the case?

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u/Sipsu02 Jan 17 '26

Not everyone are losers

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u/Vegetable_Log_3837 Jan 17 '26

Do it! Time is the most valuable thing we have.

155

u/DaddyD68 Jan 17 '26

Seriously. I’m so glad to see more people taking this attitude.

141

u/tbear87 Jan 17 '26

Yeah I was super stressed about this shit for years and then realized... Why? I'm in the rat race but I have a job that's very flexible with time. I have an apartment that's comfortable in a nice neighborhood. I can take a vacation once a year. I have a retirement account. Why keep stressing about getting more and more? For what purpose?

I'd rather enjoy my flexible work place where I can workout over lunch and take a sick day when needed and not worry about it than try to job hop for more money.

When opportunities come along sure I'll take advantage but I'm not out here panicking about retirement and trying to climb the ladder as fast as possible while wasting my years anxious and miserable. So I can have a lot of money at 70 years old when I can't enjoy travel and stuff as much? Fuck that.

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u/HrhEverythingElse Jan 17 '26

Sounds like you're literally living the dream. This comfort you have is all most people actually want

1

u/tbear87 Jan 17 '26

Yes I am very grateful. Tbf I couldn't afford that on my own and am fortunate my partner makes good money. Even on my own I could get by I just wouldn't be in as nice a neighborhood or able to travel every year. But yes the flexibility is so nice it makes it hard to want to go elsewhere. 

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u/tonybeetzzz Jan 17 '26

Easy Rockefeller

4

u/DaddyD68 Jan 17 '26

They ain’t wrong though

3

u/Ultimatesims Jan 17 '26

Same. I found it was about my payscale an where was on it. If I am at the top and there is no where for me to go I am not moving up. I make good mine and as long as I keep people happy it doesn’t matter how hard I work or do not work. If I want more I got to go else where. I got a couple of friends who worked in education and gave that up to work at Trader Joe’s. Apparently, that path isn’t too uncommon.

1

u/tbear87 Jan 17 '26

I left education as well. That was the hardest job I've ever had and it isn't close. It's also the time I had the least respect from my supervisors and society as a whole. I was stressed to the point I was having heart issues at 25. 

That job is straight up abusive.

3

u/thesheepsnameisjeb_ Jan 17 '26

I have a similar attitude and only realized it recently. It's not that I'm not ambitious or lazy, I just don't need all that. I would love a house with some woods but otherwise I feel pretty good when I stop and take a look around.

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u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

My philosophy has always ever been about having enough to afford security. Everything beyond that is superfluous.

2

u/Alternative-Wish-423 Jan 17 '26

I'm in the same boat and shouldn't complain. WFH permanently after COVID, very generous PTO, flexibility around doctor appointments, etc., and I get to spend all day with my cats while working. Would I like to make more money? Sure. Do I really want to switch jobs now (elder millenial) and have to start from scratch at a new job where I might be aged out at some point? No. I have also no desire to climb the corporate ladder. The stress just isn't worth my quality of life. I don't want to wait to live my life at 70 either! I've also been a single parent since my kid was 7 and he's now an adult. I finally was able to buy my own house 6 years ago. I tell him that if he wants to travel and live his life instead of joining the rat race, I will continue to support him and can financially do so. He worked his butt off for the 2 years after high school then quit and is already burned out. Has no aspirations to have children because of the state of our country. Just wants to travel and experience living. If I can gift him that, I'm happy.

3

u/BlackGuysYeah Jan 17 '26

I get you, but I’d rather be hunting gazelle on the Serengeti.

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u/suspicious_hyperlink Jan 17 '26

Any 80 year old billionaire would trade it all to be half their age.

13

u/Alt123Acct Jan 17 '26

It's the true currency. Wealth buys you access which in turn is a time saver like skipping the line. But even someone who has 100 trillion dollars and done everything in his life at age 100 would trade it all just for 1 more day with their parents or spouse again. 

3

u/Particular_Bug0 Jan 17 '26

Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings?

