In the end, money is just a means of exchange by which we try to buy happiness. Well, food and shelter first, but once you've got those covered, it might be more efficient to work for happiness directly instead of trying to buy it with money made on a soul-sucking job.
> it might be more efficient to work for happiness directly instead of trying to buy it with money made on a soul-sucking job
I stuck with a stressful job I didn't enjoy because the pay was too good to ignore, with my sights set on achieving financial independence. After all was said and done, the money wasn't worth it; all I got was a bitter taste in my mouth from years of grinding myself down.
A better plan would have been to spend time figuring out what sorts of jobs would be better aligned with my life goals.
> it did come with a pay cut
> a quarter of the responsibilities […] and I write my own schedule […] it shortened my commute
You should factor that into the pay calculation. It’s possible you didn’t get paid less per time-effort.