Any one left a job they hate, but pays well, for a job they think they will like, but pays less? How did it turn out?

My job is ok I guess, I get paid well, it’s pretty laid back most of the time, but very, very, very unorganised. I’m so bored most days that I want to stick a pen in my eye just to get the rest of the day off! When it does get busy it’s a complete nightmare, with everyone trying their best to not do their bit.

I don’t have many passions in my life, but Motorbikes have been a constant part of it, and I’d like to do something with that passion.

Most jobs I’ve found are an almost half-pay cut – Valeting second hand bikes (love washing nice bikes!)and delivering new bikes to customers in a van is one job I’ve found. The other is paying about £1200 to become a riding instructor, then probably working for minimum wage for a few years as a trainer. Even when I hit full wage, I’ll be a lot under what I earn now…

Both appeal for different reasons – one more physically rewarding (than sitting in an office) and one more satisfying overall.

Guess I’m worried that it’s a bit of a pipe dream, and anything you think would be a cool job, will eventually turn into ‘just a job’ that you get bored with, so would be just as well being bored where I am for more dosh…

Any advice from the collective wisdom of STW?
(Or can you just egg me on to take the plunge and get out of this place?! 😉 )

Thanks.

Could you do the valet job but go it alone? Minimal set up costs. Just need enough money to keep you going while you set up a client base. Should pay better and give you more freedom.

On a general note go for it. I appreciate this can sound a bit flippant especially if you have a mortgage and kids but seriously life is too short and doing a job you don’t like really sucks

You’re better of getting well paid for a job you hate than getting badly paid to eventually hate what you now love.

I left a £22,000-£60,000 a year offshore based job due to stress!!!!!! And bullsh!tarrie and drinking clubs. Was the best thing I did as I’m now back in the cycle industry and in my own little bike service shop. The pay is a lot less but job satisfaction is so much better and home by 6.30pm as my shop is short walk from home.

I do’t know how your tim is at weekends, but both of the above sound liek you could dip your toe into them part time while keeping the current job, and if they work out, then you can make the jump.

Nick,

I’ve thought about setting up a mobile valet business. In fact, that’s always been my near-retirement/once house is paid off dream job.

Hmmm, currently selling my T4, which would be ideal…

Cannondaleking,

Sound like its worked out well for you. 🙂

Horse Riding instructor?

Lot’s of cash-in-hand opportunities with that job. 😉

If you go down that line, you don’t need to be just an instructor. There are lots of people who are time-poor/cash-rich and pay people just to exercise their horse and do other general livery work (at their stables).

only if you can you get horses with an engine and two wheels? 😀

I’ve thought about setting up a mobile valet business. In fact, that’s always been my near-retirement/once house is paid off dream job.

It’s actually quite a good business idea I think. You could either make it a lifestyle job that covers the bills and let’s you take plenty of time off, or work all hours and build up a decent pot, or even bring in staff and scale it up. I’d seriously consider it. Don’t forget any new job won’t necessarily have job security or a guaranteed income.

Nick,

I’m convinced that I need to give it some serious thought. 😀

I left a corporate job I hated but paid well (£52,500) and now am a carpenter….

Left the corporate world with a house but no savings at all and spent a year as a casual labourer whilst I spent every spare minute learning carpentry….

I now work full time as a chippy and do private work at the weekends… ive genuinely never been happier

The money was tough for the first year but honestly once I’d managed to scale back the outgoings I’ve not once even for a second looked back

Dipped into the office world occasionally. Soul destroying. Could earn more at current place by moving to the office side but then I’d look as sad and stressed as they do. If you have an urge to change do it. It may not work out but you’ll keep your eyes.

When I was in my 20s, I had an idea that I wanted to be a Scuba Instructor.

I did my Divemaster course (one step below instructor) and changed my mind. There is nothing that will put you off the hobby you love than doing the same dives, day in, day out then not fancying the good dive on your weekend off because you’re knackered from diving too much.

