The older I get the more I tilt towards life. I don't have to prove anything to myself or anyone else anymore.
this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2026
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Agreed. I like my current job more than the previous one that I put 23 years into, but I have to remind myself to value my time more than I had been. I still put in a lot of hours when I'm knee deep into a project, but it's almost always at my own leisure that I do so. It's a crazy balance of respecting myself while also fighting off the imposter syndrome because the guys in my team are always really supportive because of my experience. It's strange going from a job where I have to defend my actions and choices to a job where I'm inherently trusted.
But yes, if I could go back, I would tell my younger self that my job pays the bills but it's not who I am. Leave the job behind me after hours while doing what I can to do a good job while on the clock.
Life. Your kids are only young for so long, spend as much time as you possibly can in what they are interested in. The smile is your payment
less work, more life.
To most, due to lack of opportunity, hard work is just elitist propaganda these days.
If you find the right environment you can do both, but this is tricky and involves a bit of luck. In my current (underpaid, state university) job I leave every day at 3:30, don't check my email when I leave, spend much of my day at the office doing work for my side gigs (making my effective salary much higher), and in a couple years I'll be managing the department. Long ago I realized being sycophantic and a slave to others only made me a pathetic chump. But there's genuine hustle in there too, it's just for me, not them.
I did the whole work work work thing, and the only reward i got was more work and more responsibility. There may be some time where the responsibility eases off and you can actually take time off, but i never saw it. Now I'm very much life-oriented. I don't make as much money, but I have the time to actually do things, which is more important for me.
The most important thing I have learned is working hard when you see directly benefits. Working hard on your own school work or education is a great lesson because it's all tied to you. Use that same work ethic at a large company you burn yourself for nothing. Own your own business where additional work directly benefits you is a great idea.
The latter, no contest. I work to live, not the other way around. Back in the day when I was cash strapped, I'd happily take on as many hours, but now I'm at the stage where I earn "enough" so the monetary threshold for me to get off my ass gets exponentially higher for each extra ounce of effort.
I changed careers specifically for a better work life balance.
No more weekend work
Flexible hours
Working from home
Etc
Also higher salary
I need to work enough to ensure that my personal life is comfortable, and that I'm saving enough for retirement.
It’s life/work balance. My life comes first, always.
Balance.
Work life balance, for sure. I worked my ass off and got blindsided and screwed by two different employers last year. Companies don't give a shit about technical/support staff, there's no reason to work hard unless you're going to get paid for that extra effort.
Life. Fuck work
work/life balance! I have visibility of more stressful responsibilities of colleagues a few rungs more senior and think I would very happily progress to a certain point but not beyond, and live my life without the trouble.
Every director I know is stressed out of their fucking mind.
Fuck that shit. I prefer less money and more peace.
As an 18 YO, the first option. A short 3 years later snd i know the second option is the right choice. Maybe I'll get my energy levels up again one day, but know that the world is rigged against us right now - and ti some extent, collapsing - so hustling likely won't get you what you're worth. Take the time to be comfy while things burn
I try to work as little as possible. I value happiness and spending time with loved ones and friends.
I spent many years working 110% and getting taken advantage of at several jobs. It wasn’t worth it and didn’t make me happy.
I may live frugally and near the poverty line, but I’m happy as can be.
So long as I have enough I prioritize work life balance. If my wife wanted kids, that would ironically push me more towards climbing the latter harder to provide for them, but as it stands I don't need to push hard on the corporate ladder to have enough, more would be nice, but not nicer than more time with my hobbies and loved ones
Work/Life balance for me. I want a better position insofar that it'll let me home more
Ask yourself why do these have to be in opposition?
They are not necessarily. I work hard but focus on work/life balance and the positions come.
Lifes too short to worry about work so much.
Work/life balance
I actively avoid getting promoted because management is the next step and fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that shit. I hate managing my own workload, I'm not dealing with HR shit and keeping track of other people (while still also doing my job....)
It has always bothered me that most (all?) companies promotion path eventually moves you into management.
It's an entirely different job. It would be like promoting from janitor to accountant.
I know, I know, you would be managing people doing the thing you know how to do. So? Does it really matter? It's an entirely different skill set and entirely different job for you.
I've avoided becoming a manager like the plague.
That being said, stuff like Dilbert has always convinced me that management is easier than the work below it 100% of the time. Do you think there's any short course you coukd take that would make the process of management more clear to you?
Scott Adams was a massive dipshit, and using his cartoon as anything more than laughing at the addled interpretations of corporate life is mental to me.
As for management being easier than work, that's only true if you're a psycho or don't actually have a real job to do. Every one of my friends that have been in management hated it, since it was more work and he shit on top of their actual job. And again, fuuuuuck that
Taking seven medications a day so I don't have to struggle to not think about suicide or worse. Best I can do.
Sorry to hear that. I'm not going to pretend to be a mental health expert because I'm not. But have you ever considered a change of scenery? Like if you live in a city move to a rural area. more personal space, more quietness? Spend more time outdoors? Focus on hobbies or find a hobby. Fishing is my personal getaway.
What about travel? I'm not talking about a big vacation or traveling cross country, but just going for a drive with a friend somewhere down roads you haven't been, backroads, gravel, etc. once or twice a week
I tried the climbing the ladder thing for a while. I just ended up in shitty job after shitty job to then be let go because I wasn't perfect and the company hired underneath me. I'm done. I'm more concerned about my well being now and know I won't be able to do that in higher positions where you're expected to just tank stress on the daily.
Work / life.
Work hard, enjoy life.
Life is too short to take work so seriously.
Working hard for a better position is something I want to be apart.
I do both: I work hard when I'm at work and it's to my advantage, and then when I'm off I don't sweat it.
What do you mean by "better position?" I would argue that work/life balance is a defining feature of a better position, but I'm guessing that you mean more pay.
Anyhow, mark me in the "work/life balance" column.