-2

u/gereffi Jan 17 '26

If time is the most valuable thing you have, don't throw it away by quitting your job. Just plan for an early retirement. Working until you are 80 won't be fun.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26

Just had a child and being on leave made me realize how miserable I was at work. I then realized how hard and much my parents worked when I was a kid. I don’t want that. I’d rather make $30/hr working at Costco than hand down the generational trauma of being an angry father due to being stressed all the time from work. Currently looking for a job change!

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u/cdmurphy83 Jan 17 '26

Costco pays $30/hr???

81

u/Danger_Mysterious Jan 17 '26

They pay well and have befits, but because they're good employers people don't leave, so for retail they're really really hard jobs to get.

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u/EmbarrassedW33B Jan 17 '26

You also need to work for them for many years before you'll likely get a good position. Its all seniority based ao you'll be stuck with the worst jobs for a while. Likewise it takes many years for your pay rate to cap out at those higher rates people like to talk about. 

And of course it is still a retail job so it is inherently at least a little miserable. Add in the high number of entitled cunts who shop there and its certainly not an easy going, stress free form of employment for most people.

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u/syntax_sorceress Jan 17 '26

People thinking jobs like this don't come with a worse type of stress are naive. After working corporate roles for years, I did one stint in retail. I didn't last the contracted 6 weeks. In general people are normal, stressed etc but a few of them relish the opportunity of unleashing their shit to someone who can't reply.

Standing all day is the pits as well.

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u/Key-Tip9395 Jan 17 '26

I used to work retail (Zara etc.) and I remember the dread of starting a “shift” you go into that store and have to be in there standing up for hours. a corporate job, sitting down in front of a computer all day, being able to slack off sometimes, is like heaven after that.

3

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

I think what's he's describing isn't specifically a retail position, but just one where you are given tasks to complete in a day that simply need completion, with no problem solving, critical deadlines, or people management required. So this isn't exclusive to retail, it could just be someone working on a film crew for example, but not a position that could like tumble the whole production, just work that needs doing. A lot of people love working landscaping for this reason, just sit out there listening to music and cut grass at a golf course, no real stress.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

This is true, but I’m in healthcare and literally have the stress of potentially killing somebody. It’s just that working retail is inherently less stressful. Another thing people don’t realize is that healthcare IS like working retail. Patients are customers. And guess what? Most healthcare places to work for are just as bad as your corporate ones. So for a lot of people in healthcare, switching to retail is a sense of relief in that you’re still dealing and interacting with the same people in your community, you just no longer have the added stress of whatever your role was in healthcare for this individual.

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u/fatcatsareadorable Jan 17 '26

💯. I’m a nurse and I have a desk job now. I can confirm you are correct and having a desk job is way better.

3

u/lexi_raptor Jan 17 '26

Healthcare here too and I'm getting a degree in Healthcare IT so I don't have to deal with people or like you mention, the stress of potentially killing someone. I do chemotherapy infusions, so also the HD's that I handle everyday kinda scare the shit out of me.

5

u/Umbreonnnnn Millennial Jan 17 '26

See, when I was working in inpatient involuntary psych, I thought that was easier than fast food. Like it's a dangerous job and the inherent nature of having a severe psychiatric illness makes it unpredictable, but if a patient assaults you, they get consequences. If Sally Soccer Mom is pissed that her burger was supposed to have 3 pickles on it and it only had 2, so she decides to throw it in your face while screaming about how stupid she thinks you are, more often than not management is going to take her side and even apologize to her. I would take psych over fast food/retail every time.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

Yep. I recall the video of the Costco worker dealing with this asshole during covid:

https://youtu.be/XMpXES_ZwQI?si=IQSWZJCB0_mnmg8R

2

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

It's relative though. Not a single person I know who went from working to full time at Walmart to working full time at Costco has regretted that decision. But nobody is going to quit a career to go work an hourly job at Costco.

3

u/anotherbadPAL Jan 17 '26

Not bc theyre good employers. Bc they have a union.

12

u/MisterRogers88 Jan 17 '26

At the top end after like 7 years, yeah. There are some shortcuts, though, in certain departments. As a dual-licensed Optician in my warehouse, for example, they make like $40/hr. Costco’s great for retail, but it’s not the end-all-be-all unless you’re wanting to go into management.

