High fliers

[Gimmeesugar]

I have a fairly senior role in a demanding industry and I have one child - we won’t be having another. My job is okay, I don’t love it any more but I earn a very good wage, work 4 days a week, and whilst it can be really quite stressful the hours aren’t ridiculous.

However, family and friends keep suggesting and encouraging I leave and ‘retrain’ to embark on something less demanding. And almost all of my friends have done something similar. It’s got to the point that I feel I should be in some lovely peaceful job where there’s no stress! But I assume these jobs don’t really exist - and if they did the salary would be minimal!

Should I be leaving to do something else and earn a lot less money? Do men do this?!

OP, the only person who can decide your priorities and employment choices is you. Not your friends, not your family.
Presumably you used to love your job? It was your first choice, no?
What would need to change to make your job as enjoyable as it used to be? Do you have a hankering for another specific field of employment, or just a vague wish for a change? Would it help to discuss your role with your manager- or an outside careers adviser?

There are no lovely stress free jobs.

I work full time in a demanding job but at least I get paid for it.

I’m not convinced (looking at friends who are part time or who changed tacks) that it’s a better choice.

Apart from anything else stepping into that kind of role makes you financially vulnerable.

Personally I like knowing that I could support my children all by myself should I need to. (And I’m extremely happily married)

@babdoc My current industry is a young one so I’m feeling the pressure there - think people at least 10 years my junior at the same level as me and the vast vast majority under 40. It’s a little tiring / boring working with so many young people! There is another field I’ve always been interested in but it would take a good few (virtually unpaid) years to achieve and then the salary would be half what I earn now - and how would I know I’d even like it!?

@nonagrey that’s one of my worries. I earn a good salary now, as does my husband, and it enables us to live fairly free of money worries. Also you have to think about the future - if we split up and I had a job paying not much then I could really struggle

It’s not just divorce you have to consider, illness/accidents/redundancy could all mean that you could end up as sole earner. That’s not even considering the impact up your pension if you cut your income substantially.

I suspect that the majority of my female friends are financially vulnerable.

It’s not a position I’d choose to be in long term (although I was a SAHM when the D.C. were small).

My DH and I are very happy. But life has unexpected bumps in the road. Financial security shouldn’t be abandoned lightly.