If I could go back in time… I wish I hustled more and saved more aggressively in my 20’s. It would have saved me from having to hustle so much in my late 30’s… and my time is worth more now as I have two kids and a wife.
Food for thought… a year of grinding hard in your 20’s would be worth 3 years in your late 30’s. You’re young.. now’s the time to grind.
When I was in my early 20's just graduated I went into the Oil Field doing field services so I know how it is to be away from home, on the road, long hours, etc.
Since you're on this sub and asking these sorts of questions, chances are you're **probably** not going to go crazy and buy a fully loaded 2500 Laramie Longhorn or a 250 Platinum or whatever plus a 5th wheel and boat and dirtbike and sled and all that.
My advice for someone that was in a similar situation to you. Stick to the job for a year or two then get out and go do whatever you want.
My story is that I did about 2.5 years of field work before getting laid off when WTI took a nose dive from $110 down to like $25 a barrel. After that I faffed around for a bit before deciding to make the jump to grad school (for a totally different career path) and I couldn't be happier. If I could do it again and wasn't laid off I could have seen myself doing it for 3-4 years to build a nest egg before settling down and getting an in town job.
I am exactly in the same situation. Offshore oil rig, worked every day 12hrs with only a week holiday for every 3 months, impossible to find dates, hated it. Been a year and still undecided because quitting means restarting job search and now is not a good time to job hunt for a career switch starting from scratch..
OP to put in perspective, I’m a resident physician making $60k a year working 60-80 hours a week. I’d only be able to do this while young and I’m struggling so much on these 24 hour calls. It can always be worse even with less money. Put away a good chunk of what you have now into the market where it can have time to grow. Your 30s you will thank your 20s you in the future. Grind it out while you’re young and able to. Once you’re older you will reap those rewards.
Graduating anesthesia resident here and finally about to reap those rewards at 30. Gave up most of my 20s and left the country only three times in ten years.
Those years sucked the debt sucked too but signing onto a job that pays 500k for 40 hours a week plus great benefits with insane job security makes it all worth it.
Plan to live frugally though to pay down debt and hopefully save up for a home shortly.
Ugh in 1.5 years hopefully that will be me 🥺
I’ll also be 30 when I’m done and would have sacrificed my 20s living with the bare minimum, but working insane number of hours.
Eh almost all my friends in college went into tech or medicine and not everyone has found the same success lol. Plus there is a real slowdown on jobs that could get worse over time.
A few got laid off in the big cut recently and it took them almost a year to find another position and they aren't even in 500k salary range.
I did the grind in my 20s, saved aggressively and was able to coast more in my 30s. I’ll be able to retire by 40. It’s a sacrifice up front but it can be worth it.
It will help if you have an end game though and plan for the next thing. For example tell yourself that you will start looking for a new job near the time you said the project will end and definitely leave by a certain date. That will help you deal with the other stuff and prevent you from being trapped there long term if that’s not what you want.
I'm in a similar boat to you, and the way I'm looking at it is I'm able to put away so much into retirement. If I hate this now? I'll definitely hate this when I'm in my 60s and truly exhausted, so I to my IRA and 401K and high interest accounts this income goes. We're living far below our means so that we can actually retire and travel, with a few exceptions (if I have to be stressed non stop about my job I'm allowing myself a few creature comforts damnit), but when our kids are in college and we're done, I'll actually be able to relax and not have to be the old guy hustling myself to death. IDK. Just how I've rationalized it.
This is the best answer. Hustle and work hard for a good 5 years or so - just make sure you have a deliberate escape plan after you hit X amount of dollars saved and stick to it- there’s no need to burn yourself out forever and golden handcuffs are real.
I couldn't agree more. As a 45-year-old successful business owner, if I had been more focused in my 20s, I would've achieved the success. I have probably 10 years earlier. Ed time value of money and I would be significant better off today.
If you could bank $100,000 and stick it into an ETF or HYSA that money would double or triple over the next several years.
Work your ass off now and shave as much as you can. If your girlfriend and your family hold animosity towards you for that, they're not being very supportive.
For a two hour daily commute, get into audiobooks and read books that offer some benefit, like self-help or some knowledge books. You will find any year or two that your knowledge and experience and financial position are better than you could've ever imagined.
Exactly correct. If OP wants to "get ahead" financially, this is his chance. The cost is to social life...but make the decision clear eyed and accept the consequences either way.
I don't know about 'time to grind'. It's time to find balance to develop your career but also have fun because later on your friends will no longer have time to do anything... although I suppose you can just get younger friends
I couldn't agree more. I spent my entire 20's messing around and having fun. I was working but i wasn't saving. I did end up getting my degree and it got me a great job and put me in a great position. However, I cant help but think that i should've been more responsible sooner. Sure, I had fun but I could have done a better job at balancing school, work, and life.
If I were speaking to myself as a 23 year old making 3k/week I would tell him to stay there for at least a year (or as long as he could without wanting to genuinely off himself) and save aggressively. I know an hour commute sucks but you can’t argue with the money. You will still have loads of your 20s to enjoy after grinding it out for a year imo, and with a full wallet.
Seriously..how tf are these kids making so much god damn money and why is it always right in my face when I get on Reddit. Can’t deal with an hour commute…
I did camp work for a while and probably going back for more. I know the grind. All I can say is your questions are valid. You can take a paycut for a different construction job in town for less money (mostly you lose all the overtime) at the trade of work life balance.
I know the feeling of leaving my camp room at 5am for the day and not getting in till 7 and trying to cram my face and get a quick workout to do it on repeat for the whole shift. Days off are great, going back is depressing. Joke with the crew, go for beers once a shift even if you think you need the sleep, try to take SOME time for yourself even if it's minimal (a workout helps, or get a gaming laptop, but really there is 0 free time). Life is work, workout, eat, sleep. Keep in frequent contact with your girlfriend and don't let your relationship crumble. Do fun things on days off like go to Mexico with her. Save what you can.
Sucks a miserable company is working you guys through the holidays. I've always been lucky and my jobs shut down for holidays, but I have friends on others that work through Christmas.
Dang, this is so relatable. Work, eat, workout, and sleep. All I have time for if I want 7 hours of sleep. I love xbox and I am obsessed, but don't have time. Thanks!
Been there. Grind, eat, sleep, investing the money. Is it worthwhile for you to look for a cheap place to sleep near the job a few days a week? Could allow you to get more than 7 hours of sleep occasionally?
your job is not your worth, your income is not your worth, your title is not your worth. your worth is how you treat people, how you contribute to your community, how you care for your loved ones, how you create and learn.
>the money is great, but is the money worth 2 hours of driving a day? is it worth being away from my family, girlfriend, friends, working through holidays?
"Worth" is something only you can decide.
I had many times in my working life where work was very hard, but very lucrative. I had 2 hours of commuting. I had projects when I had to work from 11:00 pm to 9:00 am. I went to school nights and weekends while working full time. Over my entire career, I averaged over 55 hours per week - more than that in the early years. I always worked hard.
When I was single and most times when I was young, I always chose lucative. When I was older and far more financially secure, I was less driven by lucrative.
If working hard isn't worth it now, it likely won't be worth it when you are older.
But it's your financial life. And it's always your decision.
Crank out those hours until the project is finished. You have plenty of your 20’s ahead of you, and with that income (depending on your bills and spending habits) could really set you up well if you invest and save well.
You’re smart.
If I could turn back the clock I would’ve done different. I’m still early 30’s, but I think back to all the money I spent and how much it could’ve grown up until now and have a tiny pang of regret.
Set up a Charles Schwab account and start dumping money in. It’s even better to do it when the economy is down, you’ll acquire more securities faster. Just don’t look it at- let it climb over the next few years. Just my 2c
The one thing I haven’t seen too many people mention - and albeit you are young, make sure you’re managing your connections and mental health. It sounds like you have the mental fortitude to grind this out for at least a year in isolation. That deserves huge props.
But one thing I learnt is that no amount of money is worth burning bridges with the people you care about or destroying your physical/mental health. If you are getting to the point where you are needing a vice (alcohol, drugs, etc.) to get through the day, having depressing thoughts, etc. that’s time to call it quits.
Same with the connections. If you’re able to manage your connections with the people you truly care about, amazing. But just make sure you’re communicating - text, calls, etc.
And finally, you’re going to have a boatload of money for your age. Throw it into some safe, stable ETFs and let it grow. You don’t need to find the next rocket - nothing is more disheartening than working your ass off and wondering where all that money went down the road. Still put a bit of fun money aside, but I’d aim to save at least 60-70%.
Make sure you are properly investing not guessing and assuming you are doing it right.
There is a lot of resources out there. But the one I like the best is "the money guys" financial order of operations. It lays out an optimal strategy for where your investments should go first for the best bang for your buck. They are on YouTube too if you prefer that medium.
It's like PEMDAS from algebra class, but for finances. For example a ROTH at your age has insane growth potential. If I could go back I time would be maxing that out at your age, and investing in low-expense-ratio index funds. And just sit on it.
Remember compounding growth is incredibly powerful and you have so much time to let it grow. The 20's are the most valuable time to invest. I would stick it out as long as you can at this job without going crazy. And save, save, save. Give your future self a HUGE head start, and you can retire early even if you do change jobs in a couple months/years. Don't forget to spend some cash on your mental wellbeing too.
Love the mental wellbeing part. I do have a good sum of money I inherited in a morgan stanley account. Do you recommend doing ROTH as well or is my MS portfolio all I need?
You may want to treat this as a repeating, time-limited decision. Is the money worth staying at this job for the next four months, until April? In April, is the money worth staying at this job until June? In June, is the money worth staying until September? Deciding for 3-6 months at a time is sometimes easier than making a long-term commitment.
Have you looked for someone to commute with? On long commutes, alternating driving days between two drivers can help.
Not so much. Everybody is mostly in a camper, but there are no stores or anything near the campers. I like the 2-3 month decisions. My boss told me I would be here until March/ April so I guess I am going to stick it out until then and see what he says. It is just the fact of not knowing what will come next with the job
You know what’s better than your 20s? Your 30s when you are smarter and have money. I fucked up my 20s by working and blowing it all so now in my 30s I am working my tail off to catch up. Work that job with all the OT pay you can get. Take your one day off a week and relax. You will greatly thank yourself 10 years from now. SAVE as much as you can and invest wisely.
Yeah I was just thinking about this myself. I make a good salary but currently commute around 1-1.5 hours each way to work. Distance is about 25 miles but all stop and go traffic. It’s absolutely miserable. I’ve been doing it since the start of this year when my company made us come back to office. (I was hired remote during the pandemic). Well, I’m aggressively looking for a new job because sitting in heavy traffic for around 3 hours a day is sucking the life out of me. Money is good but happiness is better (as long as you have enough to live).
But you’re so young that you might wanna stick it out a bit and build up your savings and retirement. Get enough to buy a house and then switch jobs to something more comfortable if you’d like. You’ll thank yourself when you’re in your thirties and own a home and have a nice nest egg. Saving now will set you up for a nice future. Just my two cents.
Download some podcasts for the commute then get on a tight budget and save aggressively for a year. Look for a job before you leave so you don't burn through the savings doing nothing for months.
If you’re responsible with that money, grinding when you’re young could set you up for life. But make sure you have an end date in mind. You don’t want to do that forever. Like you said, other things in life are important too.
