I Hate My Job but It Pays Well: How to Make the Problem Disappear

Inside: I hate my job but it pays well. It’s the cry of despair from your heart all day, every day. Here’s the real reason why you feel this way, plus how to ditch your misery forever.

I slumped in my chair, despair threatening to pull me under and drown me this time. I’d had a hellacious day, with one thing after another. But it was no different from any other workday recently. And I genuinely didn’t know how much longer I could hang on while keeping my sanity intact.

When it wasn’t my sharkish colleagues getting on my nerves or trying to take me down, it was my demanding boss who seemed to think less of me every day. To tell you the truth, it got so I didn’t even want to get out of bed on workday mornings because I knew this misery was waiting for me.

Worse, nobody seemed to understand where I was coming from. “Suck it up,” they told me. “It’s the price you pay for success.”

Sometimes, they even encouraged me to get a new hobby and look for happiness and fulfillment there instead of from my job. Their advice would have been fine if I loved—heck, even if I liked—my job and only had to deal with the normal challenges it came with.

Sure, I once felt the job love but those days weren’t even a speck in my rearview mirror anymore.

Now, all I was left with was the persistent worry, “I hate my job but it pays well. How do I escape this trap and find happiness?”

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I Hate My Job but It Pays Well: Typical Advice You Should Ignore

You know how I felt back then because you’re on the same struggle bus now.

Dreading the day ahead even before you open your eyes each morning. Dragging yourself from bed at the last possible minute every day. Wishing for a wormhole to magically pull you into a universe where “I hate my job but it pays well” is no longer the theme song of your life.

But let me warn you upfront: If you’re looking for a quick, easy fix for hating your well-paying job, you won’t find it here.

Here’s what I’m not going to tell you to do:

Take yet another career quiz then start a new job search based on your quiz results.
Quit your job and become a social media influencer.
Put an expensive course on your credit card that they swear up and down will teach you how to find the career of your dreams, where eternal bliss awaits you, all within the next 6 months.

I’m also not going to give you tips on how to survive a job you hate.

Instead, we’re going to expose the real reason why you ended up in I hate my job but it pays well purgatory in the first place. Sure, clinging to a job because of the financial rewards seems like a good idea but misery at work sucks big time.

This is our starting point because you need to know what to avoid in the future so you’ll never get caught in this trap again.

Then we’ll talk about how to get yourself out of I hate my career but it pays well hell. Because who wants to be OK with hating their job, even if it pays a ton of money?

Not you, or you wouldn’t be here.

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But First, Know This

Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately. If you came up through church as I did, your church friends may have already pulled this one on you.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)

And because of this, you tell yourself you’re lucky to have a job that pays well. You tell yourself you should stop complaining and work as unto God.

The thing you and your church friends have forgotten is the historical context of Paul’s letter. He was talking to slaves, who had no choice in their occupation.

So yes, for sure you should do your best at whatever you set your hand to. But these days, you’re free to choose what you put your hand to!

On top of this, as a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you don’t need to keep clinging to the world’s definition of success and happiness.

You see, God has something different in mind for you.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

God has a plan for what He wants you to do with your life, which doesn’t include you hating the thing you spend most of your time doing.

Now, let’s dive into this I hate my job but it pays well problem you’re battling. We’ll fix it by looking at your situation from a few different angles.

Why Do I Hate My Job, Even Though It Pays Well?

Not only does your job pay well, but the benefits are great, you get lots of days off, and you’re in charge.

Plus, because of your generous salary, you can keep leveling up your lifestyle. Because of your generous salary, you have all the stuff that goes with your success, like the trips, the wardrobe, and the investment account. Heck, you probably get a special whole-body shiver when you think about your generous salary and fabulous stuff.

By most people’s standards, this is a dream job anyone would do a happy dance over. So why do you hate it?

Simple: Because it’s not what you’re meant to be doing with your life.

Even more, it’s not what you want to be doing with your life. Your heart knows it, and you won’t have a moment of peace until you do something about it.

You see, God had a different plan for you. And at some point, you knew it deep down in your soul. But maybe His plan for you didn’t look like what others were doing. Or maybe you couldn’t see all the steps for how it should unfold, and God wasn’t sharing the details.

Whatever the reason, you abandoned your God-given dream. Instead, you decided to go after what the whole world said would bring you success and happiness.

The result? You spend way too much time in I hate my job but it pays well land. Which means you end up hating a good one-third of your life.

But knowing this is great news!

It means you can ditch the hate and embrace new love for your work when you get back on track with God’s plan. We’ll talk about how to do this in a minute.

I Hate My Job but It Pays Well: The 3 Things Keeping You Stuck

As you sit at your desk, staring into space and wondering how to solve this problem, you come back around to the same answer for the millionth time.

Maybe you should dust off your résumé and get ready to move to another company. But you don’t want to search for another corporate job because you’re so over corporate life.

Plus, you already know the job isn’t your real problem. So moving to a similar position isn’t the answer. All you’ll do is transfer your problem to a new location.

So what should you do? Brace yourself, because you’ll probably hate what I’m about to say almost as much as you hate your well-paying job.

