The subtle joy of being a bit underemployed
Don't let your boss read this
Would you ever decline a promotion that guaranteed to double your pay?
It’s a strange question. It seems un-American to even ask such a ridiculous thing. Especially in this economy and with inflation as high as its been in decades.
Now, what if, in exchange for double the pay, your hours doubled? And your stress levels doubled? Would it still be worth it?
Let’s say I gave you a Harry Potter style wand to wave around in the air and this scenario came true.
Sure, you’d have some more pesos at your disposal, but that’s a big trade-off worth some further consideration. It’s not hard to visualize how much better your life could be with double the income. But don’t forget, there’s another side to that coin (pun intended).
A fatter wallet is often a Faustian bargain — more money giveth and more money taketh away.
It’s more fun to think about the giveth part so that’s all most people think about.
More money could giveth you a bigger house, nicer toys, more prestige, and plenty more. But… more money could also taketh away quality time with family and friends, personal hobbies, unstructured time to goof off, and plenty more.
Now you may still be thinking, “So what? I don’t even like my family or friends that much and the only hobby I have leads me to sulk in despair when my favorite sports team loses. Sign me up!”
Allow me to share a quick personal story and ask yourself if it sounds familiar in your own life:
Since the moment I started my career, I had one goal in mind, no different from you: I want to make more money. How much more? A lot more than I currently make.
This vicious cycle continued for years.
But as time went on, I noticed with each promotion and increase in pay, the goalpost kept moving slightly out of arm’s reach. I never got to a point where I thought, Hey I’m finally making more money. I accomplished my goal!
Nope.
It was never enough.
Even though I knew money wouldn’t buy happiness, I wanted to find out for myself.
It was a painful realization, but I finally admitted to myself that more promotions and more money weren’t everything I’d dreamed of. I wanted what I thought would come along with them. Until I got them.
So I’ve done something my younger self would have considered incomprehensible, even idiotic, twice in the past three years. I declined a promotion that guaranteed to double my pay.
How stupid could I be, right?
In the wise words of Lee Corso, Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast my friend.
This time, I made it a point to interrogate my colleagues who were already in the position I was being offered the promotion for.
Vigorously scribbling notes on what their day to day experience was like, how much money they were really making, and most importantly, asking myself, “Do they seem any happier than me?”
My conclusion shocked me.
It was an emphatic NO.
One thing kept recurring after each interrogation concluded.
They had sacrificed their autonomy for more money.
Constantly being dragged into pointless zoom calls, stressing over a weird corporate phrase called key performance indicators, all while having to maintain a fake smile. This is what they claimed they wanted, wasn’t it?
Their pockets were fatter, but their lives seemed emptier.
Sure, they probably got a few thrills when that first new paycheck hit their account. And I’m sure they got a temporary high from getting to update their Linkedin profiles with a fancy new job title.
But they didn’t seem any happier than they were before the promotion.
Quite the opposite in fact. That’s when it hit me.
The unemployed have too much autonomy. The over-employed have zero autonomy. The underemployed have just the right amount.
I realize you are in a privileged position to even be offered a promotion in the first place.
There’s plenty of people who would have no choice but to accept one if they were offered it.
But I learned from my past mistakes that a prestigious sounding job title and some more money in the bank are not always worth sacrificing your autonomy.
That’s why there is a subtle joy of being a bit underemployed.
You still earn enough money to live a comfortable life all while maintaining your autonomy.
You value the ability to have extended periods of goofing off time more than boatloads of money.
Choosing to stay a bit underemployed is like only filling your plate half way at your favorite buffet.
You know you could pile it up higher, and probably still eat it all, but end up stuffed, with no room for dessert.
Dessert is like what you get to do with your free time. There’s such a variety of choices: ice cream, pie, cake, cookies, or fruit salad for you psychos out there.
My current dessert preferences include: writing, reading, going on long aimless walks, sipping coffee while discussing mentally stimulating topics with friends, and watching Georgia football of course.
The decision to consciously remain a bit underemployed allows you to still have a nutritious entrée that provides all your essential nutrients, while still leaving room for some tasty treats.
Totally disagree? Let me know why in the comments below.
I was reflecting on this yesterday. Right now I'm in a situation where I consider 3 options:
1. Focusing on my newsletter full-time, which gives me a ton of autonomy and free time — but no money yet.
2. Finding a freelance part time job to sustain myself while I grow on Substack.
3. Building my own startup — since I got a funding opportunity for one of my projects recently. This would leave significantly less time for Substack and for my hobbies, but could be quite rewarding from a financial perspective and as a learning experience.
Adulting is hard!
Yet another banger idea that you could turn into a best-selling book. But then you wouldn’t be underemployed anymore, you’d be doing book tours. Or you could just write the book and walk away, and keep your private aimless tours of your neighborhood.