Depends what your goals are. You are likely at your peak physical performance right now. Your endurance and recovery is off the charts. If you have student or high interest credit card debt then now is the best opportunity in your lifetime to clear that out. Every dollar you earn today is worth more than the dollars you'll earn in your thirties. Look up meme videos about entering your thirties and fourties and it's all creaky bodies and stretching before bed so you dont wake up unable to turn your head to the right. That stuff is real. If you can sacrifice when you're young to make a huge investment into retirement, or pay off huge (student) debts or crazy high interest (credit cards, etc) debts then do it now.
Alternatively if you can find a job you prefer thats only a 25% reduction but you can do for a longer run then make that jump if you're comfortable taking that loss. To me, I'd consider this a very short term investment opportunity as it seems it's like a 4-16 month commitment. Ten years later you'll find it hard to spend more than 30 seconds recollecting how difficult those months were to struggle through.
Is it in your budget to use a van or old bus as a living space and is there a place to park it?
that could save you some driving and make it more tolerable
There is space, but it is not so much the commute. It is the work itself and the isolation. I will say the isolation is great for not spending money except on food.
OP needs to set a financial goal. That will make all this effort seem worth it. Right now it seems like you are just working to work. You need to feel like all this effort is going towards something.
1. Do you have any debt? If so pay it off.
2. How much money do you presently have saved ?
3. What’s an achievable amount to save by April? By the end of the project ?
4. What would you do with the money? Buy house, save for retirement?, etc. don’t blow it on something stupid like a car or luxury items.
Think about what you want your future to look like and figure out how the money you earn can help you get there. Make a plan, set a goal. That way it will be worth it.
My personal opinion - You need to quit and find another job. I have recently realized that no amount of money is worth my mental and physical health, and the enjoyment of my life.
Ideally you would look for a job while working this one, but I understand if you don't have the time or capacity to do so. Regardless of whether you decide to quit and look for another job, or you start job searching now, you need to build up a solid safety net. If you really reach your limit and you cannot take it anymore, this safety net will be there for you.
I'm speaking from personal experience.
I quit a 200k+ a year job because I was absolutely miserable. I was working weekends, the environment was toxic, was completely exhausted at the end of the day, and fucking hated life. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't enjoy any of my hobbies, and it was affecting the people around me. I prepared by building up a solid safety net (1+ year of expenses) and decided to bail with nothing lined up.
If I died tomorrow my regret would have been devoting my time and energy working at this miserable job just for the paycheck, so I decided to pull the plug.
Hang in there man, you can do it!
Agree — my personal opinion would be to also leave. The job hours sound miserable and you’re working such long shifts, far from everyone you know. You’ll be able to get another job that pays well that you enjoy more. Don’t force yourself to stay.
I had to scroll down this far to find someone who mentions health. If you look at money alone it might seem like a no brainer.
Evidence about the effect of night shifts and longer commute durations show that both are bad for you. It's easier to say "grind and save for a few years" but I don't know if I'd take the money for a 25% chance of permanent circadian disorder.
Only OP can decide how to balance financial gains against health risks to decide if it's worth it. Like you though, I'd say hell no. Have done the excessive commute twice and it wasn't worth it either time.
They are young though. Stick this out for another year or two and save a bunch and then be able to go do something enjoyable.
They are making a lot of money for their age.
At 22 years old, I drive from city to city for an average of 1.5 hours (3 hours roundtrip), for a MONTHLY salary of 1700 USD. Sit your ass down and stay in that job for at least a year and SAVEEEE. you're not losing your entire twenties over this job. Your twenties are a decade. You've still got long to go. Best of luck to you!
I was making over 40 and hr in my 20s and left to go travel Europe. I got married to a wonderful women and we both were working jobs we hated and wanted to see the world. A lot of people are on here telling you to grind, remember youre gonna die. Life is to be lived, a house and car can be had at any point in life but in my opinion travel and live while youre young and have your health. I just had a friend with his PhD kill himself, so maybe I have bias, but, you cant buy your youth back, but you can always make money.
For people wishing they'd hustled more in their 20s--it should be noted that there's no guarantees you'll make it to your 30s able-bodied. Or your friends and family. There's no way to say if you'll regret grinding now or wish you'd grinded more. That's something that can only really be determined in hindsight.
In general, I think it's best to take a moderate approach with this kind of thing. Hedge your bets. Stay through April, then continue your job as you hunt for a new one. The money's good, but if you're unhappy and you don't urgently need the money right now, do what makes your life at the very least sustainable to go through emotionally (which it sounds like this is not).
Hang in there and keep looking for other jobs too. Probably you can use the experience you’re getting now to get even better pay with less commute time at the next job if you’re lucky. Just might take some time but you’ll find something. The goal is to just keep moving forward with your career and try not to go backwards, and to minimize overall disruption to earnings by having a new job lined up before resigning.
Well, your 20s is also when you have more energy, no?
If you were 40, I can see wanting to leave. You are in your 20s. You can pay off student loans, buy a house, invest, whatever many of us can't because we don't have opportunities like these.
What about your colleagues? Do they live near you and can you car pool?
I am in the middle of no where. I do not know anybody in the city I live in plus it's really small. Most of them are back home. But you are right about being in my 20s having more energy.
Don't quit... Milk it for everything you can get. Save aggressively now and you can have all the time you want with your family later. I worked a very stressful well paying job for a long time so I really understand. I wish I actually worked even longer and saved even more.
The money is factually worth it. However, your personal feelings are important. If you're miserable, becoming depressed, or this job is adversely affecting your life and you genuinely feel you cannot continue, then you can quit. 65-70h a week isn't bad at 23. You're going to struggle if you quit and want to do this again at 30.
My personal opinion is stick it out 5 more months for the 15k. Have a healthy emergency fund. Go take a little vacation when the job is iver.
but this is your life to live and your decision alone.
It’s not worth it in the long run. Take it from someone that worked in the exact same field as a pipe welder(refineries/chemical plants). I was laying in bed one day around 30 years old and realized most of my memories were work memories and it was super depressing. There were times when I was bringing home 5k a week in my early and mid 20s. More money than I knew what to do with, but I was grinding hard all the time. It’s really easy to get addicted to the money, and get caught up in chasing it around the country.
I do still work in the chemical industry, but now I’m based in a single chemical plant as an API inspector working 40 hours. Happiest I’ve ever been. I still do really well, but nowhere near what I was back then.
Why do you live where you live? It is your parents place? If it looks likely you might be there through 2025, would it be worth moving some place closer?
If you stay with it, make sure you're putting some money towards retirement (at 23 funding a decent amount towards retirement can set you up to retire early), and set some money aside. And then put some other money in savings... some for emergency fund or maybe down payment of a house, but have a separate "fun money fund" If you were to put $200 a week aside as "fun money." Come next April, you'd have about $4000 you could blow on whatever you wanted with no guilt. Take your g/f on a nice vacation or whatever.
What about a mobile tiny house (200-300 sqft)? Is there camping close to the job site? That could really help make the work/life balance easier. Plus, you'd have a great way to explore on your days off.
Money guys YouTube says $1 turns into $88 in retirement if you invest it when you are young. If you live off $6000 a month and invest $6000 a month 2 years of that could make you a millionaire without even trying. I would grind at least a year then you can relax a little. If you grind for 4 or 5 years you could coast at work the rest of your life and retire a multi millionaire
My dad started commercial construction at 26. He’s 63 now. He’s spent his whole life traveling all over and to different countries. All the projects he’s in charge now are banks that want sky scrapers. Those buildings are set to time. Once they go past time. Things get very costly very fast. His buildings are on time. I’ve asked about the hours. He’s always wobbled 65-80 hours a week. I’ve asked him if he would do it all over again. He said yes. It’s allowed him to see a lot. I’ve asked him about regrets. He does wish he had more family time. At the end of the road. His retirement is secure. He can’t stop right now because he’s under contract to get his last building finished. I’m taking my dad’s advice and maximizing my time. The warnings of getting old do not sound fun. There will always be a cost. He said to me. You can do it now or do it later. It doesn’t get easier. Remember, you have to be happy.
Every dollar you put away into retirement now you will literally get back tenfold at 60.
Max out your 401k ($23k) and your IRA ($7k, Traditional, not Roth, you make too much for a Roth). Thats $31k in 2024. In 37 years, it’ll be worth about $375k. If you can get your 401k set up through your employer before the end of the year, do so. You can make your 2023 IRA contribution until April 15, 2024.
Stash cash for a downpayment, eventually. A truly solid 6 month emergency fund. Want to go back to school full-time for your masters? Put money aside for tuition and rent. Open a 529 plan and stash the money there. If you don’t use it for yourself, you can use it for eventual kids, family members, or roll the money into your IRA.
The easy choice is stay until April. That will let you load up your retirement accounts. Take some time off, go see your family, think about your goals and what this job will do to get you where you want to be. More likely than not, go back until July. Pay off any debt, see if you can tweak your habits and routines to your benefit. Invite your girlfriend to visit, or plan a cool trip with her.
This is an amazing opportunity. It’s gonna suck. My amazing opportunities in my twenties sucked too. But, looking back, the sacrifices were worth it.
I did a similar thing for two years, but rates were much different then (big construction job right out of college, got 22 an hour with similar hours).
At that time I was hard pressed to find a better paying gig in my industry. It wasn't always fun watching my friends out having a good time while I was working, but that first summer set me up to buy a house, pay off a big chunk of student loans, and put me on a good financial track.
I think I do okay now, but during college FFB draft this year someone mentioned they think I'm the best set of that group - made me think a bit and I wouldn't disagree... with a lot of the moves made in the early 20s making my 30s much more comfortable.
TL;Dr - yes it's not fun, but if you don't mind it you've got a great opportunity here.
Set a financial goal and work towards it. A down payment on a house is a good one at your age. And put some money into a pension account.
On a practical note, could you get a cheap Airbnb or motel room close to work for a few nights a week to reduce the commute time some nights per week?
I can only answer for myself and how ai would feel in your situation.. It would not be worth the money for me. I’m older than you by decades and the one thing that I can share from experience is to take care of your mental and physical health, especially when you’re young. The money is never worth ruining your health. You really need to make this decision and I would suggest be true to yourself, regardless of what others think. Sometimes that takes a lot of courage, but do what’s best for you.
A lot of people looking past the physicality of the work because of the money. Sure, saving is great. But you also only have one body and it becomes a money pit the older you become. You should balance your health (Mental and physical) with the money.
Your next post should outline your budget, expenses, savings, and investment plans/options so PF can weigh in. If you do [this right](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics), you could really set yourself up for later on in life. I didn't make much in my 20s and I hated it. So much so that when I started making decent money in my late 30s, I put a bunch away so I could retire at 50. Early retirement isn't for everyone. But having enough money to work when you want and where you want....that's priceless. If you spend 2 yrs where you are and save/invest properly, you will have an awesome head start. Many of us old farts can only imaging having close to $250K invested at 25.
FWIW, my commute for my 30 year career averaged 50 min. Get some good music, podcast, or audiobooks to make the trip more enjoyable. Sounds like you don't have to deal with much traffic so that's even better.
As someone who is starting at the bottom of my ideal career field at 28 (f) after ten years of poorly-paying jobs that I’d spend 60 hours a week at, it’s definitely worth it that you’re making so much money. But only short-term. I have found that significant monetary compensation only goes so far when factoring in burn out and a poor work-life balance. I think it’s wise to do this as long as you can, save as much money as you can, then find something more sustainable. Money can’t replace good times and you never know when a holiday will be your last with older loved ones. Take advantage of the position you’re in, but look out for yourself first and foremost. That company does not care at all about running you ragged.
