Am I insane to leave a $100k job at 23?
I’m 23 and currently earn just over $100k in a specialised career I genuinely enjoy.
The lifestyle is strong:
- 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off
- 4–8 hour workdays
- Strong pension + progression
- Realistic cap around ~$175k within ~7 years
The main concern is stability. The industry is quite volatile - I’ve already been made redundant once (although I found work again quickly), and I’m not fully convinced about long-term security.
I now have an offer to retrain into a related field with significantly higher long-term earning potential and more international mobility. But the trade-offs are heavy:
- 2 years of full-time training (no salary, all expenses covered)
- Then ~5 years on $50k while a training bond is paid off
After that, earnings would return to my current level, with a higher long-term ceiling ($200k–$400k depending on country/route).
The offer is in the form of a legally binding contract, with job offer, from a leading national employer with one month to accept or decline.
So the decision is basically:
Stay where I am - strong income, great lifestyle, but capped growth and industry volatility
OR
Reset my earnings for ~7 years to unlock higher long-term upside and stability
From a financial/life strategy perspective, does it make sense to sacrifice your 20s income and compounding potential for higher long-term ceiling and stability, or stick with a strong but capped career while it’s already going well?
This is my first Reddit post so go easy on me 🫣
Edit: I’m blown away by 300 comments so quickly, I appreciate all the advice and will read them. Thank you!