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Got a weird career lesson from a coffee shop in Portland last Tuesday

I was waiting for a latte at this place called Spoke & Mug downtown and the barista just randomly started telling me about how she quit a $70k marketing job to work there. She said she was burned out and tired of pretending to care about quarterly reports. I was in the middle of a big career decision myself so it hit different. She told me her only regret was not doing it sooner because she makes half the money but has zero stress. I actually walked out and called my boss to negotiate a four day workweek right there on the sidewalk. Has anyone else had a random stranger change your career path like that?
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mitchell.mark
That barista was brave as hell to walk away from that paycheck. Most people just stick with the grind and keep telling themselves it'll get better. Negotiating a shorter week right there on the spot is a power move, I respect that. Sometimes it takes a total stranger to remind you that your time is worth more than a bigger number on a paycheck.
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matthewross
Right on. Had a stranger at a bus stop talk me into freelancing. Changed my whole life.
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