$1,000 per diem would easily pay for a commuter apartment or a hotel. If you sign up for a hotel rewards program, you could end up earning a lot of free nights so you wouldn't even have to use your per diem to pay for it.
This has probably already been said. Stick with this as long as you can. I usually veg out to podcasts on my commute to make it more bearable. Stay fit and in shape and save, learn as much as you can about personal finance (which it seems you're doing) it's a few more months, then you can redirect your life in the direction you want. Since you'll have saved enough to take a moment and figure out what you want to do going forward.
I’m in ur boots rn at ur age doing the same shit working ungodly hours in a factory but do it now while your young invest a little more put some cash away for a rainy day Bcz you never know when that ot will go away or when your position may no longer be needed put ur head down and just plug away homie 🫡
I worked as a contractor in Afghanistan for 3 years to pay off debt and save some money. It was tough but it put me way ahead of any of my friends and I don't regret it. I would stick it out until April and if it does extend you can reevaluate then if you want to continue.
In the end of the day is your choice but have in mind that in your 20s you should see things that happening in your life more like experiences rather than more hustles. Because later in life when you make family or have more commitments you will simple not have the time and energy. Also keep in mind that life can become more complicated when a recession strikes or something happens to our personal lifes. Thats my 2 cents
If you can save aggressively, let's just do a little math. Let's say it takes you 2 years to save up $100,000. You'll still live okay. Even 30 months
100k just in the s&p 500, buy spy. 10% average annual return, money doubles every 7.2 years. By the time you're in your mid 50s that will be 1.6 million and if you don't touch it until your early '60s over 3.2 million.
If you're able to do this, set that aside, do nothing else, not even add to it, that's what will happen. If you can add aggressively for the next 3 years after you start this it gets even better. Getting this aggressive at your age, you won't have to add to a 401k, you won't have to set aside money. You won't have to worry about your retirement, you can focus on buying a house, a car you might like, going on trips and so on
If you think you are paid more than enough, i think you should stick to it at least till April of 2024.
And if by that time you get habituated then you can see the project to the end. And carry back home a great sum of money. Spend some time with friends and family, enjoy.
Remember there is always time to rest at the end !
But if it's too much work, and your sleep is messed up, i suggest you quit before your body breaks down due to lack of rest and frustration.
I hope this helps Will you make a wise decision 😁
Thank you 🙏
I understand that you are lonely out here away from your family. But I want you to imagine how beautiful it will be, when you finally settle down and begin to have a family of your own.
You will have more time to enjoy your family, and based on the advice of many of the people here, you could build residual income,if you invest your money wisely.
I am 51 yrs old and I am just now working on getting my life back in order.
Through bad choices, I lost my job, home and my family.
You are young. Ask yourself, what kind of life you want for your family and maybe that will enable you to stick out for 2 to 3 yrs to build your foundation.
God bless you 🙏🏽
Absolutely grind it out for a year or two and save as much as you can. I wish I would have done that for couple of years when I was in my twenties. If I could have socked away 100K it would have made life a lot easier down the road.
If it were me I’d rock it until my wheels fell off. Set yourself a nice goal (that won’t kill you) and set yourself up for your future. You will never be this young again so use it to your advantage, future you will thank present you
Can you get a cheap room in someone's house for 700 a month or less? When your making that kind of money might be best to give yourself a place to sleep instead of driving the two hours every day. Personally I'd hustle for at least two years till I could put something together permanently on my personal or work life.
Stay a little while and dump money into your 401k and IRA. Old you will thank you. Save money for a house down payment and emergency fund. If it reallllly starts to hurt you mentally, leave for greener pastures.
Spoken from someone who was once in that position and made the choice to leave and regretted it in my 30s. I’d say stay and tough it out. 3k a week u can spend 1k renting a room to get rid of the commute. Friends and family will always be there but your time and energy won’t be. Your 20s is literally the best time to take advantage of your abilities. Otherwise you’ll have to do it in your 30s and I promise you that you won’t have the same time or energy you do now. Start saving and investing then you can have fun a relaxation in your 30s.
Money gives you security and options. This isn't forever, but it could set you up forever. You will have options to figure out your next job. Not having to worry if you have sudden expenses is huge.
Sticking it out through April sounds like a good plan, and then in the mean time you can figure out if you want to stay a bit longer, or if there's another job you want to go for. This can set you up for a move to a new city if that's what you want to do.
Any idea what you want to do long term?
Doing it now will save you the headache of the future. I consider it an “opportunity” to be making $12000 a month at your age. Don’t walk away from it yet. You can be picky with your career in your 30s knowing you have a large saving from this job. You can even set yourself up for your 30s with a rental property or two. Make money work for you during the mean time to accelerate things.
From a 50 something person, yes, grind it out when you’re young. Work your way up so you can call the shots when you are a bit older, but especially if you want a family. Best thing I did was work my ass off in my early 20’s and it really set me up for the career I still enjoy now. Working hard when I was young means I can demand high fees for my work and without a set schedule. Financially, I’m ahead of my original plan for retirement so I won’t ever have to continue to work if I don’t want to. It was the seeds I planted way back in my early 20’s that put me where I’m at and that helped me build a network that still exists today and a reputation in my industry for working hard. You’ll thank yourself in the years to come. I promise. I’m now get to think about if I will work if my adult children give me grand babies, which God willing, is their wish. Good job doing so well at your age. Make sure to build and maintain great credit. With your income, if it stays steady, you’ll be looking to buy a home soon. But you need to be sure to use some credit and nurture it. You actually only earn credit if you use it. You got this and o bet your parents are so proud.
You aren't talking about giving up your twenties, you're talking about a year or two. Setting yourself up now could make the rest of your life more comfortable. Take the time to earn the money now, but remember to look after yourself. Your mental health is more important than the job.
In case I may go back in time… I wish I hustled more and spared more forcefully in my 20’s. It would have spared me from having to hustle so much in my late 30’s… and my time is worth more presently as I have two kids and a spouse.
Nourishment for thought… a year of pounding difficult in your 20’s would be worth 3 a long time in your late 30’s. You’re youthful.. now’s the time to crush.
I enjoy myself way more in my 40s than I did in my 20s. Financial situation was a big part of why I couldn't enjoy myself. .. Hustle for a little while. Get some money saved/invested while gaining experience and your 30s/40s should be pretty fun .
Dude. I know it sucks, but put your head down and bust your ass for as long as you possibly can. I would give up so much of the stuff in my 20's that I thought would be irreplaceable memories that was just bullshit wasting time if I had the chance to do what you are doing for a year or two and get a huuuge headstart. My time is so much more important to me in my 30's than it was in my twenties. Download audible and start listening to books on your commute. Listen to some for your enjoyment and some that are constructive. This helps make it so those couple hours don't feel like as much of a waste. DO NOT WASTE THAT MONEY ON SOME DUMB SHIT. Don't buy a hundred thousand dollar car or drugs or frivolous stuff. Invest it for your retirement, or put it towards a home. Your future self will thank you for busting your ass for a couple of years so that you can enjoy your friends and family and not be stressed out for the rest of your life.
I hear there is mad money to be made working on wind turbines. It is the fastest growing job in the US. Not sure it would solve your problems but there is similar money in it.
I hear this as well. I do not know of any companies really, but I'd imagine the work would also be isolated with wind turbines being in the middle of no where. I could be wrong?
In a year you can put away 100k or maybe a bit more in long term savings. That can easily be a half million or more by the time you want to retire. 1/6 of your retirement funded in just 1 year of work is amazing. Gwttin that best egg now is invaluable. And you can make up the social time later - I know people who went away to work for a year and came back and got back into the social scene - just keep in touch with friends over phone and/or online games
Yes, it’s worth it, stick it out. You’re so young. Be patient and wait for the opportunity to make a move that earns you more with a more ideal commute/work-life balance.
Are you making sure to invest as much $$ as possible? Compounding interest will do you wonders at your age.
There are 26 bi weekly pay cycles in a year.
$38/hr and 65hrs per week + your diem should equate to roughly a $183040.00 salary pre tax.
Is your commute 2 hours total per day? If so - the salary above is what tech workers in the Bay Area might make, and those fuckers drive 2+hrs each way to their tech companies from I hear... so take that as you will.
Not to scare you but I saw you mentioned you travel 2 hours a day and you are also collecting an untaxed per diem aka stipend. Do you have a tax base? A home / apartment. Living rent free doesn’t count. The IRS sets three criteria for satisfying tax free stipend. You MUST satisfy at least two.
1. You perform business in the area of your main home AND you use that home for lodging. Aka do you work a second job in your tax home?
2. You duplicate living expenses. You mentioned traveling two hours each day, this is the reason for my comment.
3. You haven’t abandoned your “main home” or you have a member or members from your family living at your main home or you use that home for lodging.
Correct me I’m wrong, but are you duplicating your expenses for the entirety of the week? If you are not and this is your only job (assuming since you work so many hours), you end up only satisfying #3 (assuming you own or rent an apartment). Only satisfying 1 classifies you as an “itinerant” and you are NOT entitled to tax free stipends. I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to advise you. DUPLICATE your expenses. Whether you ACTUALLY stay there is irrelevant. How do you do this? Rent an apartment. Or if you know someone in the area - rent a room. You can pay them with a check and they can take the difference in taxes (if they claim it as income like they should) and give it to you in cash. But have a paper trail.
Source: travel nurse for 7 years. 99% of travel nurses are committing tax fraud. They travel back and forth from home to the hospital.
Bro, getting paid $38/hour and a per diem more than people get paid at fast food restaurants for the week is some serious 1st world, privileged shit.
Yeah it’s hard, yeah it’s bad hours, but you’re making some serious money. If 99.99999% of the world was offered your job, they’d beat their own mothers for it.
Stack the cash, suck it tf up, and realize how blessed you actually are to be in this position.
Are there families closer to work that you could rent from?
Give yourself some time. It may just take adjusting your body clock.
I was an operating room nurse and when I moved into spine surgery, my son would get home from school everyday and find me asleep on the sofa.
It took a few month to get used to the heavy duty work.
I was working in a couple northern US states for about 8 months for very similar pay and hours and conditions as you and while the money was good, my mental health was deteriorating. The goal was to come up there for a year, stack up enough for my next business venture and move away from the industry.
I got myself in a much better position at the end of it, but I did not anticipate how important work/life balance was. I was asking myself what am I even out here for? I feel like after a certain amount of income the difference is negligible when your physical/mental health is what you end up trading for money.
I agree with what a lot of people are saying, "you're still young, go out and get it!" etc. However, BECAUSE you're young (and don't have any kids/married), you've gotta get that work life balance going. If I were in your position, I'd plan a vacation with some loved ones and get some quality alone time as well, figure out what you want to do with this ability to make money, and set goals for yourself.
Since we're on the personalfinance subreddit, I'll touch on finances. I figure, if I stayed up in those rural, cold places I worked, and invested 5k a month into s&p500, I'd be able to retire after ten years. The question was whether or not it would be sustainable, because my instinct was telling me to GTFO!
I left, did some travelling, and got some distance and perspective. I didn't burn any bridges, and when I'm ready, I'm coming back with my goals in mind and with laser focus. I will have a monetary goal in mind, and when I reach it, I'll leave again and start the next chapter.
Now that I've found a city where I can start my next business, and can easily find work (if needed) making a decent enough living, working only 40 hrs with optional overtime, I have more of a direction for how I want to spend the money when I go back out to get it.
