So I used to work this hellish Hollywood job with lots of OT (last minute, literally five mins before you want to clock out they keep you another two hours. People lie about taking a dinner break so they could get home faster). Pay eventually got to a living wage and almost a thriving wage, but the hours and inability to pursue a social life or hobbies was killing me.
So I switched careers. New place seems nice and is a normal 9-6 with an unpaid lunch break. But the base pay, plus the lack of OT, is a SEVERE budget cut and I'm now just under a true living wage again.
It's so freaking disheartening to have such a setback later in life. I can get by on this alone if I'm careful, but I want a family, kids… and I can't even financially support a dog. Advice? Help? Why are my options either a horrible job that kills me from the inside or a decent one that makes it hard to afford the things that make life worth living? I know I'm lucky to have even this much, compared to so many who are struggling more, but it still really hurts, keeps me up at night wondering if I made the right choice.