The truth is, even though you hate your job, you love the salary and benefits more. Not to mention the comfort of its familiarity and the fear of a new, unknown road.

In short, money, comfort, and fear are keeping you stuck in the job you hate.

Meanwhile, you tell yourself a bunch of baloney like:

You don’t need to love your job.
Responsible people suck it up and get on with it without complaining.
Your family and friends would think you were certifiable if you chucked it all in.

Besides, you have a lifestyle to maintain. So if you have to keep singing this I hate my job but it pays well tune, so be it.

And anyway, maybe it’s just you. I mean, your colleagues and friends sure seem content in their well-paying, benefits-laden corporate jobs.

But here’s the truth.

You’re not them. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here looking for ideas on what to do when you hate your job but it pays well.

Unlike your happy-looking colleagues and friends, deep down in your heart, you know you were meant for more than daily hate and pure misery.

And while they’re responsible for their lives and decisions, you’re responsible for yours. Even more, you’re accountable for yours.

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:12 (CSB)

Plus, don’t be fooled by how contented your friends and colleagues look with their careers. You don’t know their real situation.

Sure, they may really be happy. But it’s also possible they’re rolling around in just as much misery as you are, and hiding it just as well.

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I Hate My Job but It Pays Well: How to Solve the Problem

Let’s be practical.

It’s all well and good to fantasize about chucking your well-paying job and going after your secret dream life. But you have bills to pay and a lifestyle to maintain. You can’t just peace out of I hate my job but it pays well to swan off and do…

What, exactly?

You have no other marketable skills. At least, none that can easily replace your income and support your current lifestyle. As far as you can see, if you want a career change, you’ll have to spend more years and a ton more money getting a new degree or qualification.

But wait a minute before you talk yourself into keeping up the I hate my job but it pays well tune you’ve gotten so good at.

Remember, the core of your problem is your God-given purpose—you’re not living yours. So this is what you need to address before you do anything else.

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3 Steps to Ditch I Hate My Job but It Pays Well

The solution to your problem has 3 steps. They’re simple but also challenging. Because they’ll require faith and the willingness to go deep with God and yourself. Probably deeper than you’ve ever gone before.

1. Get with God.

You need to ask God to birth a new dream in you. Or ask Him to resurrect His plan that you abandoned to join the other fake-happy people in the land of I don’t like my job but it pays well. You need to ask Him for some guidance in getting after your calling.

When you do, you’ll give yourself a fighting chance to create a life of satisfaction and fulfillment.

2. Pray and plan.

God will give you a vision for your life. But I can almost guarantee you won’t get the whole roadmap from Him for how to get there all at once. In other words, buckle up for a journey, not a giant magical leap into instant bliss.

Don’t get hung up on the entire plan. Instead, ask God for your single next best step for going after the new dream He’s birthing in you.

This may look like starting a side hustle alongside your day job. Or it may look like quitting your job altogether. Or your answer may lay somewhere in between. You and God get to decide.

3. Bulk up on bravery.

Straight up, the people you love may think you’re crazy for having this new dream. This is where courage comes in. Because you’ll need it to get over caring about what others think of you and care about what God thinks instead.

The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.
Proverbs 29:25 (MSG)

Here’s my recommendation: attach yourself like a barnacle to the vision God gives you for your life while you hold the method—the how—loosely.

Because how you get there will evolve as you grow into and progress toward the vision. And I can guarantee, it’s not gonna be the path you thought would take you there.

A Word about Quitting

Some people ask, “I hate my job but it pays well. So…should I quit?”

The truth is, only you can answer this question because only you know what a life well-lived looks like for you.

Plus, you’re the one who has to live with the consequences of whatever you choose to do. Believe me, you won’t do yourself or your emotional well-being or mental health any favors by abdicating your decision to others.

But I think, “Should I quit?” is the wrong question in the first place. Instead, ask yourself better questions. Here are a few to start:

Do I want hate and dread to be the emotions I feel for eight or more hours each day, five or more days each week?
Am I OK with hating an entire one-third of my life?
Years from now when I look back over my life, do I want hate to be the main emotion I remember feeling for my work?
Is what I’m doing now the legacy I want to leave?
How will I explain all this hate when I stand before God to give an account of my life?

Your answers to these questions will tell you whether or not you should start looking to transform your relationship with your work.

Forever Overcome I Hate My Job but It Pays Well

I stayed stuck and miserable in my corporate office for way too long. Slumped in my office chair while I let despair almost drag me under.

All because I let money, comfort, and fear matter to me more than living a life of true joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction. Thank God I decided to ditch the hate and embrace a life of deep love for the work I now do!

Before you go, get your FREE printable download to help conquer your confusion—The Essential Guide to Finding Clarity.

As for you, my darling. You never have to suck it up, choke down your despair, and keep plowing away at the current job you hate, just because it pays well. No matter what anyone says!

You always have choices. Always.

You can let go of the comfort and fear keeping you trapped in the land of I hate my job but it pays well. You can be brave enough to tell yourself the truth about what you’d rather be doing instead. And you can get after it like your life and happiness depend on it.

Because they do.

The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Matthew 25: 23 (NLT)