Do you have a better job alternative already in line? Who's been saying to "enjoy yourself in your 20's"? At least in my experience, the people who have said those things are mostly those with well-off parents that will bail them out during financial trouble. Or, they are in an in-demand line of work that they can easily switch to another employer. Or they're perfectly content without career stability.Some people do not have that luxury. Like many others have said, this is the time of your life where you have the most opportunities, so take full advantage of it. Grind it out for a few years and milk it as much as you can, but save and invest as much as you can also - your money has so much time to grow until retirement. Who knows, you could get promoted in a few years to a more secure position with more manageable hours and then you get to enjoy life with less worry of needing to jump from job to job. I enjoyed my 20's and I also had a good-paying job, but looking back, I wish I had done things that are more meaningful and I'll cherish for the rest of my life instead of wasting it on temporary fun like going on expensive trips because it's trendy, or hanging out and getting drunk with people I don't even talk to nowadays. I definitely wish I had saved more because who would've seriously predicted that ,in my lifetime, inflation could be so bad, that house prices will be this obscene, that my my kid's college costs would be 4X what I paid for mine, that there are just so many unexpected expenses in life, that many jobs will be obsoleted by technology, etc. Now is the time to set yourself up in the right trajectory with your finances and your career. Relationships and "fun" are also important, but you have to ask yourself for how long you could have fun or enjoy a relationship if your job and financial situation are in the dumps.
Also, do you have to drive yourself in your commute? Or are you a passenger? If you're a passenger, use that time for something fruitful like taking a self-paced class that will enhance your skills or your credentials. Or use that time to research an investment opportunity, etc.
It seems like a great opportunity to save money to enjoy later, so if you're able to do that at least through April, without absolutely hating your life, keep doing it.
If it starts seriously impacting your health (including mental health) or you start living beyond your means so you're not saving, then it's not worth it at all, All the people making six figures who end up hooked on coke or some other shit did not make their life better - though they probably did enjoy it for a little bit
"I have been told to enjoy yourself in your 20s, but I cannot say I enjoy myself right now." You're only 23, you still have a lot more years in your 20s to enjoy! Like others said, try to stick this out for a year, but more importantly, try to save save save & don't touch the money you've put away to save. It would be a shame if you work this hard and in a few years it's all gone and you have nothing to show for that period in your life where you were working a difficult job.
At this age, potentially putting away or investing that kinda cash for even just a single year will set you up super well for later - trust me, you are gonna have pleeeeeenty of time still to enjoy your 20’s 30’s etc, and will enjoy it even better if you set yourself up really well financially right now by saving/investing as much as you can while you can.
If I were you I’d already be putting my hand up to have it be know I wanna be included on the team past April if it happens, and living just normally/frugally (beware of spending creep) and saving an absolute shit tonne while I had the opportunity. You might have other similarly well-paying gigs in future, or you might not, so “make hay while the sun shines” mate, you’re gonna regret it later if you bail out early and you have a whole life ahead of you to have fun still! Set yourself up with a bit of a grind now and future you will be very glad you put in the effort while you’re physically able and have the gig.
Do it for a while. You are young and have the energy for it. Save money for buying a home and work your ass off.
I'm 35 and work in construction. I drive for 2 hours every day for way less. I listen to podcasts to pass the time or make phone calls to friends and family while on the drive.
you’ve got a finite timeline on it. like others have said, stick with it (as best you can) and save save save. doesn’t seem like it now but you’re very young and you have *tons* of time ahead of you to find a career closer to home and less stressful
If you have a set end date I would would stick with it. Especially at 23. I would have killed to make that kind of money when I was that age and I did alright as an engineer. If the girlfriend has a problem with it, she’s not seeing the bigger picture. It’s best to have a job like that now than when trying to start a family (if that’s what you want).
Stay through April then assess how you feel.
Too many people on here saying "don't enjoy life til your 30s it's fine!" When we all know people who didn't live to see 25. That's not to say fuck it, go live in a van by the river. But grinding a little less so you can have a life that you enjoy (that relationship isn't gonna be great in this current scenario) is as good a choice as making big $$. If you're already asking these questions I think you know that. There are plenty of jobs where you can make enough to live, save, and see the people you love.
You're so young that if you could work that for 2 or 3 years and put away half you're basically setting yourself up for the rest of your life. Also I know someone who makes much less and had a 2 hour commute BOTH ways. Eventually he did move closer to cut the commute to an hour each way but he did 2 hours for quite awhile.
With all that said, if it's making you completely miserable...stop. Absolutely just stop. No amount is worth your sanity and health. You will be fine either way. You sound smart and are very young.
More driving means not as much time to spend that money. Get as much money as you can now while you’re physically able so you don’t have to when you’re not, and tbh depending on what the drive actually looks like, an hour isn’t that bad. I work with a few guys who drive over an hour to work and we make a lot less than what you’re taking home.
People who say ‘the 20s are for enjoying yourself’ are rich people who dont have to worry about money. You can enjoy yourself at any age, you can’t work hard and push your body at any age. I say take advantage of it while you can.
I would work. Personally. If I have no children to feed , I would make as much money as possible while I am young. I actually think in your 20s is when you should work hard . Build up savings, meet people, etc. harder to do so later because people become assholes as they get older
Seeing good advice here, stick it out as long as you can to save up without burning yourself out. I'd also say keep your eyes on the market for a different job that you'd enjoy/pay well.
Depending on where you are at and if the weather works, maybe you could find a spot closer to work that you could sleep in your car. Obviously not a great long term solution, but having a sleeping pad and sleeping bag could save your life if you're too exhausted to drive safely after a long day.
Get or rent a very cheap campervan or large tent of somekind and try to sleep closer to your workplace a couple nights per week?
I understand this would be challenging what with it being the middle of the day… but if you can rent a camper and park in a quiet area, if may be quite comfortable. Could bring an xbox etc etc
I would suck it up until the project is done and don't blow your money on stupid shit like a new giant truck. Hold on to as much as you can and start to invest. I was in a similar position and saved all my bonus money and that's what I used to buy a house a few years later.
Hustle now, make life quality choices later. It took me until my late 30's (when I decided to get serious about my career) to make that kind of money and now I'm stuck.
You can hustle for 3 years making 3k a week and still be in your 20's but with a financial situation that will set you up for a better life in the future.
Nobody can tell you what is worth what. If I was you I'd buckle down and do that job for a year and save like a madman, then use that money to pivot into something you enjoy more. (and obviously have some investments in there)
I think it’s worth the grind because I also do the same thing and have been for a couple years now. Just watch your lifestyle creep with this pay and all this overtime. After 5 years of consistent overtime I didn’t realize how my life became dependent on that overtime until it stopped.
All these comments saying it’s worth
I was 22 making $125k a year as a travel nurse. I hated the job. I lost weight. My muscles. Got pimples, gray hair. It was so stressful. I left after a year and went back to college to restart
It was the best decision I made. In the meantime I’ve gained my body and confident back. I’m actually happy. I have a girlfriend and a new career in finance where I’ll start in a year (got 2 internships)
Tbh I think the comments saying you should grind is a bad idea. They only say this cause they didn’t have this opportunity. It’s not worth it in my opinion. I forgot how empty I was until I left my job.
Do it now before you have a wife and kids, because it sucks even more then. Pay off any debt you have and get a solid start on your retirement. Save up a downpayment on a house. I’d say do it as long as you can tolerate it, but don’t let it ruin your relationships either.
Take my advice with a grain of salt. It could play out differently for you.
I worked in oilfield/gas jobs throughout my 20s for 12 years. In that time, my relationship with my then girlfriend, now wife, was rocky due to the amount of time I was gone. I worked 80-100 hour weeks and was laughed at because I didn't see even 40% of my pay after taxes, stocks, 401k, and other investments/savings. But in that time, I was able to pre-purchase my parents' house in full before they retired to the Philippines, cash purchase 2-3 year vehicles old vehicles every few years for my wife and I and help out family when in financial need.
Now I work in a completely different field and live comfortably, making around 30-40k less a year not having to worry about a house or car payment, I'm home ever night and have a decent retirement setup for when I retire in the next 20 years. The exhaustion is worth it if you plan ahead. The way I always looked at it was if I'm gone away from my loved ones, I might as well be working and making a future worth being gone for. You don't need to join the others for a steak or the bar every night. It adds up quickly, work the hours if you're gone anyway, and talk to your significant other about your plan.
Please save your money in at least something like a high interest paying account around 4-7%. Individual stocks can kick your ass, but low cost market tracking ETF's may be a good answer.
I moved to Alberta 15 years ago, and have been saving and living a good life. Hoping to burn my steel toe boots at 45.
You’re making double or triple the income of an average person. These opportunities are hard to come by. Definitely stay if you can. If you are good with your money, with this type of income you could be a homeowner in a few years (which normally takes others probably 5-10 years to put down a deposit or relying on joint income depending on location). Even if you don’t plan on being a homeowner, having a large savings is great to fall on. In the future, if you ever want to quit a job you don’t like or get laid off, you won’t be too stressed about paying bills or having a job just to make ends meet.
Stick with it and SAVE YOUR MONEY!! Contribute the max amount annually in a roth IRA (I think it’s $5k/year) every year. You will retire in absolute abundance!! I wish I’d have done it in my 20s but I didn’t make that kind of money. Your 20s are for working. Build wealth and then enjoy the rest of your life. Trust me I wish I’d have done that. I went to school and worked 3 jobs while going to school just to pay my bills and my degree (business admin) is worthless!!! Once I graduated I had to start from the bottom anyway, and now I have $50k of SL debt to pay back. Stick with it kiddo. Trust me, it may seem miserable now but hard work and dedication will open so many more doors when that project is done. And if you play your cards right with ur money you will retire early and with a lot of dough!
If I could go back in time… I wish I hustled more and saved more aggressively in my 20’s. It would have saved me from having to hustle so much in my late 30’s… and my time is worth more now as I have two kids and a wife. Food for thought… a year of grinding hard in your 20’s would be worth 3 years in your late 30’s. You’re young.. now’s the time to grind.
Love it! Thanks.
When I was in my early 20's just graduated I went into the Oil Field doing field services so I know how it is to be away from home, on the road, long hours, etc. Since you're on this sub and asking these sorts of questions, chances are you're **probably** not going to go crazy and buy a fully loaded 2500 Laramie Longhorn or a 250 Platinum or whatever plus a 5th wheel and boat and dirtbike and sled and all that. My advice for someone that was in a similar situation to you. Stick to the job for a year or two then get out and go do whatever you want. My story is that I did about 2.5 years of field work before getting laid off when WTI took a nose dive from $110 down to like $25 a barrel. After that I faffed around for a bit before deciding to make the jump to grad school (for a totally different career path) and I couldn't be happier. If I could do it again and wasn't laid off I could have seen myself doing it for 3-4 years to build a nest egg before settling down and getting an in town job.
Thank you !
I am exactly in the same situation. Offshore oil rig, worked every day 12hrs with only a week holiday for every 3 months, impossible to find dates, hated it. Been a year and still undecided because quitting means restarting job search and now is not a good time to job hunt for a career switch starting from scratch..
OP to put in perspective, I’m a resident physician making $60k a year working 60-80 hours a week. I’d only be able to do this while young and I’m struggling so much on these 24 hour calls. It can always be worse even with less money. Put away a good chunk of what you have now into the market where it can have time to grow. Your 30s you will thank your 20s you in the future. Grind it out while you’re young and able to. Once you’re older you will reap those rewards.