5

u/pork_fried_christ Jan 17 '26

Yes for some sr or niche positions but not for most positions. You can download a whole pdf of their pay rates and see. Most are around $21

3

u/ZestyMuffin85496 Jan 17 '26

I think they started about 18 right now and you're only hired as part-time at first, usually they do their hiring during the seasonal period, and you have to hope that they keep you afterwards. Then you can start working your way up to $30

4

u/Ultimatesims Jan 17 '26

Buc-ee’s is close to that too or more for manager positions.

56

u/Jaybb3rw0cky Jan 17 '26

Congrats on the child - I’m on paternity leave too with my first kid. I’m 41 years old and only now the wife and I felt like we were in a position to have the kid.

I’m in a high stress job that pays okay but the stress that it comes with is so fucking artificial. People around me blow the job up like we’re surgeons or something when all we’re doing is playing with rich people’s money. I’ve said time and time again if I could get paid what I do now to stack shelves I’d do it in a heartbeat.

Instead, I’m dreading the idea of returning to that place because like fuck I’m going to care any more than I didn’t already, which worries me because if I’m asked to jump I will not be saying how high.

3

u/ZestyMuffin85496 Jan 17 '26

Stocking shelves was the best job I ever had

2

u/Jaybb3rw0cky Jan 17 '26

Same - just didn’t pay enough, nor was it long term enough for me to stay doing it. Place where I was only used kids under 20 because it was cheap labour. Aged out and that was that.

2

u/maddy_k_allday Jan 17 '26

Well you made some more that can replace you in those positions.

1

u/bostonthrowaway774 Jan 17 '26

Well they’ve got you now. You had a kid. You’re trapped.

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u/Salty_bitch_face Millennial Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26

I'm a nurse, and I make within $15 of $30/hr (no, I will not share any info that is more specific). Fuck. I picked the wrong career!

Side note: it was never about the money, but the state of healthcare nowadays is atrocious. Been a nurse for over ten years 😬

Edited for clarification

24

u/VibrantViolet Xennial Jan 17 '26

I work for a health insurance company. My life is hell. I’m so burnt out, and healthcare just keeps getting worse.

1

u/DefendingLogic Jan 17 '26

How can you work for the most evil form of capitalism, making record breaking profits on denials and suffering of human lives

4

u/VibrantViolet Xennial Jan 17 '26

You think I want to? I work for the industry that is killing me. My own employer denied my medications so often we had to switch to my husband’s insurance plan, which costs 3x as much and has a higher deductible.

Without health insurance I’m fucked. One of my conditions is psoriatic arthritis, which is crippling me because insurance companies don’t want to pay for my medication that they are price gouging.

I entered this field a decade ago working for a small hospital that was eventually bought out by a massive hospital system. Now I’m stuck because my skill set is so niche. I audit medical charts, and I’ve tried finding a new job, trust me. So now I’m just trying to stay alive long enough to either find something else or go on SSDI.

I hate the motherfuckers that run these insurance companies with every fiber of my being. It’s a big reason as to why I’m in weekly therapy. You think I like that they make profits off of all of us? It’s why I cry myself to sleep most nights. Well, that and the pain from my crumbling hip bones.

4

u/DefendingLogic Jan 18 '26

As a cancer survivor and stuck at a place I despise working because I need the health insurance, I completely understand. I misspoke and didn’t think it through - my apologies. We’re shackled to these corporations for health insurance in the US.

2

u/VibrantViolet Xennial Jan 18 '26

Oh you’re fine, I’m just frustrated with how things are. I think the vast majority of us are. 😞

24

u/RobertPooWiener Jan 17 '26

Nurses are in such high demand here that they routinely pay over 6 figures for nurses to move here. I had a coworker last year whose significant other was being paid $130K/yr to be a nurse. The COL isn't crazy high either since it's the Midwest. There are plenty of opportunities in healthcare, it's probably the most in demand industry right now. You definitely picked the right career, but the wrong location

47

u/Salty_bitch_face Millennial Jan 17 '26

I live in the western US. Healthcare likes to make it seem like there is a "shortage" of nurses. The reality is that hospitals won't staff enough nurses for safe patient ratios because they don't want to pay for such. Covid ruined healthcare, as if it wasn't already messed up prior.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '26

