23-year-old considers leaving $100K job for a 2 year program where he'll make 50K for 5 years after he graduates: '[The 2nd] option sounds like a scam.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
May 22, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

Why would he do the latter? 

When you're an adult, you have to make difficult choices about your money and your education. You have to decide whether it's worth leaving work for two years in order to get a Master's Degree, especially if it's a Master's Degree that doesn't ensure you're getting a higher income on the other side of it. It might be worth it if you're getting a full ride, but it probably isn't if you end up with student loans that will take years and years to pay off. 

The problem with today's job market is that nothing in the future is guaranteed. You could get an MBA, only for MBAs to be completely worthless in the job market three years from now. Unless you're going into a field that will never go out of style, like nursing, you can't guarantee that your post-secondary education is going to pay off. 

If you're early in your career and you're already making $100K annually with great benefits, you'd be foolish to leave that position to make less money on something that is kind of shady. That's what the 23-year-old in this story is considering doing. His job is moderately unstable, so he wants to do an educational program in a similar industry where he'd make no money for the first two years and $50K for the next five years. If that doesn't raise some red flags, you might be just as naive as him. Even if he lost his job, he'd still be in a better position than he'd be in if he did this program.

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  • Young businessman smiling confidently at the camera while sitting in modern office room
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A young professional who is considering leaving his high-paying job for a position that will pay half of what he's making now for five years. 

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I insane to leave a $100k job at 23?

    I'm 23 and currently earn just over $100k in a specialised career | genuinely enjoy.
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • The lifestyle is strong: - 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off - 4-8 hour workdays - Strong pension + progression - Realistic cap around ~$175k within ~7 years
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • The main concern is stability. The industry is quite volatile - I've already been made redundant once (although I found work again quickly), and I'm not fully convinced
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • about long-term security. I now have an offer to retrain into a related field with significantly higher long-term earning potential and more
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • international mobility. But the trade-offs are heavy: - 2 years of full-time training (no salary, all expenses covered)
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • - Then ~5 years on $50k while a training bond is paid off After that, earnings would return to my current level, with a higher long-term
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • ceiling ($200k-$400k depending on country/route). The offer is in the form of a legally binding contract, with job offer, from a
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • leading national employer with one month to accept or decline. So the decision is basically: Stay where I am - strong income, great lifestyle, but
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • capped growth and industry volatility OR Reset my earnings for ~7 years to unlock higher long-term upside and stability
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • From a financial/life strategy perspective, does it make sense to sacrifice your 20s income and compounding potential for higher long-term ceiling and stability, or stick with a
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • strong but capped career while it's already going well?
    via u/Dear-Wolf-3985
  • FaithlessnessOpen328 It's not about what some strangers on the internet think. It's about if you can afford it. Long term gain is great and always the goal but a 50% cut is huge and you're the only one who knows if based on your current spending/lifestyle you can afford it.
    via u/FaithlessnessOpen328
  • Puzzled Worth3450 You're looking at this backwards. At 23 with that kind of earning potential already locked in, you've got time to take risks that most people never get. The real question is whether you can stomach living on 50k for 5 years after being used to 100k - that's the part that breaks most people, not the money itself. Your current gig might be volatile but you already proved you can land on your feet when things go sideways. That's worth something too.
    via u/Puzzled_Worth3450
  • robot_ankles While I like the recognition of taking risks while you're young, etc... OP's prospectus is not very attractive. SEVEN YEARS to maybe unlock the POTENTIAL of making the higher numbers? The number of things that can change in seven years is huge. The likelihood that some 5-year "training bond" is going to be waived is near zero. That's seven years of ignoring any other opportunity that comes along. Too long of a lock- out period IMO. Especially in your 20s when it's easier to pursue h
    via u/robot_ankles
  • cabbage-soup $100k-$175k salary for the next 7 years will be worth way more than no pay for 2 years and $50k for the next 5 years. Invest your extra now. Make sure you have your retirement in order. Open a high yield savings account for your emergency fund. Just ride out what you've got.
    via u/cabbage-soup
  • Green plant growing in glass cup full of coins
    via micheile henderson

    Savings are growing over time.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • donotfire Without knowing what industries, it's hard to say
    via u/donotfire
  • Pretty Techii Everything you mentioned about this new opportunity is "maybe" this, "potentially" that, "could" happen. And in this world, nothing is guaranteed anyway. I would stay at my current high-paying job.
    via u/PrettyTechii
  • DanBrando I honestly think people underestimate how rare your current position already is at 23. A six figure income, good lifestyle, progression, and actually enjoying the work puts you ahead of a huge percentage of people your age. The danger is assuming that "higher ceiling" automatically means "better life." A lot can happen in 7 years. Industries change, priorities change, relationships happen, burnout happens, values change. Some people sacrifice their 20s chasing an optimal long-term outc
    via u/DanBrando
  • Stressed businessman is holding his head with his hands while working at the office
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A 32-year-old is stressing out because he optimized his life for money rather than quality of life. 

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • At the same time, you're also young enough that taking a calculated risk now is far less dangerous than doing it at 38 with a mortgage, kids, and financial obligations. So I don't think the real question is "which option makes more money." It's whether the second path genuinely aligns with the kind of life you want, or whether you're being psychologically pulled by the idea of maximizing potential because it feels irresponsible not to. A peaceful life with strong income and time freedom is not "
    via u/DanBrando

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salary job advice volatile career long term young people education money
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