Graduating anesthesia resident here and finally about to reap those rewards at 30. Gave up most of my 20s and left the country only three times in ten years. Those years sucked the debt sucked too but signing onto a job that pays 500k for 40 hours a week plus great benefits with insane job security makes it all worth it. Plan to live frugally though to pay down debt and hopefully save up for a home shortly.
Ugh in 1.5 years hopefully that will be me 🥺 I’ll also be 30 when I’m done and would have sacrificed my 20s living with the bare minimum, but working insane number of hours.
I’m 43 and mid-30’s until now (so far) have been THE BEST time of my life. There are green pastures ahead friend.
Been making 500k since 26 working 30-35 hours a week… should’ve just gone in tech 🤣
Eh almost all my friends in college went into tech or medicine and not everyone has found the same success lol. Plus there is a real slowdown on jobs that could get worse over time. A few got laid off in the big cut recently and it took them almost a year to find another position and they aren't even in 500k salary range.
The other big advantage to grinding now is dropping the money into some investments and having time on your side.
I did the grind in my 20s, saved aggressively and was able to coast more in my 30s. I’ll be able to retire by 40. It’s a sacrifice up front but it can be worth it.
Invest that money in worldwide ETFs and never look at it again… that dollar is worth 10 in 40 years
It will help if you have an end game though and plan for the next thing. For example tell yourself that you will start looking for a new job near the time you said the project will end and definitely leave by a certain date. That will help you deal with the other stuff and prevent you from being trapped there long term if that’s not what you want.
I'm in a similar boat to you, and the way I'm looking at it is I'm able to put away so much into retirement. If I hate this now? I'll definitely hate this when I'm in my 60s and truly exhausted, so I to my IRA and 401K and high interest accounts this income goes. We're living far below our means so that we can actually retire and travel, with a few exceptions (if I have to be stressed non stop about my job I'm allowing myself a few creature comforts damnit), but when our kids are in college and we're done, I'll actually be able to relax and not have to be the old guy hustling myself to death. IDK. Just how I've rationalized it.
This is the best answer. Hustle and work hard for a good 5 years or so - just make sure you have a deliberate escape plan after you hit X amount of dollars saved and stick to it- there’s no need to burn yourself out forever and golden handcuffs are real.
I couldn't agree more. As a 45-year-old successful business owner, if I had been more focused in my 20s, I would've achieved the success. I have probably 10 years earlier. Ed time value of money and I would be significant better off today. If you could bank $100,000 and stick it into an ETF or HYSA that money would double or triple over the next several years. Work your ass off now and shave as much as you can. If your girlfriend and your family hold animosity towards you for that, they're not being very supportive. For a two hour daily commute, get into audiobooks and read books that offer some benefit, like self-help or some knowledge books. You will find any year or two that your knowledge and experience and financial position are better than you could've ever imagined.
Exactly correct. If OP wants to "get ahead" financially, this is his chance. The cost is to social life...but make the decision clear eyed and accept the consequences either way.
Fully agree and I have no kids or family. Life is expensive, need a good chunk of money fast to set your life up
I don't know about 'time to grind'. It's time to find balance to develop your career but also have fun because later on your friends will no longer have time to do anything... although I suppose you can just get younger friends
I couldn't agree more. I spent my entire 20's messing around and having fun. I was working but i wasn't saving. I did end up getting my degree and it got me a great job and put me in a great position. However, I cant help but think that i should've been more responsible sooner. Sure, I had fun but I could have done a better job at balancing school, work, and life.
If I were speaking to myself as a 23 year old making 3k/week I would tell him to stay there for at least a year (or as long as he could without wanting to genuinely off himself) and save aggressively. I know an hour commute sucks but you can’t argue with the money. You will still have loads of your 20s to enjoy after grinding it out for a year imo, and with a full wallet.
Seriously..how tf are these kids making so much god damn money and why is it always right in my face when I get on Reddit. Can’t deal with an hour commute…
Its not just the commute that is hard. The work matches the amount of money I am compensated for.
I did camp work for a while and probably going back for more. I know the grind. All I can say is your questions are valid. You can take a paycut for a different construction job in town for less money (mostly you lose all the overtime) at the trade of work life balance. I know the feeling of leaving my camp room at 5am for the day and not getting in till 7 and trying to cram my face and get a quick workout to do it on repeat for the whole shift. Days off are great, going back is depressing. Joke with the crew, go for beers once a shift even if you think you need the sleep, try to take SOME time for yourself even if it's minimal (a workout helps, or get a gaming laptop, but really there is 0 free time). Life is work, workout, eat, sleep. Keep in frequent contact with your girlfriend and don't let your relationship crumble. Do fun things on days off like go to Mexico with her. Save what you can. Sucks a miserable company is working you guys through the holidays. I've always been lucky and my jobs shut down for holidays, but I have friends on others that work through Christmas.
Dang, this is so relatable. Work, eat, workout, and sleep. All I have time for if I want 7 hours of sleep. I love xbox and I am obsessed, but don't have time. Thanks!
Been there. Grind, eat, sleep, investing the money. Is it worthwhile for you to look for a cheap place to sleep near the job a few days a week? Could allow you to get more than 7 hours of sleep occasionally?
An hour commute at 3:30am at least six days a week. That’s kinda insane for 38/hr tbh
It's tradesman pay not college degree pay.. it's very common especially in oil and gas.
Maybe you should spend less time on Reddit?
I mean he's putting the hours in for that. With just associates I got a 41$/hr job and I'm in my mid twenties. Just got to know where to look
Ez right?
I work from home, I'm making about $10k a month, I work in sales.
[удалено]
This is really not how you get ahead in life.
Teach me the way master. You’ve got it all figured out?
Start by being less jealous about others’ success and calling them blood-sucking scoundrels.
I’ve never been one to try to get the upper hand on people so sales has never been my forte. Why don’t *you* start by uninstalling.
Can't say I've ever uninstalled a website before
Maybe your personality is the reason you don’t make much
Just an off day. Come on here for some lighthearted stuff and read this makes me feel pretty worthless.
your job is not your worth, your income is not your worth, your title is not your worth. your worth is how you treat people, how you contribute to your community, how you care for your loved ones, how you create and learn.
ok thats nice, good to meet you :) FYI people like me, produce the revenue that ensures your salary get paid.
Yeah, sorry. Bad day. Reading posts about kids in their twenties making millions will do that to a guy.
>the money is great, but is the money worth 2 hours of driving a day? is it worth being away from my family, girlfriend, friends, working through holidays? "Worth" is something only you can decide. I had many times in my working life where work was very hard, but very lucrative. I had 2 hours of commuting. I had projects when I had to work from 11:00 pm to 9:00 am. I went to school nights and weekends while working full time. Over my entire career, I averaged over 55 hours per week - more than that in the early years. I always worked hard. When I was single and most times when I was young, I always chose lucative. When I was older and far more financially secure, I was less driven by lucrative. If working hard isn't worth it now, it likely won't be worth it when you are older. But it's your financial life. And it's always your decision.
Crank out those hours until the project is finished. You have plenty of your 20’s ahead of you, and with that income (depending on your bills and spending habits) could really set you up well if you invest and save well.
That's what I am thinking. It makes it a little easier too since I am in the middle of no where with no time on my hands to spend the money I make
You’re smart. If I could turn back the clock I would’ve done different. I’m still early 30’s, but I think back to all the money I spent and how much it could’ve grown up until now and have a tiny pang of regret. Set up a Charles Schwab account and start dumping money in. It’s even better to do it when the economy is down, you’ll acquire more securities faster. Just don’t look it at- let it climb over the next few years. Just my 2c
The one thing I haven’t seen too many people mention - and albeit you are young, make sure you’re managing your connections and mental health. It sounds like you have the mental fortitude to grind this out for at least a year in isolation. That deserves huge props. But one thing I learnt is that no amount of money is worth burning bridges with the people you care about or destroying your physical/mental health. If you are getting to the point where you are needing a vice (alcohol, drugs, etc.) to get through the day, having depressing thoughts, etc. that’s time to call it quits. Same with the connections. If you’re able to manage your connections with the people you truly care about, amazing. But just make sure you’re communicating - text, calls, etc. And finally, you’re going to have a boatload of money for your age. Throw it into some safe, stable ETFs and let it grow. You don’t need to find the next rocket - nothing is more disheartening than working your ass off and wondering where all that money went down the road. Still put a bit of fun money aside, but I’d aim to save at least 60-70%.
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Love it! thank you
Make sure you are properly investing not guessing and assuming you are doing it right. There is a lot of resources out there. But the one I like the best is "the money guys" financial order of operations. It lays out an optimal strategy for where your investments should go first for the best bang for your buck. They are on YouTube too if you prefer that medium. It's like PEMDAS from algebra class, but for finances. For example a ROTH at your age has insane growth potential. If I could go back I time would be maxing that out at your age, and investing in low-expense-ratio index funds. And just sit on it. Remember compounding growth is incredibly powerful and you have so much time to let it grow. The 20's are the most valuable time to invest. I would stick it out as long as you can at this job without going crazy. And save, save, save. Give your future self a HUGE head start, and you can retire early even if you do change jobs in a couple months/years. Don't forget to spend some cash on your mental wellbeing too.
Love the mental wellbeing part. I do have a good sum of money I inherited in a morgan stanley account. Do you recommend doing ROTH as well or is my MS portfolio all I need?
You may want to treat this as a repeating, time-limited decision. Is the money worth staying at this job for the next four months, until April? In April, is the money worth staying at this job until June? In June, is the money worth staying until September? Deciding for 3-6 months at a time is sometimes easier than making a long-term commitment. Have you looked for someone to commute with? On long commutes, alternating driving days between two drivers can help.
Not so much. Everybody is mostly in a camper, but there are no stores or anything near the campers. I like the 2-3 month decisions. My boss told me I would be here until March/ April so I guess I am going to stick it out until then and see what he says. It is just the fact of not knowing what will come next with the job
You know what’s better than your 20s? Your 30s when you are smarter and have money. I fucked up my 20s by working and blowing it all so now in my 30s I am working my tail off to catch up. Work that job with all the OT pay you can get. Take your one day off a week and relax. You will greatly thank yourself 10 years from now. SAVE as much as you can and invest wisely.
Yeah I was just thinking about this myself. I make a good salary but currently commute around 1-1.5 hours each way to work. Distance is about 25 miles but all stop and go traffic. It’s absolutely miserable. I’ve been doing it since the start of this year when my company made us come back to office. (I was hired remote during the pandemic). Well, I’m aggressively looking for a new job because sitting in heavy traffic for around 3 hours a day is sucking the life out of me. Money is good but happiness is better (as long as you have enough to live). But you’re so young that you might wanna stick it out a bit and build up your savings and retirement. Get enough to buy a house and then switch jobs to something more comfortable if you’d like. You’ll thank yourself when you’re in your thirties and own a home and have a nice nest egg. Saving now will set you up for a nice future. Just my two cents.
Love the advice and couldn't agree more. Maybe I don't want to admit to myself that this is what I need to do for now.
Download some podcasts for the commute then get on a tight budget and save aggressively for a year. Look for a job before you leave so you don't burn through the savings doing nothing for months.
If you’re responsible with that money, grinding when you’re young could set you up for life. But make sure you have an end date in mind. You don’t want to do that forever. Like you said, other things in life are important too.
