Simple lower pay job vs harder higher pay job

Hangouts Adulting
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Hello everyone,

I’m feeling conflicted about my career and lifestyle choices and would really appreciate some advice or support.

I dislike highly intellectual work like my current tech job which is software engineer and prefer a simpler, less stressful job with a routine—such as a part-time retail position at Challenger. The idea of having a predictable schedule and less mental pressure is very appealing to me.

However, at the moment, I am obese and find it difficult to stand for long periods, which is a challenge for these kinds of jobs. I am actively working towards improving my fitness so that I can handle these roles better in the future.

At the same time, I really enjoy certain comforts and “little luxuries” in life—like having bubble tea (Chagee, Beutea, etc.), owning Apple products, and occasionally buying branded shoes for comfort. I worry that working a lower-paying, simpler job would make it much harder to afford these things, and I don’t want to feel deprived or unable to enjoy the lifestyle I like.

To add to this, I have no plans for any major future commitments like marriage, children, or owning a car. My main goal is just to support my parents and sibling, and if possible, I’d like to stay at my parents’ house permanently —I feel comfortable and content with this arrangement.

I’m wondering if anyone has found a balance between having a less stressful job and still earning enough to enjoy some of life’s comforts. Is there a way to have a job that’s not too demanding but also pays well enough so I can still treat myself and support my family? How do others manage these kinds of priorities?

Any advice, personal experiences, or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Get a more chill tech job, user testing or IT support?

I’m actually trying to career switch into a software developer :sob: n have no luck so far. The recent llm advances doesnt make ur job easier?

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I think LLM definitely makes the job easier, but I think tech job like software engineers are just complex job in general compared to simple and routine based job like retail part time

But I think I am just not well rested due to poor sleep quality and hence I tend to think more negative and want easier way out which is lower tier jobs because once I felt well rested, I got more motivation to work on my job now.

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From an ex software engineer perspective, I have similar struggles and sort of understand how you are feeling. The constant learning, not knowing if your inability to deliver your next task will derail your reputation etc. Some people thrive in such environments but I personally cant.

Im in pretty much the same life stage and have the same future expectations. I dont have any advise but what people tell me is to think whether im really ready to take the paycut. And also, they told me that a simple job might not be any less stressful. So I switched to a role that need some coding skills but not full on coding. Still struggling but I hope you find your way and chart your own path.

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Hey there, thanks so much for providing your perspective. Yea I totally agree on the part of software engineer. I also heard that simpler jobs are not necessarily less stressful. I think personally for me i just need to be in optimal condition physically and mentally then i can handle the job, otherwise most of the time i will be unmotivated and just want seek an easier way out.

Also just curious, what role are you in that requires coding but not as much as software engineer? Is it like the other user mentioned Software Testing? Or IT support?

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