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Antiwork

How do I help someone realize work is not the most important thing

This guy I’m talking to is 23. He works 3 jobs, one is seasonal. He teaches kayaking during summer and warm seasons, he works in finance, and he started a business while in college which helped him pay all student loan debt before even graduating. I’m very impressed by him, but I worry a lot. He constantly tells me how stressed he is from work, and he’s not even in the busy season for his main source of income. Once busy season picks up, he typically works from 10am-2am. I’ve asked him why he does this, and he says it’s optional however the team he works on decides their hours together, and the others suggest it or don’t seem to mind. He wants to buy a house and a car within the next year. Honestly his ambition is impressive to me. He says he does it so he can have…


This guy I’m talking to is 23. He works 3 jobs, one is seasonal. He teaches kayaking during summer and warm seasons, he works in finance, and he started a business while in college which helped him pay all student loan debt before even graduating. I’m very impressed by him, but I worry a lot. He constantly tells me how stressed he is from work, and he’s not even in the busy season for his main source of income. Once busy season picks up, he typically works from 10am-2am. I’ve asked him why he does this, and he says it’s optional however the team he works on decides their hours together, and the others suggest it or don’t seem to mind. He wants to buy a house and a car within the next year. Honestly his ambition is impressive to me. He says he does it so he can have multiple streams of income and can work less once he starts a family and create generational wealth. Personally I think generational wealth is unethical, but it’s his dream to be a good father, since his was a shitty one. So the convo came up recently he might want to quit his job. I’m trying to be as unbiased as possible, but I think it’s a good idea. The company that offered him a position still has longer hours during the busy season, but nothing close to what he’s doing now. It comes with a 20k pay cut, but has the same promotion, raise and other opportunities for growth. I know money is important to him, but I can’t help but feel like he will be okay with a 20k pay cut if it means less stress and more happiness for him. I’ve tried not to comment on my own opinion, just asking him questions kind of like pros and cons. I’ve tried to tell him his happiness is more important than a job that will replace him at the drop of a hat, but he says this is the field and this is what he signed up for. Is there any way to get him to prioritize himself more? I worry about his health from the stress.

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