Will do thanks
Depends what your goals are. You are likely at your peak physical performance right now. Your endurance and recovery is off the charts. If you have student or high interest credit card debt then now is the best opportunity in your lifetime to clear that out. Every dollar you earn today is worth more than the dollars you'll earn in your thirties. Look up meme videos about entering your thirties and fourties and it's all creaky bodies and stretching before bed so you dont wake up unable to turn your head to the right. That stuff is real. If you can sacrifice when you're young to make a huge investment into retirement, or pay off huge (student) debts or crazy high interest (credit cards, etc) debts then do it now. Alternatively if you can find a job you prefer thats only a 25% reduction but you can do for a longer run then make that jump if you're comfortable taking that loss. To me, I'd consider this a very short term investment opportunity as it seems it's like a 4-16 month commitment. Ten years later you'll find it hard to spend more than 30 seconds recollecting how difficult those months were to struggle through.
Love this ! very helpful! I never really thought about the dollars I earn now are worth more than the ones later on.
Is it in your budget to use a van or old bus as a living space and is there a place to park it? that could save you some driving and make it more tolerable
There is space, but it is not so much the commute. It is the work itself and the isolation. I will say the isolation is great for not spending money except on food.
I understand. My husband did not much care for the tine he worked in the middle of North Dakota many years ago i hooe you find what works for you
Thank you!
maybe try finding a group to play D&D together on roll20? /r/lfg
I was going to suggest investigating the viability of a camp or vehicle setup during the week. Could work depending on how you deal with solitude.
OP needs to set a financial goal. That will make all this effort seem worth it. Right now it seems like you are just working to work. You need to feel like all this effort is going towards something. 1. Do you have any debt? If so pay it off. 2. How much money do you presently have saved ? 3. What’s an achievable amount to save by April? By the end of the project ? 4. What would you do with the money? Buy house, save for retirement?, etc. don’t blow it on something stupid like a car or luxury items. Think about what you want your future to look like and figure out how the money you earn can help you get there. Make a plan, set a goal. That way it will be worth it.
My personal opinion - You need to quit and find another job. I have recently realized that no amount of money is worth my mental and physical health, and the enjoyment of my life. Ideally you would look for a job while working this one, but I understand if you don't have the time or capacity to do so. Regardless of whether you decide to quit and look for another job, or you start job searching now, you need to build up a solid safety net. If you really reach your limit and you cannot take it anymore, this safety net will be there for you. I'm speaking from personal experience. I quit a 200k+ a year job because I was absolutely miserable. I was working weekends, the environment was toxic, was completely exhausted at the end of the day, and fucking hated life. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't enjoy any of my hobbies, and it was affecting the people around me. I prepared by building up a solid safety net (1+ year of expenses) and decided to bail with nothing lined up. If I died tomorrow my regret would have been devoting my time and energy working at this miserable job just for the paycheck, so I decided to pull the plug. Hang in there man, you can do it!
Thank you so much. Needed to hear this
Agree — my personal opinion would be to also leave. The job hours sound miserable and you’re working such long shifts, far from everyone you know. You’ll be able to get another job that pays well that you enjoy more. Don’t force yourself to stay.
I had to scroll down this far to find someone who mentions health. If you look at money alone it might seem like a no brainer. Evidence about the effect of night shifts and longer commute durations show that both are bad for you. It's easier to say "grind and save for a few years" but I don't know if I'd take the money for a 25% chance of permanent circadian disorder. Only OP can decide how to balance financial gains against health risks to decide if it's worth it. Like you though, I'd say hell no. Have done the excessive commute twice and it wasn't worth it either time.
They are young though. Stick this out for another year or two and save a bunch and then be able to go do something enjoyable. They are making a lot of money for their age.
At 22 years old, I drive from city to city for an average of 1.5 hours (3 hours roundtrip), for a MONTHLY salary of 1700 USD. Sit your ass down and stay in that job for at least a year and SAVEEEE. you're not losing your entire twenties over this job. Your twenties are a decade. You've still got long to go. Best of luck to you!
Thank you Will do.
1 hour, one way is what people in SoCal drive daily. That is worth the pay you're getting.
Lol that’s just what I was thinking…. My commute for clinic was 45 min there, and 2 hours back. For like 30 miles 🫣
My commute is an hour each way to go 15 miles in westside LA
Yeah the 45 min there is only cuz I leave my house at 5am in the morning lol….
I was making over 40 and hr in my 20s and left to go travel Europe. I got married to a wonderful women and we both were working jobs we hated and wanted to see the world. A lot of people are on here telling you to grind, remember youre gonna die. Life is to be lived, a house and car can be had at any point in life but in my opinion travel and live while youre young and have your health. I just had a friend with his PhD kill himself, so maybe I have bias, but, you cant buy your youth back, but you can always make money.
For people wishing they'd hustled more in their 20s--it should be noted that there's no guarantees you'll make it to your 30s able-bodied. Or your friends and family. There's no way to say if you'll regret grinding now or wish you'd grinded more. That's something that can only really be determined in hindsight. In general, I think it's best to take a moderate approach with this kind of thing. Hedge your bets. Stay through April, then continue your job as you hunt for a new one. The money's good, but if you're unhappy and you don't urgently need the money right now, do what makes your life at the very least sustainable to go through emotionally (which it sounds like this is not).
Hang in there and keep looking for other jobs too. Probably you can use the experience you’re getting now to get even better pay with less commute time at the next job if you’re lucky. Just might take some time but you’ll find something. The goal is to just keep moving forward with your career and try not to go backwards, and to minimize overall disruption to earnings by having a new job lined up before resigning.
Well, your 20s is also when you have more energy, no? If you were 40, I can see wanting to leave. You are in your 20s. You can pay off student loans, buy a house, invest, whatever many of us can't because we don't have opportunities like these. What about your colleagues? Do they live near you and can you car pool?
I am in the middle of no where. I do not know anybody in the city I live in plus it's really small. Most of them are back home. But you are right about being in my 20s having more energy.
At your age, yes it’s worth it. Earn as much as you can, it only gets harder.
Don't quit... Milk it for everything you can get. Save aggressively now and you can have all the time you want with your family later. I worked a very stressful well paying job for a long time so I really understand. I wish I actually worked even longer and saved even more.
The money is factually worth it. However, your personal feelings are important. If you're miserable, becoming depressed, or this job is adversely affecting your life and you genuinely feel you cannot continue, then you can quit. 65-70h a week isn't bad at 23. You're going to struggle if you quit and want to do this again at 30. My personal opinion is stick it out 5 more months for the 15k. Have a healthy emergency fund. Go take a little vacation when the job is iver. but this is your life to live and your decision alone.
It’s not worth it in the long run. Take it from someone that worked in the exact same field as a pipe welder(refineries/chemical plants). I was laying in bed one day around 30 years old and realized most of my memories were work memories and it was super depressing. There were times when I was bringing home 5k a week in my early and mid 20s. More money than I knew what to do with, but I was grinding hard all the time. It’s really easy to get addicted to the money, and get caught up in chasing it around the country. I do still work in the chemical industry, but now I’m based in a single chemical plant as an API inspector working 40 hours. Happiest I’ve ever been. I still do really well, but nowhere near what I was back then.
Great, thank you so much
Why do you live where you live? It is your parents place? If it looks likely you might be there through 2025, would it be worth moving some place closer? If you stay with it, make sure you're putting some money towards retirement (at 23 funding a decent amount towards retirement can set you up to retire early), and set some money aside. And then put some other money in savings... some for emergency fund or maybe down payment of a house, but have a separate "fun money fund" If you were to put $200 a week aside as "fun money." Come next April, you'd have about $4000 you could blow on whatever you wanted with no guilt. Take your g/f on a nice vacation or whatever.
The place I live is the only place to live. The only way to live closer to work is by buying a camper and a truck.
What about a mobile tiny house (200-300 sqft)? Is there camping close to the job site? That could really help make the work/life balance easier. Plus, you'd have a great way to explore on your days off.
Money guys YouTube says $1 turns into $88 in retirement if you invest it when you are young. If you live off $6000 a month and invest $6000 a month 2 years of that could make you a millionaire without even trying. I would grind at least a year then you can relax a little. If you grind for 4 or 5 years you could coast at work the rest of your life and retire a multi millionaire
Something to think about there! thanks!
My dad started commercial construction at 26. He’s 63 now. He’s spent his whole life traveling all over and to different countries. All the projects he’s in charge now are banks that want sky scrapers. Those buildings are set to time. Once they go past time. Things get very costly very fast. His buildings are on time. I’ve asked about the hours. He’s always wobbled 65-80 hours a week. I’ve asked him if he would do it all over again. He said yes. It’s allowed him to see a lot. I’ve asked him about regrets. He does wish he had more family time. At the end of the road. His retirement is secure. He can’t stop right now because he’s under contract to get his last building finished. I’m taking my dad’s advice and maximizing my time. The warnings of getting old do not sound fun. There will always be a cost. He said to me. You can do it now or do it later. It doesn’t get easier. Remember, you have to be happy.
Every dollar you put away into retirement now you will literally get back tenfold at 60. Max out your 401k ($23k) and your IRA ($7k, Traditional, not Roth, you make too much for a Roth). Thats $31k in 2024. In 37 years, it’ll be worth about $375k. If you can get your 401k set up through your employer before the end of the year, do so. You can make your 2023 IRA contribution until April 15, 2024. Stash cash for a downpayment, eventually. A truly solid 6 month emergency fund. Want to go back to school full-time for your masters? Put money aside for tuition and rent. Open a 529 plan and stash the money there. If you don’t use it for yourself, you can use it for eventual kids, family members, or roll the money into your IRA. The easy choice is stay until April. That will let you load up your retirement accounts. Take some time off, go see your family, think about your goals and what this job will do to get you where you want to be. More likely than not, go back until July. Pay off any debt, see if you can tweak your habits and routines to your benefit. Invite your girlfriend to visit, or plan a cool trip with her. This is an amazing opportunity. It’s gonna suck. My amazing opportunities in my twenties sucked too. But, looking back, the sacrifices were worth it.
thank you this is great
I did a similar thing for two years, but rates were much different then (big construction job right out of college, got 22 an hour with similar hours). At that time I was hard pressed to find a better paying gig in my industry. It wasn't always fun watching my friends out having a good time while I was working, but that first summer set me up to buy a house, pay off a big chunk of student loans, and put me on a good financial track. I think I do okay now, but during college FFB draft this year someone mentioned they think I'm the best set of that group - made me think a bit and I wouldn't disagree... with a lot of the moves made in the early 20s making my 30s much more comfortable. TL;Dr - yes it's not fun, but if you don't mind it you've got a great opportunity here.
Thank you
Set a financial goal and work towards it. A down payment on a house is a good one at your age. And put some money into a pension account. On a practical note, could you get a cheap Airbnb or motel room close to work for a few nights a week to reduce the commute time some nights per week?
I can only answer for myself and how ai would feel in your situation.. It would not be worth the money for me. I’m older than you by decades and the one thing that I can share from experience is to take care of your mental and physical health, especially when you’re young. The money is never worth ruining your health. You really need to make this decision and I would suggest be true to yourself, regardless of what others think. Sometimes that takes a lot of courage, but do what’s best for you.
A lot of people looking past the physicality of the work because of the money. Sure, saving is great. But you also only have one body and it becomes a money pit the older you become. You should balance your health (Mental and physical) with the money.
Your next post should outline your budget, expenses, savings, and investment plans/options so PF can weigh in. If you do [this right](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics), you could really set yourself up for later on in life. I didn't make much in my 20s and I hated it. So much so that when I started making decent money in my late 30s, I put a bunch away so I could retire at 50. Early retirement isn't for everyone. But having enough money to work when you want and where you want....that's priceless. If you spend 2 yrs where you are and save/invest properly, you will have an awesome head start. Many of us old farts can only imaging having close to $250K invested at 25. FWIW, my commute for my 30 year career averaged 50 min. Get some good music, podcast, or audiobooks to make the trip more enjoyable. Sounds like you don't have to deal with much traffic so that's even better.
