Career change to a slower job—was it worth it?

Dec 23·1 min read

Left sales (high pressure, constant grind) to go into project management at a mid-size company. Lower stress, better hours, less commission stress. Takes pressure off our household. Downside: I'm not making partner-track money anymore and probably won't. My wife was supportive but sometimes I catch her looking at our savings account a certain way. With kids 4 and 6, was this the right call or did I just trade ambition for comfort? How do other guys balance this?

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Comments(6)

BByron S.RegularDec 23

I did this same thing last year and yeah the money part stings sometimes but my wife said she has her actual husband back instead of a stressed-out shell. That's the real trade

DDanny R.RegularDec 24

This right here. The fact that you can measure the 'pressure off our household' in actual reduced stress for your family? That matters more than whatever you're not making. What's the commission difference roughly?

LLou P.RegularDec 25

The identity piece is real—you were the guy making the big money and now you're not. That's a legit adjustment even if the rest of your life is better. Have you talked through that part with anyone?

FFritz N.RegularDec 25

Sales burnout is real and nobody talks about it. You made the right call. In 2 years you won't regret losing some commission but if you'd stayed you might regret missing everything

TTyler H.RegularDec 25

Curious if the lower stress is actually translating to more time with your kids or if it's just less internal anxiety? Because that's the actual measure of whether the trade was worth it imo

LLuca P.RegularDec 26

Taking a step back on the ladder to get your sanity back is worth way more than the commission money. Not making six figures while having a breakdown is pointless