u/No_Bluejay9904

I'm only 22 and I feel like I'm already completely burned out. I've been working on and off since I was 17, and I seriously can't imagine doing this for another 18 months, let alone 35-45 years.

I can't imagine ever feeling truly happy while working at some company. Sitting through 38 boring, repetitive hours every week. 4 or 6 days a week depending on the schedule? I don't understand how everyone agreed that this is normal. It's exhausting, and even if I somehow found the perfect job for me, I think I'd start hating it as soon as there were deadlines, financial pressure, and the expectation that I keep showing up and working around 38 hours a week. I don't care if the people are nice or the manager is chill. I don't want to spend that much of my life at work. I feel like I'm selling my time and freedom just so I'm allowed to live.

Starting my own business doesn't seem much better tbh. If anything, it looks like it would swallow even more of my time, not to mention all the pressure and responsibility would be on me. I just don't want to be part of this whole system. I want a life with color, small weird adventures, enough space for my silly hobbies, and energy left over to care about the people I love. Peace. Freedom. Time that feels like it's mine. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this feeling.

Hey everyone, I have a serious question from someone living in Spain.

I keep seeing people here from America talking about salaries over $130,000 a year as if it's the norm in certain fields, and honestly, I'm trying to understand if this is true. Where I live, a salary like that (around €130,000) is almost unheard of, unless you're a senior manager in a company or working in a very rare and specialized job.

I've visited America before and I know people sometimes exaggerate online, but I see these comments so often that it's starting to confuse me. Here in Spain, you can have a strong degree from a good university, a master's, and excellent experience, and end up working for a major consulting firm and making around $65,000.

So what's the reality? What percentage of employees in America earn more than $130,000 a year? I'm genuinely curious to know.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can give some information.