I guess your preferred career might have more variety but in the end I took the decision to keep my hobby as a hobby.

Depends if you can afford it and if you would actually enjoy it?

Washing my car on Sunday morning is nice enough, but I get bored halfway through claying it. Sod doing 2/3/4 in a day.

Motorbike instructor, I like bikes, but having to ride around town all day well below the speed limits whilst a learner wobbles about on the expensive bit of plastic and metal you’re still paying off? In the rain?

On the other hand, I can see the appeal of selling our house in the SE, moving to Northumberland and being mortgage free and living off an allotment (a bit extreme).

On balance I’d rather earn good money doing a job I hate for 40 hours a week, then spend it on the stuff I like the other 128 hours. If the office is that quiet then go for a ride at lunchtime. If it’s poorly managed when it’s busy, manage it, and point this out to your boss at your next pay review, then you’ll have more money, and the job will be less stressful if everyone’s pulling their weight.

point this out to your boss at your next pay review

Sore topic that – no reviews or pay rises for 5 years now. Was promised a pay rise a year ago, but I get brushed off every time it gets brought up now!

I could live happily on minimum wage. Anything else is a bonus.

I have a mate who’s redundancy from a job he hated cleared his mortgage, he’s a bus driver for a school now and occasional labourer in holiday time. He earns bugger all but enough for a holiday here and there and he’s pretty happy with it all.

Be very careful about mixing what you love doing with income streams, I thought I would like to work in the bike industry, WRONG it was awful. Talking about nothing but bikes with people got very old very quickly.

the-muffin-man – Member
Horse Riding instructor?

Well, that a bit random!

FWIW, I do a job I should love and which I spent five years training for. It is, indeed, now just a job. Still though, it’s a shed load better than any other job I can imagine having so I say go for it.

On the other side jim my mate trained to be a scuba instructor jibbed it off and became a commercial diver and moved to Norway. I now get a free sailing holiday in Norway every year. Worked for him and me!

On the other side jim my mate trained to be a scuba instructor jibbed it off and became a commercial diver and moved to Norway. I now get a free sailing holiday in Norway every year. Worked for him and me!

Nice, glad you made a go of it.

I did look at commercial diving, but got put off it by my mum’s cousin. He was a Sat Diver for years until he got poisoned at the bottom of the South China Sea.

He also said rates were on a race to the bottom (ba-dum-tisch!).

I try and apportion monetary value to what I think I’ll get out of a job in terms of learning and development, long term prospects etc.

For example my bread and butter is business development but have been offered a permanent role moving in to the leading the technical development of a team, compliance monitoring, product development etc.

This pays about 1/3 less than I was on but it’s the area I wanted to move in to stop happy to take the cut. The job spec is exactly what I wanted.

To stay in business development I wouldn’t have entertained a cut.

grass is always greener id say …..

how ever i swing one way then the other on this – some days im ready to throw in the towel and do bike repairs(a job i had 11 happy years at prior to this) – the next day i think that would be mad and folks would kill still to have job in the current climate….

sometimes you need a reality check – other times you need a reality check ….both ways.

My trouble is – if things dont work out – i have too long in the offshore game that its going to be a hardsell to get a land based min wage job as thats what everyones doing just now due to downturn .:(

always remember – theres always another door. which ever path you chose – the door you came through is still there unless you set it on fire when you left.

Groan jim:)
Also remember ignore everyone on here. Its your life and choice.

I’m convinced that I need to give it some serious thought.

Start getting a business plan together, that’ll tell you whether it’s a goer, or not.

