Picked the smaller town over the job offer in Chicago, no regrets so far

I had to choose between a solid marketing job in Chicago paying 72k or a similar gig in Bloomington, Indiana for 58k. I went with Bloomington because I wanted to be close to my sister and her kids, and after 4 months I've got way less stress and a backyard to hang in. Has anyone else taken a pay cut for family and found it was worth it?

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angela_harris29d ago

That line about "way less stress and a backyard to hang in" hit me hard, because that's exactly the kind of trade-off that doesn't show up on a spreadsheet. I've watched friends chase the bigger paycheck in the city and they're constantly burnt out, barely seeing their families. You're four months in, and you're already noticing the difference in your day to day life, which says a lot. Being close to your sister's kids is one of those things you can't put a price on, and that backyard is basically a daily win. I bet in a couple years you'll look back and feel even more sure about this choice.