To give up well paid job

[hlende]

I have a job which pays exceptionally well on paper. However, it takes up my entire life. I have become unhappy as a person and quite frankly work only for the weekend or holidays, which even then are disturbed by work. I work around 70 hours a week.

AIBU to give this up even though I am not wealthy? I haven’t bought so no mortgage and have some savings

The work itself is fine but the pressure and high stress environment is making me unhappy

I have a high pressure, high stress job. It's also extremely well paid because no one would do it otherwise. I'm thriving in my job, and yet I still sometimes have moments where I yearn for peace and quiet and a slower pace, but I know myself and I know that it would bore me to death.
The "secret" is that everything becomes easier when you climb higher up. I set my own hours. No one cares where I am or when I work as long as the job is done and the clients are happy. I have hired and built my own team from scratch and can delegate a lot, I just manage everyone and make sure that there are no mistakes. And the money is amazing, if I stay for another 10 years then I'll probably won't have to worry about it ever again.
So my take would be, if you don't see yourself climbing up the ladder (either because you don't think you'll get promoted or because you don't want it) then I'd look for something else. If you can progress quickly, then soldier on, it's worth it.

Depends how old you are…

She isn't sick though. Hopefully she's not as irresponsible and selfish as you.

Me too. And I wish I had done it years ago. I feel like a person with a personality again and I'm so much healthier never mind happier.

I’m so pleased x

How much salary are we talking. Because honestly if you earn £100k and have the drop to £50k it will be a little bit of readjustment but probably not as much as you think due to the tax rates now. That’s a very different story to dropping £50k to minimum wage. And if you currently work a 70 hour week (I do too) you effectively have 2 jobs but your second job you are only getting paid half of what you get paid for your first. You say you are renting too - you may be surprised at what top up you are entitled to as well depending on where you live and what your actual earnings are - you may find the gap in total is not as much as you think it will be It also might be that you just need a breather for a little bit - not necessarily forever. High stress jobs do take their toll which is why they should be rewarded but it sounds for you sufficient reward isn’t there, - it sounds that for you that you need a job with standard expectations rather than a 70 hour week expectation. I’m stuck as have a mortgage and school fees etc etc but I am increasingly questioning my choices as it is increasingly difficult to afford a good lifestyle even when on paper earning ££££.

You need to look at why you are doing 70 hours a week.

What's the salary?
What are your savings?
How old are you?

Honestly it depends....
70hr per week in a hospital for 80k in my mid/late 30s... no thanks.

But at 20something on 150k or similar....
I'd stay living at home/ somewhere cheap and save like crazy and look for a lateral or upward move with better WL balance.
Id.also look at how you can improve the current role.... unless you are a dr / lawyer.theres scope to better the 70 hrs

the money saved early will buy you a fuck ton of optionality later.

Because that is the expectation in lots of industries - particularly transactional services.

I say this having earned a lot and cut back - the money isn't worth it. It can feel hard when you are used to having an insane amount but you honestly will be far, far happier with less money & more time.

In similar position, OP.

Like the PPs who quit high stress jobs for better quality of life - that's what I am doing right now.

I resigned this week before my 6 month probation is up next week & I'd be stuck with 3 months notice vs one. Am a higher earner (£160k+) + stock. But, after the worst line manager of my entire career, I just will not tolerate shit anymore.

I cannot be any happier with my decision. Planning to take the summer to do a course I booked and paid for months ago, and find a local part time / temp job to keep some money coming in. Have some savings to cover mortgage. Will be much more picky for my next corporate job... if I do go back.

Life is too short.

Very good advice which chimes with my experience. When I was a junior lawyer and 70 hour weeks weren't at all uncommon I often wondered whether it was worth the (still very good) money. Now I'm nearer the top of the pole and earning a lot more, while 70 weeks do still come along it's generally far easier because I've much more autonomy. I'm perfectly happy with with my effective hourly rate too!

I wouldn’t work 70 hours a week for any money. You are giving up your life. Time is the most precious thing we have.

I’d look for another job.

I hope you've saved and Invested a ton of money while you've been there? I mean, working 70 hours a week doesn't leave much time for spending.
I worked in investment banking 15 years ago. 50 hour weeks were fairly standard. There was a period where I worked 60 hours weeks and I came close to quitting but it settled back to around 45 to 50 hours. Now I'm older and richer, if I had to work one 70 hour week I would be seriously questioning if it was worth it. If it went on for a sustained period I would be out of there.
Set yourself a goal for savings and focus on that while you search for a sustainable role.
Set the bar high in terms of salary expectations for your next role. The goal should be to take the smallest hit possible in return for the biggest improvement to your lifestyle. If the next employer knows you're coming from a high paying role, that sets their expectations on what they need to pay you in order for you to leave this job. You don't have to take a low paying job, and you might find your satisfaction wanes with a new job pretty quickly, so don't jump to the first thing.

It's was like this in every company I worked in.
If you stopped doing the 70 hours, you couldn't meet targets or were included in the next round of redundancies. It's done deliberately to keep everyone's shoulder to the wheel, all the time.

You don’t have a mortgage, do you rent? Will you be able to cover the rent comfortably?