Here’s Why Working A 9-5 Is Not ‘All That’

Postgraduate, mid-twenties, the early thirties — we have all had that moment when we question what exactly it is that we’re doing with our lives. Do we take that 9-to-5 job that will support us financially, even though we know we’ll probably get sick of at some point? Or, do we drop everything, get on a plane, travel the world, and never look back?

When you find yourself questioning what direction to go in, there is a lot to consider:

1. Yes, being financially stable is imperative, but so is your mental health and experiencing all that the world has to offer.

We don’t realize how much is truly out there when we limit ourselves to a typical day-to-day routine. The world is truly beautiful, and there is so much more across the seas.

2. However, you need to take into consideration that the cost of living is expensive AF.

Seriously six dollars for a basic coffee at Starbucks?! Six dollars for coffee that has probably been sitting there for who knows how long. *Currently complaining about this as I sit here in Starbucks drinking my six dollar coffee*

Car payments. House payments. Tampons. Payments for things I didn’t even know I had to pay for. Bottom line: Life is expensive.

3. Still, the cost of traveling is probably just as expensive as the cost of living.

Here’s a major point to consider, if you do leave everything behind you and chose to travel the world, you’re probably going to completely drain your life savings. So, do you chose to work your ass off 9 to 5 just to be stable, or dump everything to experience a whole new world?

4. 9-to-5 jobs are unfortunately as boring as they sound.

Postgrad students, I hate to break it to you, but you probably aren’t going to lead the head position at the company you’ve always dreamed of right off the bat. Your new career is like a totem pole, and you’re starting out on the bottom where the only thing to do is work your way up.

5. The good news is that working 9-to-5 will always be an option.

We are fortunate enough to live in a great country that offers a lot of jobs for us to make a living for ourselves. Traveling the world is not always an option. Post-grad students can do this whereas someone in their twenties, almost thirties may not have that option right now, especially if a family is involved.

You could dump your savings, travel the world and then come back and work your ass off 9 to 5 to make that money back and then become stable. Yes, that is going to take a lot of busting your ass, but it may be worth it.

Working 9 to 5 is not a growing experience, it is more so a part of life that just has to happen when you are out of school and need something to do to survive. Traveling is a growing experience. Not many people can say that they have traveled the globe. You meet different people, experience different cultures, and taste new foods when you travel.

6. When you travel, you have to learn how to survive in a whole new environment.

It teaches you a lot about yourself and your values, it also makes you appreciate what you have and see the world in a whole new light. You learn what type of person you are internally. When you work 9 to 5 every day, you learn how to schedule and budget your time. You learn about finances, and you basically learn how to be an adult.

7. Most importantly, to be an adult and make this adult decision, you need to know who you truly are as a person.

You need to establish “YOU.” Not everyone, regardless of age,  is ready to live the life of an adult when society says that they should. Experiences help us grow; the world has so many of those to offer.