Picked a stable office job over a freelance gig paying double last spring

I chose the 9-to-5 with benefits in Cleveland instead of the $80,000 contract as a remote designer, and while my savings account is smaller, my sleep schedule is way better and I don't dread Sunday nights anymore, has anyone else traded money for peace of mind like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_lewis214d agoMost Upvoted

Yo, that's a big move. A buddy of mine from art school did basically the same thing a few years back. He was freelancing as a graphic designer, making bank but working all hours, weekends too. He landed a steady design gig at a local print shop for way less pay, but he gets home by 5 and his boss doesn't call him on Saturdays. Now he actually takes vacations and doesn't answer emails after dinner. He told me the other day his only regret is not doing it sooner. Did you have to turn down a lot of cool projects to make the switch?

luna8914d ago

I actually read this study a while back about freelancers vs. office workers and it said something like 60% of people who switched from freelance to a regular job reported better mental health within six months. The main thing was not having that "always on" feeling, which is killer for sleep and relationships. Your Cleveland move sounds smart because that Sunday dread is real, it's like a weight that hangs over your whole weekend. My cousin did a similar thing when she took a pay cut to work at a museum gift shop instead of doing freelance graphic design, and she said the biggest change was not waking up at 3am panicking about invoices.