[FLT8]

I left a well paid gig in the finance industry, where I'd been supporting a team of ~15 through a large restructure. I was getting fed up with the pointlessness of it all - there was more distraction than value creation going on and it was the kind of place that succeeded despite itself. I was stressed-by-proxy for my team who had all been told they needed to reapply for their jobs, and I needed a change. I left, and went to work for a small government agency, I think it was around 1/2 the pay. The work was ultimately much more meaningful and fulfilling, and I could make a bigger difference in the smaller team, but believe it or not the small-office politics and personalities there ended up getting to me, and I decided that if I was going to have to deal with that kind of BS anyway, I might as well do it for more money. I'm back in a large org now, but with a different perspective, which has made it easier mentally to deal with things. I pick my battles, try to help improve things as much as I can for my team, and let a lot more things wash over me. I'm still not completely fulfilled, but I'll be able to retire earlier here than I could otherwise and that thought keeps me going.