Wife Pressures Husband To Ditch His Dream Job And Find Something Else That Actually Pays The Bills

Financial stability or lifelong passion?

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• July 26, 2024

When you stay in an area with sky-high living costs, every dollar counts. And for our narrator (Original Poster) and her husband, it was a reality they’d been navigating for quite some time now.

OP’s job paid decently well—and thank goodness for that. How else could they possibly afford to live in such a nice area? As for her husband, he had a job he despised, but it paid reasonably well—that is, until last October. 

He recently landed a position in his dream career, and his excitement was through the roof. There was just one problem—the salary was the stuff of nightmares. 

As a freelancer in his field, his income took a nosedive, leaving him with no benefits and a significant pay cut. Their finances weren’t combined, so the couple had to reshuffle how they split expenses after her husband took the job. 

Previously, OP’s husband had covered a bit more of the bills since she was busy tackling her student loans. Overnight, she found herself tossed into the position of primary breadwinner, and her back was breaking under the weight of it all.

She was soon forced to suggest her husband might need to ditch his dream job for something that paid better. Understandably, he was crushed. His career move was the culmination of years of hard work and ambition, but from OP’s perspective, it just wasn’t sustainable.

He floated the idea of moving somewhere cheaper, but OP shot that down immediately. Long commutes to work and distance from her family were a no-go. 

Was she the AH for asking her husband to abandon his dream job for financial stability?

Let’s dig into the details

OP and her husband live in an extremely high-cost-of-living area. Her job pays well while that of her husband is quite less.

OP’s husband finally got his career dream job however the pay is little with no benefits.

OP’s husband had previously covered expenses at home to assist with his wife’s student loans. However, with his little income, OP sat her husband down and asked him to quit his job.

OP’s husband suggested they move to a less expensive area but OP refused saying they have to commute long distances to get to work.

OP’s husband got upset when asked to quit is job.

Due to this financial situation, OP doesn't look at her husband with loving eyes anymore.

We gathered some interesting comments from the Netizens:

“Personally, I would never sacrifice my dream job for a big house in an expensive area. bc what's the point of all the luxury if I'm miserable the majority of the time.”

“It sounds like you're the one that wants to live in an expensive way in order to keep your current job and be near your family. You you you.”

“Get a divorce. For his sake.”

“He gave you time to pay off your student loans.”

“So you both collectively make enough to cover your expenses, but you want him to quit because it bugs you that you make more than him?”

Redditors were quick to rush to OP’s husband’s defense. They pointed out how he paid more toward the household—despite earning less—just so OP could pay off her student debt.

The consensus? The man deserved some grace. They urged her to set a timeline, support him, and encourage his efforts rather than dismissing his dream outright.

We’d love to get your thoughts on this story. Join the conversation in the comments.

Jesse