Appreciation post: I chose the boring job over the exciting one

Last year I had to decide between a night manager gig at a busy restaurant and a steady mail sorting position at the local post office. The restaurant paid more and seemed fun, but I picked the post office for the benefits and regular hours. Turns out I love the routine and I'm up for a carrier route soon. Has anyone else made a similar trade off and ended up happier?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenix_singh6d ago

Did you ever actually try the restaurant job before deciding, or was this all based on what you thought it would be like? Sometimes the night manager gigs come with a lot of drama and burnout that doesn't show up in the job listing. Plus dealing with drunk customers at 2am gets old real fast.

charlie_allen6d ago

The burnout factor is real and it compounds fast when you're on the graveyard shift every night. From what I've seen, those night manager gigs sound glamorous on paper but they chew people up within six months once the reality of dealing with wasted customers hits. Your mileage may vary of course, but mostly the job ends up being more about being a bouncer and a therapist than actually running a kitchen.