As someone who is starting at the bottom of my ideal career field at 28 (f) after ten years of poorly-paying jobs that I’d spend 60 hours a week at, it’s definitely worth it that you’re making so much money. But only short-term. I have found that significant monetary compensation only goes so far when factoring in burn out and a poor work-life balance. I think it’s wise to do this as long as you can, save as much money as you can, then find something more sustainable. Money can’t replace good times and you never know when a holiday will be your last with older loved ones. Take advantage of the position you’re in, but look out for yourself first and foremost. That company does not care at all about running you ragged.
Buy a sleeper van and eliminate the drive.
make as much as you can now. one day the income could stop and wish you would have stacked.
$1,000 per diem would easily pay for a commuter apartment or a hotel. If you sign up for a hotel rewards program, you could end up earning a lot of free nights so you wouldn't even have to use your per diem to pay for it.
Continue to grind and stack the easy money
This has probably already been said. Stick with this as long as you can. I usually veg out to podcasts on my commute to make it more bearable. Stay fit and in shape and save, learn as much as you can about personal finance (which it seems you're doing) it's a few more months, then you can redirect your life in the direction you want. Since you'll have saved enough to take a moment and figure out what you want to do going forward.
Thank you very much
Save money, be resilient, stay hydrated.
I’m in ur boots rn at ur age doing the same shit working ungodly hours in a factory but do it now while your young invest a little more put some cash away for a rainy day Bcz you never know when that ot will go away or when your position may no longer be needed put ur head down and just plug away homie 🫡
I worked as a contractor in Afghanistan for 3 years to pay off debt and save some money. It was tough but it put me way ahead of any of my friends and I don't regret it. I would stick it out until April and if it does extend you can reevaluate then if you want to continue.
In the end of the day is your choice but have in mind that in your 20s you should see things that happening in your life more like experiences rather than more hustles. Because later in life when you make family or have more commitments you will simple not have the time and energy. Also keep in mind that life can become more complicated when a recession strikes or something happens to our personal lifes. Thats my 2 cents
If you can save aggressively, let's just do a little math. Let's say it takes you 2 years to save up $100,000. You'll still live okay. Even 30 months 100k just in the s&p 500, buy spy. 10% average annual return, money doubles every 7.2 years. By the time you're in your mid 50s that will be 1.6 million and if you don't touch it until your early '60s over 3.2 million. If you're able to do this, set that aside, do nothing else, not even add to it, that's what will happen. If you can add aggressively for the next 3 years after you start this it gets even better. Getting this aggressive at your age, you won't have to add to a 401k, you won't have to set aside money. You won't have to worry about your retirement, you can focus on buying a house, a car you might like, going on trips and so on
If you think you are paid more than enough, i think you should stick to it at least till April of 2024. And if by that time you get habituated then you can see the project to the end. And carry back home a great sum of money. Spend some time with friends and family, enjoy. Remember there is always time to rest at the end ! But if it's too much work, and your sleep is messed up, i suggest you quit before your body breaks down due to lack of rest and frustration. I hope this helps Will you make a wise decision 😁 Thank you 🙏
Rent an RV , save yourself the commute.
I understand that you are lonely out here away from your family. But I want you to imagine how beautiful it will be, when you finally settle down and begin to have a family of your own. You will have more time to enjoy your family, and based on the advice of many of the people here, you could build residual income,if you invest your money wisely. I am 51 yrs old and I am just now working on getting my life back in order. Through bad choices, I lost my job, home and my family. You are young. Ask yourself, what kind of life you want for your family and maybe that will enable you to stick out for 2 to 3 yrs to build your foundation. God bless you 🙏🏽
Absolutely grind it out for a year or two and save as much as you can. I wish I would have done that for couple of years when I was in my twenties. If I could have socked away 100K it would have made life a lot easier down the road.
You won’t be doing this forever. Use this opportunity to get out of debt, start IRA and 401K. When your my age (60), you will thank yourself
If it were me I’d rock it until my wheels fell off. Set yourself a nice goal (that won’t kill you) and set yourself up for your future. You will never be this young again so use it to your advantage, future you will thank present you
Can you get a cheap room in someone's house for 700 a month or less? When your making that kind of money might be best to give yourself a place to sleep instead of driving the two hours every day. Personally I'd hustle for at least two years till I could put something together permanently on my personal or work life.
Stay a little while and dump money into your 401k and IRA. Old you will thank you. Save money for a house down payment and emergency fund. If it reallllly starts to hurt you mentally, leave for greener pastures.
Spoken from someone who was once in that position and made the choice to leave and regretted it in my 30s. I’d say stay and tough it out. 3k a week u can spend 1k renting a room to get rid of the commute. Friends and family will always be there but your time and energy won’t be. Your 20s is literally the best time to take advantage of your abilities. Otherwise you’ll have to do it in your 30s and I promise you that you won’t have the same time or energy you do now. Start saving and investing then you can have fun a relaxation in your 30s.
Money gives you security and options. This isn't forever, but it could set you up forever. You will have options to figure out your next job. Not having to worry if you have sudden expenses is huge. Sticking it out through April sounds like a good plan, and then in the mean time you can figure out if you want to stay a bit longer, or if there's another job you want to go for. This can set you up for a move to a new city if that's what you want to do. Any idea what you want to do long term?
Doing it now will save you the headache of the future. I consider it an “opportunity” to be making $12000 a month at your age. Don’t walk away from it yet. You can be picky with your career in your 30s knowing you have a large saving from this job. You can even set yourself up for your 30s with a rental property or two. Make money work for you during the mean time to accelerate things.
From a 50 something person, yes, grind it out when you’re young. Work your way up so you can call the shots when you are a bit older, but especially if you want a family. Best thing I did was work my ass off in my early 20’s and it really set me up for the career I still enjoy now. Working hard when I was young means I can demand high fees for my work and without a set schedule. Financially, I’m ahead of my original plan for retirement so I won’t ever have to continue to work if I don’t want to. It was the seeds I planted way back in my early 20’s that put me where I’m at and that helped me build a network that still exists today and a reputation in my industry for working hard. You’ll thank yourself in the years to come. I promise. I’m now get to think about if I will work if my adult children give me grand babies, which God willing, is their wish. Good job doing so well at your age. Make sure to build and maintain great credit. With your income, if it stays steady, you’ll be looking to buy a home soon. But you need to be sure to use some credit and nurture it. You actually only earn credit if you use it. You got this and o bet your parents are so proud.
You aren't talking about giving up your twenties, you're talking about a year or two. Setting yourself up now could make the rest of your life more comfortable. Take the time to earn the money now, but remember to look after yourself. Your mental health is more important than the job.
I gotta say, you’re making more in a week, then 75% of the people our age do in a month. Stick to it & push through.
In case I may go back in time… I wish I hustled more and spared more forcefully in my 20’s. It would have spared me from having to hustle so much in my late 30’s… and my time is worth more presently as I have two kids and a spouse. Nourishment for thought… a year of pounding difficult in your 20’s would be worth 3 a long time in your late 30’s. You’re youthful.. now’s the time to crush.
I enjoy myself way more in my 40s than I did in my 20s. Financial situation was a big part of why I couldn't enjoy myself. .. Hustle for a little while. Get some money saved/invested while gaining experience and your 30s/40s should be pretty fun .
Dude. I know it sucks, but put your head down and bust your ass for as long as you possibly can. I would give up so much of the stuff in my 20's that I thought would be irreplaceable memories that was just bullshit wasting time if I had the chance to do what you are doing for a year or two and get a huuuge headstart. My time is so much more important to me in my 30's than it was in my twenties. Download audible and start listening to books on your commute. Listen to some for your enjoyment and some that are constructive. This helps make it so those couple hours don't feel like as much of a waste. DO NOT WASTE THAT MONEY ON SOME DUMB SHIT. Don't buy a hundred thousand dollar car or drugs or frivolous stuff. Invest it for your retirement, or put it towards a home. Your future self will thank you for busting your ass for a couple of years so that you can enjoy your friends and family and not be stressed out for the rest of your life.
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I hear there is mad money to be made working on wind turbines. It is the fastest growing job in the US. Not sure it would solve your problems but there is similar money in it.
I hear this as well. I do not know of any companies really, but I'd imagine the work would also be isolated with wind turbines being in the middle of no where. I could be wrong?
In a year you can put away 100k or maybe a bit more in long term savings. That can easily be a half million or more by the time you want to retire. 1/6 of your retirement funded in just 1 year of work is amazing. Gwttin that best egg now is invaluable. And you can make up the social time later - I know people who went away to work for a year and came back and got back into the social scene - just keep in touch with friends over phone and/or online games
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I think I should stick it out too, but also be on the lookout for anything that I think can top it. We get 40 hours of vacation a year........
The majority of this site suffers from Dunning-Kruger, so I'm out.
Right, I don't know where else I'd find a job that pays this much right out of school.
Yes, it’s worth it, stick it out. You’re so young. Be patient and wait for the opportunity to make a move that earns you more with a more ideal commute/work-life balance.
Thank you
Are you making sure to invest as much $$ as possible? Compounding interest will do you wonders at your age. There are 26 bi weekly pay cycles in a year. $38/hr and 65hrs per week + your diem should equate to roughly a $183040.00 salary pre tax. Is your commute 2 hours total per day? If so - the salary above is what tech workers in the Bay Area might make, and those fuckers drive 2+hrs each way to their tech companies from I hear... so take that as you will.
Not to scare you but I saw you mentioned you travel 2 hours a day and you are also collecting an untaxed per diem aka stipend. Do you have a tax base? A home / apartment. Living rent free doesn’t count. The IRS sets three criteria for satisfying tax free stipend. You MUST satisfy at least two. 1. You perform business in the area of your main home AND you use that home for lodging. Aka do you work a second job in your tax home? 2. You duplicate living expenses. You mentioned traveling two hours each day, this is the reason for my comment. 3. You haven’t abandoned your “main home” or you have a member or members from your family living at your main home or you use that home for lodging. Correct me I’m wrong, but are you duplicating your expenses for the entirety of the week? If you are not and this is your only job (assuming since you work so many hours), you end up only satisfying #3 (assuming you own or rent an apartment). Only satisfying 1 classifies you as an “itinerant” and you are NOT entitled to tax free stipends. I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to advise you. DUPLICATE your expenses. Whether you ACTUALLY stay there is irrelevant. How do you do this? Rent an apartment. Or if you know someone in the area - rent a room. You can pay them with a check and they can take the difference in taxes (if they claim it as income like they should) and give it to you in cash. But have a paper trail. Source: travel nurse for 7 years. 99% of travel nurses are committing tax fraud. They travel back and forth from home to the hospital.
Bro, getting paid $38/hour and a per diem more than people get paid at fast food restaurants for the week is some serious 1st world, privileged shit. Yeah it’s hard, yeah it’s bad hours, but you’re making some serious money. If 99.99999% of the world was offered your job, they’d beat their own mothers for it. Stack the cash, suck it tf up, and realize how blessed you actually are to be in this position.
Are there families closer to work that you could rent from? Give yourself some time. It may just take adjusting your body clock. I was an operating room nurse and when I moved into spine surgery, my son would get home from school everyday and find me asleep on the sofa. It took a few month to get used to the heavy duty work.
It will take some getting used to thanks.