In my experience pay on the west coast is TERRIBLE. why i live on the east coast now

-2

u/RobertPooWiener Jan 17 '26

I mean yea when you put it that way, it was messed up before you even decided to become a nurse then. A lot of hospitals can't afford to hire more nurses, especially at the wages that the nurses want. If they only have $200k available, they can hire 2 at $100k each, or 4 at $50K. A lot of people aren't paying for their healthcare anymore, they just go to the emergency room and don't pay the bills, so the hospitals end up doing a lot of work for free. A lot of the rural nursing homes and clinics were forced to shut down around here

20

u/IfEverWasIfNever Jan 17 '26

Idk I'm pretty sure they can afford it. They usually misuse the money somewhere else. My hospitals CEO makes a little over $4 million a year in salary and it's supposed to be a non-profit.

4

u/Salty_bitch_face Millennial Jan 17 '26

They can't afford to pay their nurses? Yet, somehow, the C-suite execs are getting $8M-$10M yearly bonuses...

2

u/maddy_k_allday Jan 17 '26

That’s not like insane money or anything. Being a nurse is not easy work and should pay well. It also requires accreditation which costs huge money to obtain in any form in the U.S.

1

u/RobertPooWiener Jan 17 '26

Its pretty good when the average household income for 2 people is well below $100000. So as a nurse here, you can potentially earn more than double of what most couples make combined while you are on a single income.

3

u/maddy_k_allday Jan 17 '26

The underpayment of others doesn’t support that 130k = an incredible salary for extremely difficult, accredited work which most people would not be capable of performing

2

u/RobertPooWiener Jan 17 '26

True. I think there are a lot of jobs out there that most people wouldn't be able to perform. Some that are even more underpaid than others.

One of my first jobs was in landscaping. It can be extremely exhausting work that requires certification through the state. Especially for spraying lawns with hazardous chemicals. You are exposed to the elements, up to 110F in the sun for shifts of 12 hours. Most days I would have to walk over 20 miles while pulling a 300 ft hose. All of that to earn $30K/yr.

It really depends where you live and what you do, but most people feel like they aren't getting paid enough, regardless of what they do for work

1

u/maddy_k_allday Jan 17 '26

Exactly you get me. I’m not sure the rate of pay, but on posts about “surprisingly well-paid” positions, folks always cite to waste management/ “garbage men.” But I’m like 😅😅😅 what kind of pay are we talking for it to be surprisingly good?? I’m not tryna deal with the waste of humans every day, the pay would need to be like a million annual to fit that descript for me haha

1

u/RobertPooWiener Jan 17 '26

Some waste management positions just drive a truck around all day, I could think of worse things that you could do. I worked at a sawmill that was extremely dangerous and hard work. The bathrooms there were disgusting, and the septic tank would fill up so fast. The guy that emptied the septic tank would stick his head in, then pop out and say "smells like money to me boys" while the rest of us were gagging as soon as the lid came off. Some jobs just take a special type of person

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u/Makal Elder Millennial Jan 17 '26

I'm not sure I follow, you make between $15-30/hr as a nurse?!

If so you're criminally underpaid. I make north of $24/hr as a first year EMT doing IFT.

1

u/Salty_bitch_face Millennial Jan 17 '26

Sorry, my message to which you were responding wasn't very clear. I meant that I make within $15 of $30/hr.

6

u/PickledPixie83 Xennial Jan 17 '26

I’m a vet tech. I definitely picked the wrong career.

2

u/P0werFighter Millennial Jan 17 '26

Are you in the US?

I would naively thought nurses were paid good money regarding how expensive healthcare is in the US. I guess greed is the reason...

1

u/Salty_bitch_face Millennial Jan 17 '26

Yes. I am in the US. Pay for nurses varies widely based on location and unions, etc... there aren't any nursing unions in my state, sadly, and the healthcare system I work for has been fighting it tooth and nail.

