Good professions for work/life balance?

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering if any of you work a job that is 35-45 hrs/wk that pays decently?

[Anonymous]

I do. I'm a physicist working for a federal research organization. I kinda put my time in to get here though.

[Anonymous]

Define "decently."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Define "decently."

60K or higher. Not too high, but enough that it comes from a full time job. I know a fair number of women with a good balance, but they work part time while their spouse makes the majority of the household income.

[Anonymous]

Compliance officer for nonprofit. Earlyish in my career. Make 100k, work 40hrs.

[Anonymous]

Engineer. Work for a small dod contractor. $110k after 10 years experience. Started at $60k. I could get more but it would be way more stressful and more hours and travel. I have great balance. Leave at 4:30 every day, bosses like me, work is project based and not stupid face time based. Before baby I worked on multiple projects and traveled more and made overtime. Riding that goodwill now for the first 2 years of her life and then will ramp up again. Everyone has kids at our company, everyone understands parenting demands and ebb and flow. If there is a crunch, I will pitch in and get stuff done, but we all try to be more efficient to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Engineer. Work for a small dod contractor. $110k after 10 years experience. Started at $60k. I could get more but it would be way more stressful and more hours and travel. I have great balance. Leave at 4:30 every day, bosses like me, work is project based and not stupid face time based. Before baby I worked on multiple projects and traveled more and made overtime. Riding that goodwill now for the first 2 years of her life and then will ramp up again. Everyone has kids at our company, everyone understands parenting demands and ebb and flow. If there is a crunch, I will pitch in and get stuff done, but we all try to be more efficient to begin with.

What kinds of engineers have balance? And income ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What kinds of engineers have balance? And income ?

DH makes $92K as a mechanical engineer (about 10 years experience, started around $65K) in a much more affordable part of the country. He works probably 45 hours a week, but could easily stick to 40 if he wanted/needed to, and doesn't bring work home hardly at all. Maybe twice a year he has a pressing deadline and will bring home his laptop to finish something up for a few hours on the weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Engineer. Work for a small dod contractor. $110k after 10 years experience. Started at $60k. I could get more but it would be way more stressful and more hours and travel. I have great balance. Leave at 4:30 every day, bosses like me, work is project based and not stupid face time based. Before baby I worked on multiple projects and traveled more and made overtime. Riding that goodwill now for the first 2 years of her life and then will ramp up again. Everyone has kids at our company, everyone understands parenting demands and ebb and flow. If there is a crunch, I will pitch in and get stuff done, but we all try to be more efficient to begin with.

What kinds of engineers have balance? And income ?

In my case it's dod and its not hands on stuff most of the time. design and programming and requirements, testing support, and document review etc. places like APL, MItre, NRL and others. In fact we are hiring. We need like 6-8 more software/electrical engineers in the next quarter. Managers make $150k and upper management more but they hustle and get new contracts etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What kinds of engineers have balance? And income ?

DH makes $92K as a mechanical engineer (about 10 years experience, started around $65K) in a much more affordable part of the country. He works probably 45 hours a week, but could easily stick to 40 if he wanted/needed to, and doesn't bring work home hardly at all. Maybe twice a year he has a pressing deadline and will bring home his laptop to finish something up for a few hours on the weekend.

+1 engineer. Make 100k after 8 years, rarely have to work over 40 hrs. Also in DC area, and could make more but choose to have a less stressful job.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to be blasted for this but - teaching. Work at 7, home by 4. Tons of vacation.

[Anonymous]

sales

[Anonymous]

Nurses
Accountants
HR
Information technology

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sales

lollllllll you kid

Source: PP married to the $92K engineer, I work in Sales Ops (so not sales myself, because it is an insane, brutal career)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What kinds of engineers have balance? And income ?

DH makes $92K as a mechanical engineer (about 10 years experience, started around $65K) in a much more affordable part of the country. He works probably 45 hours a week, but could easily stick to 40 if he wanted/needed to, and doesn't bring work home hardly at all. Maybe twice a year he has a pressing deadline and will bring home his laptop to finish something up for a few hours on the weekend.

+1 engineer. Make 100k after 8 years, rarely have to work over 40 hrs. Also in DC area, and could make more but choose to have a less stressful job.

+2 engineer. My DH makes $110K after ten years in DC and has a great 40 hour a week schedule and one day of telework. Occassional travel as in two short trips a year. Actually taking a pay cut to move to medium size city for $97K. Job is still with DoD, so great benefits and vacation. New job has no telework but tradeoff is zero travel.

I had a GS-15 more high powered job that I gave up (though it was also about 40 hours a week and had telework), and am planning on teaching.