[Darth-Apple]

Would you rather? 

1:  Work a high paying job with sufficiently high stress for 15 years. Put off having a family, put your entire life on hold, but enjoy making a few houndred thousand dollars a year for the rest of your life. 

2: Work an hourly job making about 30K/year for the rest of your life, but live life to the full within your means, have a family, start your life, and get a head start with where you're at now in terms of your social life, family, and so forth. 

Many people ask this question of themselves. Curious what your answers will be!

[Lain]

Definitely 1, as long as there's some kind of job security, i.e. flexible hours so I can get enough sleep, or I don't have to maintain a professional manner at all times.
Then again, I'm in early twenties, so if I had an early start on savings and whatnot, that would be incredibly blessed.

[tc4me]

rather rich and healthy with family than poor and sick and alone :-)

[Guardian]

I voted for low pay and live my life, but that's because its my end goal. I am actually in the first category right now, but I'm using that to bankroll the second half of my life where I don't have to make as much because I'm living off investment returns from this part of life.

I want to be like this guy:
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/...blog-post/

That's the plan anyway.

[s3_gunzel]

I'm doing 1) now - without the money. The joys of being on the board of a not-for-profit that explicitly forbids board members from being remunerated.

[Darth-Apple]

I'm doing 1) now - without the money. The joys of being on the board of a not-for-profit that explicitly forbids board members from being remunerated.

Will there ever be money for it in the future?

[s3_gunzel]

It's constitutionally forbidden, so no.

[Darth-Apple]

It's constitutionally forbidden, so no.

Ah, I see. 

What does your job with the firm entail?

[s3_gunzel]

What does your job with the firm entail?

I'm a board member. I am one of five responsible for finances, etc.

[SpookyZalost]

I'm sort of In the middle, I work a moderate stress job with long hours, but I get to keep my social life.  And I make about $2600 a month before taxes, so I'm more in camp 1 however I would honestly prefer to get paid more so I can fund my projects and work less overall.

[Darth-Apple]

I'm sort of In the middle, I work a moderate stress job with long hours, but I get to keep my social life.  And I make about $2600 a month before taxes, so I'm more in camp 1 however I would honestly prefer to get paid more so I can fund my projects and work less overall.

That's where I want to be. Enough to have a non-beater car, live in a nice place, and have a social life.

[SpookyZalost]

@Darth-Apple. Then you should work for the government as a contractor lol.

It's not as stable as working for them directly but it's not going anywhere either.

[Darth-Apple]

I've long thought about doing that. Government jobs will probably be secure for a long time. The benefits are good I hear.

[Guardian]

@Darth-Apple.  Then you should work for the government as a contractor lol.

It's not as stable as working for them directly but it's not going anywhere either.

I've long thought about doing that. Government jobs will probably be secure for a long time. The benefits are good I hear.

When I got out of the Marine Corps I did defense contracting for just over a year. I then took a pay cut got a federal job and held that for a few years. The GOV job was CAKE. I left only because I became the guy that had increasing responsibility with no increasing compensation (GOV promotion system is archaic). I left for another GOV contracting job for a serious pay increase. Honestly, the GO ob is stable, but you're also limited in terms of options, mobility, top-end pay.

The GOV job may be stable in theory, but after I left I had multiple people calling saying they were looking or work as the GOV moved their job across the country on a 3-month notice and they weren't moving. As for the contracts, you know when you need to start looking, and you have a lot of flexibility and its considerably easier to get hired on. I went back contractor because the pay is WAY higher than the equivalent GOV job and more than covers the benefit gap.

[SpookyZalost]

When I got out of the Marine Corps I did defense contracting for just over a year. I then took a pay cut got a federal job and held that for a few years. The GOV job was CAKE. I left only because I became the guy that had increasing responsibility with no increasing compensation (GOV promotion system is archaic). I left for another GOV contracting job for a serious pay increase. Honestly, the GO ob is stable, but you're also limited in terms of options, mobility, top-end pay.

The GOV job may be stable in theory, but after I left I had multiple people calling saying they were looking or work as the GOV moved their job across the country on a 3-month notice and they weren't moving. As for the contracts, you know when you need to start looking, and you have a lot of flexibility and its considerably easier to get hired on. I went back contractor because the pay is WAY higher than the equivalent GOV job and more than covers the benefit gap.

See I don't really get any benefits other than I've got security clearance and my pay is better than a lot of my peers at $16.50 an hour.
On the other hand though DeCA and the USPS didn't disappear because they are both needed especially now, being one handles supplies on bases and the other is the postal service.
My only complaint is that the cost of living out here is so high I wish I got paid more but the job is so easy because of how it's setup and I get to work with people all over the world.
Being a contractor for ibm to those two agencies though means I have to expect it, it's sort of an entry level contracting gig and I've not found a better one yet.  Plus I get to work from home during this crisis when almost everyone I know became unemployed, ibm even provided laptops for said job which I setup in the spare room as an office.
I'd say I agree with guardian for the most part though, just don't accept any job that pays less than $20 an hour, ideally $25 if you can help it.

[tc4me]

With us here in Europe or Austria, things look very different. I have been working as a fire fighter (chief fire fighter) since 1988, an officer with safe and high incomes with a lot of risk for his life. I work 124 days a year, 24 hours a day, the rest is free time and rest. With us in Austria, everyone is insured for health, and as a fireman is even more insured, plus pension entitlements, etc. ...

My job is 99.99% stressful ... that's why I love my job

[Darth-Apple]

That’s a long time for a career. Very honorable of you!

[Kyng]

Definitely the second option.

I work to live; I don't live to work. What's the point in having all that money if I can't enjoy it?