Oh my god, I said this in another comment, but my last job in the US (i moved out of country) was well-paying and very well-respected, and I woke up every morning thinking that maybe that would be the day I’d be hit by a bus and not have to go to work. (No bike; I worked in Manhattan.) Yeah, you definitely need a…

I was there! I felt bad complaining because it was basically the pinnacle of my specific profession, and paid more than any other company out there (in this niche). “Golden handcuffs,” one friend called it. But every single morning when I woke up, the first thought in my head was “Maybe today I’ll get hit by a bus so…

I took at 10k pay cut for a new job and salvaged my health and my sanity; so worth it.

Been there! Had a great job, made tons of money. Also used to fantasize about getting in a car accident on the way to work because, yes it would be bad, but at least I’d have a legit excuse to not go to work that day.

Hey, I’m sorry about the breakup. That has to hurt, and wanting something more than what someone can give hurts and makes you feel like you’re just too much, even if you’re reasonable. I am someone who can’t give much to my partners, and they sometimes need more that I can give. That’s not a failing on them: it’s an…

Get out, get out, get out! I did 5 years ago and have worked my way up in my new career to currently earning more than I did in my previous job. And I still have lots of growth potential. And I eat cheese everyday. ;) Do it!

Hey, Knuckles Deep here. You all (and Jane) have really said things that mean a lot to me, I appreciate it. Shortly before the publication of this letter, he dumped me “I can’t give what you need from me,” was the reason. I love Jane and her advice, but it is not within me to chill. I want what I want and I can’t…

I also used to believe that but have since met several people who had no clue. For many it’s because they were like Mrs.Hole-cheated on the whole time. How do you detect infidelity if,unbeknownst to you,your partner’s behavior and schedule always included a lover? The normal signs you’re told to look for are baked…

Good luck. I took what amounts to a cut when I took my current job (in my field) because of the increased commute. But I no longer am miserable on Sunday nights. That’s PRICELESS.

As someone who left a stressful, toxic, but well-paying job to work an hourly job at an indie bookstore (my dream job)

I don’t regret it AT ALL. The stress of not being having money has actually been better than the dread of waking up every single day to go somewhere I hated. My job is amazing and I still find myself…

Same. I make bank but am anxious and unhappy at all times. Money is wonderful, but it can also be a trap that keeps you tied to something awful

Knuckles Deep makes me sad because she describes herself as crazy and needy - now unless she’s broken into his house and stolen his child’s bunny and boiled it, I think “crazy” is some bad self-talk. She isn’t needy - she’s a person with needs and you only feel “needy” when those needs aren’t being met. I hate “love…

I used to bike to work to my old job that I hated, and think about how if I got hit by a car I wouldn’t have to go in. It took realizing how fucked that is to help me quit.

Right, because what’s worse, being married to a cheating a-hole for a years, or being married to him for a year and a day? No one wants to hear their partner is cheating on them, but it’s better to know and make an informed decision than being kept on the dark and maybe exposed to STIs. The truth isn’t always pretty,…

Yeah, my sister was really good friends with a couple for several years - they weren’t married, as gay marriage wasn’t legal yet, but they may as well have been. The one guy cheated, my sister found out and was horrified, and told the other, whom she was closer with. The one who was cheated on flipped out - not on his…

I am in pretty much the same boat. Just applied for a job that pays substantially less, but one where I won’t have a panic attack every Sunday night before bed.

Truth. My husband is in a job he’ll more than likely retire from, unless it kills him first, as I predict it will. He dreads going in every day and lives life stressed to the max. His job proved to be recession proof, which convinced him to stay forever in spite of how awful it is. There’s nothing I can say to change…

Exact same boat. Last night I applied to a position that would mean leaving my hella cushy government service job for a limited term posting at a ~15% pay cut, and all I can think about this morning is how much I hope they contact me for an interview.

I get it. It’s a “good” problem to have, and feels like sour grapes, but dreading how you spend more than half your waking hours is a shitty way to go through life.

I did this. I went from making 6 figs in a job I despised to an hourly wage at a job I love. It was worth it.