I’ve walked out on two jobs without lining up anything first, don’t regret either decision, life is too short to waste doing stuff that doesn’t float your boat. Assuming you can afford it, that is.

i left a cosy job with a good salary to start my own business from home. in the first year, i made barely half my old salary. the business is finally starting to turn the corner now after almost two years. hopefully that continues…

the thing ive discover though is that its easy to get caught up in what your salary is. i had to learn quickly what money i actually need versus what id like to have. whilst i didnt have the steady income, hitting amount x meant id keep my head above water for another month. i was amazed how little the figure was – considering no more commuting/lunches/friday pints in town etc.

and in the times when your working into the small hours or cant go out for a big weekend biking adventure due to a looming deadline, its still good because your generating chunky invoices… I’m not were i want to be yet but if things continue to be like they have in the last 3 months, then ill be happy. not very rich, but very happy, creative and inspired again. probably easier to live with as well.

and as far as the op’s post – within reason, a job that pays less well that give your loads more happiness is definitely worth considering. being unhappy at work really takes its toll on your wellbeing and as others have said – life is sadly waaaaay too short.

Assuming you can afford it, that is.

There’s a story on Linkedin about a 30 yr old fella who was so skint that he spent his last £5.36 on a taxi back to his parents’ house. That bloke is Simon Cowell.
There’s another floating around of a 65 year old American who spent his last $85.00 on some food and sold it on. Colonel Sanders didi quite well for himself.
If you have the drive, the product and a plan, it’s not about being able to afford it.

I had a well paid job as a engineer totally hated it after 20+ years last boss was a total **** which made me make the leap into the unknown.

Set myself up as a gardener picked up a few clients which I worked for in the evenings/weekends within 2 months I had enough to pay the bills so ditched the full time job, spent 6 months gaining more clients earning less than min wage and then it just sort of clicked my name was out there and the phone kept ringing 12 months on I am flat out 6 days a week turning work away earning a lot more but most importantly i enjoying work/life more than ever.
Really glad I did if I hadn’t i would have always had that doubt in my mind of what could have been.

If you can afford it just go for it, give it a year or so and see where you at then.

“There’s another floating around of a 65 year old American who spent his last $85.00 on some food and sold it on. Colonel Sanders didi quite well for himself.”

Only thats not true – if it is it certainly wasnt colonel sanders

“If you have the drive, the product and a plan, it’s not about being able to afford it.”

So long as you remember that for every success story theres at least as many who didnt make it.

Its about how much your willing to put on the line for it .

A few people in car groups im in are doing the valeting thing now. Mostly autobrite franchises, they all seem very happy. One guy comes to my work and does loads of cars (he’s good too) and said he does ok and can fit throb around other things. Obviously less bikes about but look into it, anything is better than a job you hate.

and said he does ok and can fit throb around other things.

These are the sorts of mates that you need.

Only thats not true

Of course it is, the Cowell story is probably BS too, but barrow boy Sugar and Hilary Devey are examples of success, and I’m sure there are many more who have succeeded. The message is that if you see an opportunity, go for it.
I’m sure I could look and fine plenty of examples where people have thrown a fortune at disasterous businesses. It’s not a question of being able to afford it.

On the other hand, I enjoy driving so became a Driving Instructor. I enjoy riding my bike so became a Bikeability instructor.

Still love Driving, still love riding my bike and get paid for doing both.

I’ve never been in well paid jobs but earn in 2 days now what I earned in 5 days when I was employed.

Afraid I can’t offer any help to the OP but I’m in the same boat at the minute! Like a few others have mentioned, in the offshore game and looking to get away from it. Keeping in the same field (Electrical) but its been quite hard so far trying to get something half decent at home.

To the OP, is there any way you can do it part time before fully committing to leaving? Not trying to be all doom and gloom but like many others before and after, I’ve thought the grass was greener to find out later it wasn’t all that.

OP life is too short to be stuck in a job you hate. The question is what next ?

My 2 cents .. washing bikes is never going to pay imo, delivery might be better but you are not really adding a skill. Have a friend who sold his business and does delievry driving but he loves boats and specialises packing them up / delivery / refitting so there is a value add. As above I would consider getting a skill, plumber, electrician etc – you want to “upskill” yourself as much as possible.