“Everyone I knew had a corporate job, and I was in the dirt at 6 a.m.” says Jacqueline, 27, of her first postgrad job as an environmental scientist. “All of my friends were looking cute in their officewear… I had to wear steel-toed boots, neon shirts, and old jeans because I had to go out and sample water and soil.”

But to Jacqueline, it was all worth it. Environmental science had been her passion since high school. While studying the subject in college, she assumed she’d love working in the field and that she’d help make a difference. For a while, she felt like she was doing just that. Then reality hit.

One particular assignment sent her spiraling about the impact she was making — or lack thereof. No matter what she did to test and treat the water, the site always tested positive for pollution. “It started to just feel so monotonous… like we weren’t doing anything,” she says, recalling the jealousy she felt of her friends and their comfortable office jobs.

After environmental health and safety positions opened up in various industries during the pandemic, she pivoted. Now, she’s much happier as a project manager at a sustainable fashion company — not just because she loves dressing up for work, though that’s an added perk.

For many, dream jobs are the ultimate goal. It’s not just about beefing up your resume; it’s about who you are. More than one-third of Americans say their careers are an integral part of their identity, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center study. Your role is likely how you introduce yourself to new people; perhaps it’s even in your Instagram bio. Thanks to American grind culture, it’s no surprise work is nearly synonymous with self.

But amid a loneliness epidemic, stubborn inflation numbers, and creeping unemployment rates, many people are prioritizing work-life balance and financial stability over their dreams. To some, such career pivots may be considered “selling out” — abandoning your lifelong passions for a better paycheck. But what if leaving a dream job is actually the key to a dream life?

The Disillusion Of The “Dream Job”

Katelynn, 35, always planned to be a sports reporter. “I was my dad’s sidekick for years watching games,” she says. After spending more than a decade on-air anchoring in the sports and news realms, she left the industry to do communications for a big-box retailer. It was a 180 from what she describes as the “pretty toxic” environment of her previous company.

“I happened to work with a gentleman who didn’t believe women should work in sports,” Katelynn says. Now, she believes her colleagues are the “best of the best.”

“Once you get a job, you have to start interviewing for another one.”

Similarly, Katie wanted to be a TV anchor “as early as kindergarten.” After stints in Binghamton, New York, and Tampa, Florida, the 27-year-old pivoted to content strategy for a national bank for better PTO and higher pay. “It was really difficult having to tell my parents [about leaving journalism],” she says. “My mom had always envisioned me being a TV news reporter too.” But after making a pros and cons list, her answer was clear.

Childhood interests often influence career plans. Brian, 25, always loved theater, so he majored in stage management. After graduation, he landed a stint working backstage on Broadway — the ultimate goal that came five years earlier than he’d hoped for — but he quickly realized how chaotic the industry’s uncertainty was. As an assistant stage manager, his contracts were only as long as rehearsal cycles, often spanning just two to four weeks. “Once you get a job, you have to start interviewing for another one,” he says.

The gigs were short term, and the were hours unpredictable (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and subject to change depending on the project) and almost always included weekends, making it hard to see his live-in partner. Between the schedule, the pay, and the inconsistency, he says, “There [was] no real light at the end of the tunnel.”

Once Brian looked around, he realized all his stage manager colleagues either were single or unhappy with their love lives, and he didn’t want that for himself. He has since moved to upstate New York and married his partner, and now he works remotely in operations for a startup beverage company. He says he’ll never go back to the grind of the theater scene.

Money Matters

Of course, career, finances, and well-being are inherently intertwined. More than 40% of Americans say money negatively impacts their stress and anxiety levels, an additional factor that often leads to leaving one path for another.

After a year in Jacqueline’s new field, she made about $40,000 more than she used to. Going corporate also made promotions more accessible to her. As an environmental scientist, there was no clear-cut way to move up without additional education, but her new company has employee resources for fostering growth. One such team helped her transition into her current operations role when she was curious about potential upward movement.

“It was quite literally a life-changing amount of money.”

The career pivot leads to heavier pockets for many. Brian now makes $60,000 more annually than he did in his various theater-adjacent roles. Katie made $12.50 an hour at her first news job, or about $24,000 a year. When she went into social strategy, she quadrupled that salary. “It was quite literally a life-changing amount of money,” she says. Now, she doesn’t hesitate when buying a plane ticket home for the holidays.

The Work-Life Balancing Act

Dissatisfaction at work obviously affects personal lives. In working toward the dream role, people might sacrifice their relationships (hi, Andy Sachs!), but psychologists actually believe healthier personal lives lead to better performance at work and vice versa.

In 2021, Katelynn took a long, hard look at her life before getting married. “I knew we wanted to build a family relatively soon, so was this a sustainable career to have children? Was it the right career for my overall mental and physical health? How long can my body handle waking up at 1:45 a.m.?”

After talking to other television anchors who had changed paths, she decided to put her personal life first by switching to corporate communications. Her work-life balance has never been better. “I can be a mom. In fact, I feel like I’m encouraged to be a great mom but also be a great employee.”

Sure, it’s a different vibe than her life as a journalist, but Katelynn doesn’t regret the decision. “I am so much happier now,” she says. She no longer has to set alarms for the middle of the night. “You can easily want to stay in [TV] because of the glamour or the celebratory status you might have in the community. [But] I don’t miss the lack of stability.”

Katie also felt the weight of working irregular hours. “I worked every Christmas for four years,” she says. “[Leaving journalism] gave me my life back.”

And when she isn’t spending her free time after work scuba diving (a hobby she picked up after leaving news), with her boyfriend, or with her chow chow, Leia, she’s definitely not thinking about work. “After 5 p.m., I go about my day…. I don’t have to think about what my story for tomorrow is going to be, or, ‘Oh, my gosh, I still need to set up an interview.’”

When One Door Closes

Though benefits like exponentially larger salaries and a healthier work-life balance make selling out seem like the obvious choice, leaving one’s “dream” path still presents a unique challenge — one’s identity may feel like it changes along with the job title.

Jacqueline sometimes feels like a sellout because working for a retail corporation is almost inherently at odds with sustainability. “I still struggle with [my decision to leave environmental science] to this day. It’s hard to leave something you were so committed to at one point,” she says.

“The only thing that really helps me is working for a company that’s so centered on being an environmental activist in the retail space, [an area] where some companies have been massive polluters,” she says. She probably wouldn’t work for another fashion brand if it didn’t align with her values.

And the job after the dream job isn’t always as exciting to outsiders. Katie admits her traditional marketing gig doesn’t sound as interesting as explaining she’s a TV anchor. “When someone asks you what you do for a living and you’re a TV news reporter, people always think that’s so cool. [Now I say] ‘Oh, I work in marketing,’ and people are like, ‘OK, I don’t care,’” she says. “But at the same time, I probably wouldn’t trade that because I love being able to live this personal life.”

For Brian, his new role helps him achieve balance. Although he’s not working on Broadway shows like he once pictured, he’s fulfilled. “Exactly what I was doing for shows, I’m doing for a startup,” he says. “Instead of making sure that the set department and the costumes department are talking to each other, I’m making sure that sales is talking to finance.” He hopes to one day be a volunteer stage manager for a community theater, solely for the fun of it.

Ultimately, even if the dream job doesn’t work out forever, there’s some satisfaction in giving it a try.

“I can look back and say ‘I did it,’” Katelynn says. As she got older, her priorities shifted, and things fell into place. “For me, I have what I truly feel is a ‘Dream Career 2.0.’”