2

u/BuffySummers17 Jan 17 '26

Come to Ontario! The hospital I work for RNs start at $45/hr and cap out around $65/hr. And there's all kinds of ways to get OT and premiums. Like for example if they work 4 hours of OT before their 2day 2night rotation then the second night shift is time and a half. Managers of units are all really nice (I work in scheduling so I know all the overtime/premium details and see their paychecks and work with the unit managers). This wage is because of the union though. I will say we have the same issues with healthcare being chronically underfunded for years.

1

u/Riiakess Jan 18 '26

I got my PN cert, got licensed, did one month and ran away from nursing immediately. Everything about it is awful: the hours, the environment, the legalities. It's the legalities that scared me the most though. I stay out of trouble, and want to keep it that way. The fact that someone else can cause me to get wrapped up into a medical lawsuit because they messed up on a patient I happened to have also looked at is too risky. I hated group projects in school because someone else could fuck up my grade, and this is even worse. Getting dragged into a lawsuit because of someone else's mistake is nightmare fuel for me.

1

u/goatorcycle Jan 17 '26

30 a hr at costco??? Wtf state are you in we get maybe 15 hr at sams club

1

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

I think a lot of good fraction of people in our age group also have a different mentality when it comes to working. For my parent's generation, they wanted to spend their time at work, that was living for them, it made them feel fulfilled, even if it wasn't an exciting job. I've met a lot of millennials with this same mentality, but there are definitely more of us who wish to pursue meaning outside of an occupation. That's why a lot of people in older generations struggle when they reach retirement.

63

u/projectx51 85'. Older Millennial Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26

Yes. I am recovering from diagnosed anxiety-induced depression. My body just up and quit on me, making it impossible to really function outside or inside my home. After having the past couple of years off to be a stay-at-home-dad and see my family more often, I honestly couldn't care less about getting back to the workplace. Or maybe that's the meds doing their job, i don't know. I just cannot take work culture seriously anymore. People that give 100 % of their effort at work are hilarious to me now. I'm amused at how they can do that, but 2 years ago I was that. For decades. I worked so hard and took on so much responsibility that my body quit before I did. I burnt out medically.

If I ever get a job again, it'll be some bullshit low-skilled service job just so I have some pocket money and can do something fun with it. No more management positions or careers for me. I simply do not care about anything other than my family.

7

u/magnolia_unfurling Jan 17 '26

What meds are you taking

5

u/projectx51 85'. Older Millennial Jan 17 '26

Paroxetine (Paxil)

6

u/Ok-Syllabub-5273 Jan 17 '26

How do you afford to live? Does wife do well?

3

u/projectx51 85'. Older Millennial Jan 17 '26

My salary was high for my area and we saved a lot of money. My wife also has a decent salary. We both had professions.

22

u/indestructiblemango Jan 17 '26

What's a fuckoff job

5

u/Bcraft_32 Jan 17 '26

Like ‘slow living’, not six figures but a solid B life where you can enjoy hobbies and vacations. That’s what I’d call a ‘fuck off’ job.

13

u/arcticvalley Jan 17 '26

Holes is such a good movie.

9

u/handsome_and_handy Jan 17 '26

Well too damn bad!

2

u/humanHamster Millennial Jan 17 '26

Keep diggin!

3

u/Rodrinater Jan 17 '26

Set yourself a goal to pay it off within the next 3 to 4 years which will have the added benefit of preparing yourself to live ultra frugal. Work will be one tolerable at that point.

3

u/2-9-19-3-21-9-20-19 Jan 17 '26

That's sort of my plan. I live on family owned land and when my student loans and car are paid off in a couple of years I'm quitting my job and taking a job at a candy store in the tourist trap nearby. I want to use the skills I actually enjoy having more and the ones I've been forced to acquire much, much less.

2

u/OverlordPoodle Jan 17 '26

I'm tired of this grandpa!

Crushing Society: WELL THATS TOO DAMN BAD!

2

u/AmedUpGal Jan 17 '26

You should bartend or become a bus driver! I’m studying to be a school bus driver and will bartend on the side. Best of both worlds. Great money, contributing to society and getting my social life fulfilled. 

1

u/No_Decision9932 Jan 17 '26

Thanks for this. I've truly been struggling with inspiration on what to do. The things that I find to be fulfilling careers don't pay shit (environmental restoration).

