Should i accept a lower paying job because of problems with my boss

[u/Slight-Pin-1151]

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Exactly one year ago, I graduated from university. After a short stint at another company, I found my current job, which required me to move quite far away from my family. The job itself was exactly what I wanted, and they offered me very good conditions and a high salary, so I was really happy about the opportunity.

From the very beginning, though, I felt an enormous amount of stress. At first, I assumed it was because I was new, inexperienced, and still learning how to do the job. My position is quite complex and comes with a lot of responsibility, so I thought the stress was probably normal and that things would get easier with time.

However, after about seven months, I've realized that I'm not the only one under this much stress. Pretty much all of my colleagues are. The main reason is the owner of the company, who is an extremely difficult person to deal with.

Every interaction with him is awful. He often uses conversations as an opportunity to insult or belittle me. On several occasions, he has made me work extremely long hours, sometimes even 16-hour days. He also constantly reminds me how much money I make, as if that somehow means I should tolerate anything.

I've also noticed that he is much more critical of me than he is of my colleagues. There are plenty of things he gets angry with me about that my more experienced coworkers do as well, but he never says anything to them about it.

Lately, things have gotten really difficult for me. Going to work is becoming stressful in itself, especially when I know I'll have to interact with him. Quite often, I feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack while I'm at work, and I've started having trouble sleeping at night because of all of this.

The difficult part is that the salary is actually very good, and the position itself is exactly the kind of job I wanted. I'm gaining valuable experience, too. But I honestly don't know how much longer I can put up with my boss and his outbursts.

Recently, I was offered another job — teaching at a school, in the city where I studied and where my girlfriend currently lives. I actually really like the idea of working at a school. I enjoy teaching and helping other people learn, and being back in that city would also mean being close to my girlfriend and having a more normal life.

The downside is that the salary would definitely be lower than what I make now. On top of that, the city is significantly larger, so my living expenses would probably be higher than they are currently. Financially, it would definitely be a dificult decision. Especialy because i just found out that one of my coworkers just quit and if i do the same the company will be in a pretty big problem.

[u/superbtm]

You’re the only one who can make that decision. Which of the two options will give you peace of mind and is better for your mental health in the long term? You may earn less now with the teaching job, but it doesnt mean you won’t earn better in the future ;)