Skip to content

Comment on Ask HN: Tell me your stories of taking lower paid work to be happier

Comments

I have 15 YOE and today I make what I did when I was in Year 2. I have the same employer as Year 2, but I relocated from US, PNW to Canada, Ontario. This resulted in a drastic reduction in pay. After taxes, I make 42% less than what I made before. I make a little more than what I earned as a fresh-out-of-college new hire.

While I'm annoyed about the money, I have an improved quality of life in Toronto. My wife and I were raising kids alone in Seattle whereas we have a village here to co-parent with. I also found much more cultural identity and roots here in Toronto compared to Seattle. I also prefer the climate and politics of Toronto more than PNW. I certainly miss the hikes, but we make that up with non-stop beach trips.

If I can achieve the same financial security here in Toronto that I had in Seattle, I would never move. Unfortunately, this has been difficult to achieve, but I'm confident I can get there.

we have a village here to co-parent with

As a parent with small kids, this really piques my interest. Could you share more details about this? Are you referring to a tighter community; neighbors that you actually know and interact with?

We're moving to the Midwest soon and hope to experience more of that compared to the where we are now.

AboutSource Built by g1lg1l

Hackerly is an independent reader for Hacker News, built on the public HN API. Not affiliated with Y Combinator.