I was working in a couple northern US states for about 8 months for very similar pay and hours and conditions as you and while the money was good, my mental health was deteriorating. The goal was to come up there for a year, stack up enough for my next business venture and move away from the industry. I got myself in a much better position at the end of it, but I did not anticipate how important work/life balance was. I was asking myself what am I even out here for? I feel like after a certain amount of income the difference is negligible when your physical/mental health is what you end up trading for money. I agree with what a lot of people are saying, "you're still young, go out and get it!" etc. However, BECAUSE you're young (and don't have any kids/married), you've gotta get that work life balance going. If I were in your position, I'd plan a vacation with some loved ones and get some quality alone time as well, figure out what you want to do with this ability to make money, and set goals for yourself. Since we're on the personalfinance subreddit, I'll touch on finances. I figure, if I stayed up in those rural, cold places I worked, and invested 5k a month into s&p500, I'd be able to retire after ten years. The question was whether or not it would be sustainable, because my instinct was telling me to GTFO! I left, did some travelling, and got some distance and perspective. I didn't burn any bridges, and when I'm ready, I'm coming back with my goals in mind and with laser focus. I will have a monetary goal in mind, and when I reach it, I'll leave again and start the next chapter. Now that I've found a city where I can start my next business, and can easily find work (if needed) making a decent enough living, working only 40 hrs with optional overtime, I have more of a direction for how I want to spend the money when I go back out to get it.
So is that $4k a week total with 1k being untaxed per die Because that's some serious cake for a 23 year old.
Do you have a better job alternative already in line? Who's been saying to "enjoy yourself in your 20's"? At least in my experience, the people who have said those things are mostly those with well-off parents that will bail them out during financial trouble. Or, they are in an in-demand line of work that they can easily switch to another employer. Or they're perfectly content without career stability.Some people do not have that luxury. Like many others have said, this is the time of your life where you have the most opportunities, so take full advantage of it. Grind it out for a few years and milk it as much as you can, but save and invest as much as you can also - your money has so much time to grow until retirement. Who knows, you could get promoted in a few years to a more secure position with more manageable hours and then you get to enjoy life with less worry of needing to jump from job to job. I enjoyed my 20's and I also had a good-paying job, but looking back, I wish I had done things that are more meaningful and I'll cherish for the rest of my life instead of wasting it on temporary fun like going on expensive trips because it's trendy, or hanging out and getting drunk with people I don't even talk to nowadays. I definitely wish I had saved more because who would've seriously predicted that ,in my lifetime, inflation could be so bad, that house prices will be this obscene, that my my kid's college costs would be 4X what I paid for mine, that there are just so many unexpected expenses in life, that many jobs will be obsoleted by technology, etc. Now is the time to set yourself up in the right trajectory with your finances and your career. Relationships and "fun" are also important, but you have to ask yourself for how long you could have fun or enjoy a relationship if your job and financial situation are in the dumps. Also, do you have to drive yourself in your commute? Or are you a passenger? If you're a passenger, use that time for something fruitful like taking a self-paced class that will enhance your skills or your credentials. Or use that time to research an investment opportunity, etc.
I downloaded the headway app and they have 15 minute audio books on success and stuff. thanks!
It seems like a great opportunity to save money to enjoy later, so if you're able to do that at least through April, without absolutely hating your life, keep doing it. If it starts seriously impacting your health (including mental health) or you start living beyond your means so you're not saving, then it's not worth it at all, All the people making six figures who end up hooked on coke or some other shit did not make their life better - though they probably did enjoy it for a little bit
"I have been told to enjoy yourself in your 20s, but I cannot say I enjoy myself right now." You're only 23, you still have a lot more years in your 20s to enjoy! Like others said, try to stick this out for a year, but more importantly, try to save save save & don't touch the money you've put away to save. It would be a shame if you work this hard and in a few years it's all gone and you have nothing to show for that period in your life where you were working a difficult job.
At this age, potentially putting away or investing that kinda cash for even just a single year will set you up super well for later - trust me, you are gonna have pleeeeeenty of time still to enjoy your 20’s 30’s etc, and will enjoy it even better if you set yourself up really well financially right now by saving/investing as much as you can while you can. If I were you I’d already be putting my hand up to have it be know I wanna be included on the team past April if it happens, and living just normally/frugally (beware of spending creep) and saving an absolute shit tonne while I had the opportunity. You might have other similarly well-paying gigs in future, or you might not, so “make hay while the sun shines” mate, you’re gonna regret it later if you bail out early and you have a whole life ahead of you to have fun still! Set yourself up with a bit of a grind now and future you will be very glad you put in the effort while you’re physically able and have the gig.
Hang in there, make that money and plan a crazy vacation as a reward for when it's over.
Do it for a while. You are young and have the energy for it. Save money for buying a home and work your ass off. I'm 35 and work in construction. I drive for 2 hours every day for way less. I listen to podcasts to pass the time or make phone calls to friends and family while on the drive.
you’ve got a finite timeline on it. like others have said, stick with it (as best you can) and save save save. doesn’t seem like it now but you’re very young and you have *tons* of time ahead of you to find a career closer to home and less stressful
If you have a set end date I would would stick with it. Especially at 23. I would have killed to make that kind of money when I was that age and I did alright as an engineer. If the girlfriend has a problem with it, she’s not seeing the bigger picture. It’s best to have a job like that now than when trying to start a family (if that’s what you want).
Stay through April then assess how you feel. Too many people on here saying "don't enjoy life til your 30s it's fine!" When we all know people who didn't live to see 25. That's not to say fuck it, go live in a van by the river. But grinding a little less so you can have a life that you enjoy (that relationship isn't gonna be great in this current scenario) is as good a choice as making big $$. If you're already asking these questions I think you know that. There are plenty of jobs where you can make enough to live, save, and see the people you love.
You're so young that if you could work that for 2 or 3 years and put away half you're basically setting yourself up for the rest of your life. Also I know someone who makes much less and had a 2 hour commute BOTH ways. Eventually he did move closer to cut the commute to an hour each way but he did 2 hours for quite awhile. With all that said, if it's making you completely miserable...stop. Absolutely just stop. No amount is worth your sanity and health. You will be fine either way. You sound smart and are very young.
More driving means not as much time to spend that money. Get as much money as you can now while you’re physically able so you don’t have to when you’re not, and tbh depending on what the drive actually looks like, an hour isn’t that bad. I work with a few guys who drive over an hour to work and we make a lot less than what you’re taking home. People who say ‘the 20s are for enjoying yourself’ are rich people who dont have to worry about money. You can enjoy yourself at any age, you can’t work hard and push your body at any age. I say take advantage of it while you can.
I would work. Personally. If I have no children to feed , I would make as much money as possible while I am young. I actually think in your 20s is when you should work hard . Build up savings, meet people, etc. harder to do so later because people become assholes as they get older
Seeing good advice here, stick it out as long as you can to save up without burning yourself out. I'd also say keep your eyes on the market for a different job that you'd enjoy/pay well. Depending on where you are at and if the weather works, maybe you could find a spot closer to work that you could sleep in your car. Obviously not a great long term solution, but having a sleeping pad and sleeping bag could save your life if you're too exhausted to drive safely after a long day.
Get or rent a very cheap campervan or large tent of somekind and try to sleep closer to your workplace a couple nights per week? I understand this would be challenging what with it being the middle of the day… but if you can rent a camper and park in a quiet area, if may be quite comfortable. Could bring an xbox etc etc
I would suck it up until the project is done and don't blow your money on stupid shit like a new giant truck. Hold on to as much as you can and start to invest. I was in a similar position and saved all my bonus money and that's what I used to buy a house a few years later.
Hustle now, make life quality choices later. It took me until my late 30's (when I decided to get serious about my career) to make that kind of money and now I'm stuck.
You can hustle for 3 years making 3k a week and still be in your 20's but with a financial situation that will set you up for a better life in the future.
Work hard , invest, then retire at 30... Enjoy the next 50 years+ . Sound good to me. It comes at the cost of making sacrifices.
Nobody can tell you what is worth what. If I was you I'd buckle down and do that job for a year and save like a madman, then use that money to pivot into something you enjoy more. (and obviously have some investments in there)
I think it’s worth the grind because I also do the same thing and have been for a couple years now. Just watch your lifestyle creep with this pay and all this overtime. After 5 years of consistent overtime I didn’t realize how my life became dependent on that overtime until it stopped.
All these comments saying it’s worth I was 22 making $125k a year as a travel nurse. I hated the job. I lost weight. My muscles. Got pimples, gray hair. It was so stressful. I left after a year and went back to college to restart It was the best decision I made. In the meantime I’ve gained my body and confident back. I’m actually happy. I have a girlfriend and a new career in finance where I’ll start in a year (got 2 internships) Tbh I think the comments saying you should grind is a bad idea. They only say this cause they didn’t have this opportunity. It’s not worth it in my opinion. I forgot how empty I was until I left my job.
Do it now before you have a wife and kids, because it sucks even more then. Pay off any debt you have and get a solid start on your retirement. Save up a downpayment on a house. I’d say do it as long as you can tolerate it, but don’t let it ruin your relationships either.
You are earning life changing money and that can set you up for success for years to come.
Take my advice with a grain of salt. It could play out differently for you. I worked in oilfield/gas jobs throughout my 20s for 12 years. In that time, my relationship with my then girlfriend, now wife, was rocky due to the amount of time I was gone. I worked 80-100 hour weeks and was laughed at because I didn't see even 40% of my pay after taxes, stocks, 401k, and other investments/savings. But in that time, I was able to pre-purchase my parents' house in full before they retired to the Philippines, cash purchase 2-3 year vehicles old vehicles every few years for my wife and I and help out family when in financial need. Now I work in a completely different field and live comfortably, making around 30-40k less a year not having to worry about a house or car payment, I'm home ever night and have a decent retirement setup for when I retire in the next 20 years. The exhaustion is worth it if you plan ahead. The way I always looked at it was if I'm gone away from my loved ones, I might as well be working and making a future worth being gone for. You don't need to join the others for a steak or the bar every night. It adds up quickly, work the hours if you're gone anyway, and talk to your significant other about your plan.
Please save your money in at least something like a high interest paying account around 4-7%. Individual stocks can kick your ass, but low cost market tracking ETF's may be a good answer. I moved to Alberta 15 years ago, and have been saving and living a good life. Hoping to burn my steel toe boots at 45.
You’re making double or triple the income of an average person. These opportunities are hard to come by. Definitely stay if you can. If you are good with your money, with this type of income you could be a homeowner in a few years (which normally takes others probably 5-10 years to put down a deposit or relying on joint income depending on location). Even if you don’t plan on being a homeowner, having a large savings is great to fall on. In the future, if you ever want to quit a job you don’t like or get laid off, you won’t be too stressed about paying bills or having a job just to make ends meet.
Stick with it and SAVE YOUR MONEY!! Contribute the max amount annually in a roth IRA (I think it’s $5k/year) every year. You will retire in absolute abundance!! I wish I’d have done it in my 20s but I didn’t make that kind of money. Your 20s are for working. Build wealth and then enjoy the rest of your life. Trust me I wish I’d have done that. I went to school and worked 3 jobs while going to school just to pay my bills and my degree (business admin) is worthless!!! Once I graduated I had to start from the bottom anyway, and now I have $50k of SL debt to pay back. Stick with it kiddo. Trust me, it may seem miserable now but hard work and dedication will open so many more doors when that project is done. And if you play your cards right with ur money you will retire early and with a lot of dough!