Would you choose a lower-paying but happier job or stay in a toxic one that pays better?

SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user took to the platform seeking job-related advice, saying they’ve been feeling burned out at work and wondering if it would make them happier to do a career pivot.

“I can’t help but think… would I be happier if I gave up the ‘respectable’ career path and just did something I actually enjoyed, even if it paid less?” wrote u/Common_Wealth319 in a post on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Wednesday (Oct 29).

They began the post by saying that they wonder at times if choosing a career path that had been more creative or people-oriented would have made them happier, such as working in design or media, or being with colleagues who actually feel like friends.

They described it as working in “the kind of place where the pay might be lower, but you don’t wake up every morning dreading going to work, or feeling like you have to mentally armour up just to survive another day.”

The sense of burnout and dread they’ve been feeling lately has been weighing heavily on them, in large part due to the work environment, that is, the people they work with, rather than the work itself.

Among their problems are “managers treat others like they owe them something,” and they added that all these things added together “really eat away at you after a while.”

Because of how they feel, they asked if anyone has ever made a shift from a “good” job that “looked right on paper but drained your soul, to something simpler or more meaningful? Was it worth it in the end?”

Commenters on the post were sympathetic to u/Common_Wealth319 and tried to offer helpful advice.

However, some wrote that there is no guarantee that jobs in the media or design fields are less challenging than in other corporate settings.

“Designer here. I’ve been lucky enough to meet mostly good people to work with, but I have heard of stories from my peers about toxic people in the industry, so it really depends. That being said… OP, this industry is great for burnout hahaha. Creative industries are notorious for long hours and low pay with tons of abortive work that never see the light of day, and yet people and clients who don’t know anything about the industry will tell you, ‘it’s just a half-hour job, why is it taking so long?’” one wrote.

Another advised them to “pick happiness. Happiness = more energy to do things. Extra energy to do side gigs to earn more!”

A Reddit user added, “With a toxic job, you pay with your health and happiness. And sometimes your family’s health, as you are not at your best due to work stress.”

One advised the post author to make an important perspective shift, writing, “Maybe we can take a step back.

Work is work; there are definitely cons like office politics, bad colleagues, etc., that accompany it.

I am decent at my job, but I don’t like it. I get my happiness from family, friends, and hobbies.

I choose to stay in my current job, in order to secure a better quality of living for my family.” /TISG

Read also: 40-yr-old IT guy who feels left out at work asks if it’s a ‘lame’ reason to leave his job