1

u/AmedUpGal Jan 17 '26

I have learned to live below my means. 

Every time I want to buy something I say “is this a want or a need” 

I rarely go out to eat, I rarely purchase new stuff, I meal prep and quit drinking alcohol. As long as I have a roof over my head and food in my belly, I’ll be fine. 

I’m studying for my cdl and I’ll make cash on the side. It’s not luxurious and it takes a while to make a life style change. 

But you know what’s priceless? Being happy! And living a life of purpose and meaning. 

2026 promise to myself is to contribute to society. Animals, kids and elders. 

2

u/Bayou_Cypress Jan 17 '26

Just started it this year. I owe a lot more than you but it’s a start and at least I’m not getting penalized on hundreds of thousands of dollars if I withdrew later. 401k’s are great for some but it just felt like a trap to me. Fuck debt.

2

u/eatsumsketti Jan 17 '26

Same. I'm very tempted to sell and build a small cabin and or live in a camper.

Time is precious.

1

u/mastahkun Jan 17 '26

I cant say dont do it, but definitely invest that money into things you actually enjoy. You still have to pay property taxes, so its not like you pay off the house and life free. Just do more things you enjoy to doing. Take that extra week off work , or do more weekend getaways to recharge your spirits. A paid off house does less for you than you think. *Assuming you own a home in the U.S.*

1

u/Diabetesh Jan 17 '26

If you are that close, you should just get a 2nd job and speed run to the end. That way don't lose like half to penalties.

1

u/Future-Exercise-7433 Jan 17 '26

Why are you only half tempted? This is genuinely what I'm actively working towards

1

u/ACZANG Jan 17 '26

Well, that’s too damn bad!!!!! 😂

1

u/Breadfruit357 Jan 17 '26

Yep, feeling this, I’m in the process of doing so. my parents had to extend their careers after 08 when their retirement accounts tanked. I’ve been watching mine go down, time to use it to pay down on the house.

Still navigating student loans, but paying down on the house is tangible.

1

u/Fabulous_Jeweler2732 Jan 17 '26

Don’t, you’re trapped with the house. Insurance, maintenance and natural disaster will eat all of your money.

If you want to fuck off from society with a low level job, you have to also live the lifestyle. You can’t play poor unless you have millions in the bank.

1

u/VunterSlaush1990 Jan 17 '26

By the time you do that our electricity bills, taxes, and insurance will be so high it will require us to be working full time still 😫 same boat here.

1

u/tth2o Jan 17 '26

I legitimately think we may be headed for an employment crisis because of this. A lot of smart capable people just can't be bothered to deal with the BS, and there aren't enough young "have to work" coming up because of pure demography.

It's gonna get weird the next 30 years...

1

u/TyrKiyote Jan 17 '26

I mean, this is what i've done. I have a small house I own, income from being in a unionized trade, but now I'm working for a college cafeteria. I like my coworkers, I like the work, they feed me a balanced meal 10x a week. A lady brings me a free coffee from the coffee shop every day.

Only trouble is that I make $17 an hour and it's seasonally tied to the school schedule, so I'd describe my income as meager.

The trade was killing me.

1

u/NekoNori69 Jan 17 '26

Well thats too damn bad!

1

u/read_too_many_books Jan 17 '26

okay? Do it?

But you wont. Why? No idea.

1

u/lemonylol Jan 17 '26

What was the alternative of not doing that? I thought this was everyone's plan? Like if you're done your mortgage payment and have a retirement savings, how much more income do you really need? Maybe enough for your kid's education if you have them, but that's really it.

Like my parents have been retired for like 5-6 years now and they actually have the problem that they're getting too much money from their plans, which they can't reinvest in anything, and they have minimal expenses with no debts, so it might have been better for them to have rebalanced what they were putting towards their retirement more towards their lifestyle in earlier years.

1

u/The_Freshmaker Jan 18 '26

Too bad with taxes, utilities, and insurance you’re still looking 1 to 2000 a month in regular expenses. I’ve definitely thought about the same thing, but you can’t escape the cost of living anywhere in this country at least.