re: Do you know anyone who has a high paying job but hate what they do?

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pretty much everyone that works offshore

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Can confirm. Worked off shore for 4-5 years back in my 20’s.

(no message)

i used to work with a surgeon, high volume ortho, basically lived at work. he frickin hated it and you could tell.

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pretty much everyone that works offshore

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I couldn’t do anything else. Granted I don’t do much and I do well financially. I just couldn’t deal with the 5 day a week. When I’m home I do whatever I want.

I’m lucky that I’m financially independent and don’t have to work. But being in my 40s I don’t like sitting around so I went back to work last year and decided on something new. I got a job converting old warehouses into crypto data mining centers. It’s a new industry and the most experienced people have no more than 4 or 5 years experience. Being new to me I started at the low end of only 75k but have doubled it in 6months after teaching myself the networking side. The positives of the job are working independently with great people as well as the upward mobility in a new industry starved for experience. The downsides are stress levels from having to solve new problems daily with little or no precedent to look back on. Much of our equipment and methods are invented as we go. I work with several guys who have multiple patents already.

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Times are changing. 200k isn't that much money anymore. Not even factoring in inflation. Not anywhere close to providing a luxury lifestyle many think of at that.

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Highly dependent on WHERE you live .

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Do you know anyone who has a high paying job but hate what they do?

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Yeah me. I have grown to hate my job. It pays well. Go to work early and leave around 5 pm each day. A few days I never see sunlight. The stress can be unbearable some days. Most days I walk around the office thinking why did I get into this work and I think about other jobs like being a game warden or a park ranger at a big national park. But, I can’t think of anything that would pay me my current salary. I feel stuck until retirement. My focus now is…..“how can I retire early.” This gets me through the hard days.

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Well, what if you find something enjoyably but suck at it? You still have to be good at it and it has to be a valuable service to society.

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You can find something enjoyable that you are good at that someone will pay you for. Typically, if it is enjoyable you will get better at it. But nevertheless, it is a self limiting mindset to talk yourself out of the thought that one of these jobs/services is out there for you. You don’t have to be saving the world while doing it, it just has to be something you don’t mind doing. It might be very much different than what you do now or are comfortable doing and pay might not be the same, so it is scary to even consider it a possibility

OP, I fall into that category, but currently making changes in my life to be happier. I’ve been in my field for about 12 years, and advanced just as I hoped I would, but have realized in the past 6 months I don’t like it and am not even well suited for the work. I present well enough that I can mask any technical difficulties I have with my work, but I spend most of my days actively avoiding my work. My bosses have never complained and don’t understand why I get frustrated. I make a good living and my job title/line of work is very stable from the outside looking in. These circumstances make it easy to just get comfortable both for myself and people around me, but the truth is, it’s a grind to even look at my email at this point

To my original point, finding something “enjoyable” is more than the tasks being carried out, it is also about the circumstances you are in. For example, some people enjoy working in teams, some hate it and even going to an office altogether. Some like building while others can obsess over organization and never get bored with it. People are different. For me, I realized that I would enjoy just about anything if it is on my terms. Having a boss is a drag and can smother your creativity and control. If I can get that back, enjoyment in my work and money will follow

Tldr: life is too short to do something you hate. Money and job titles don’t bring happiness. In fact chasing these things and ignoring those you actually have an aptitude for can be quite mentally taxing. Be honest with yourself about what those things are and spend more time with them. You are your best self when your creative spirit is fulfilled.

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Zion Williamson.

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I was going to say Ben Simmons, but your answer plays well also.

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Times are changing. 200k isn't that much money anymore. Not even factoring in inflation. Not anywhere close to providing a luxury lifestyle many think of at that.

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This is absolutely true. 200k is not going to afford a big house, expensive cars, boat, fancy trips, etc unless you are hugely in debt and not saving for retirement.

The only people who don't understand that are people who make substantially less than that.