Wait - that’s a monthly cost? Are you in the US? $35/month is definitely not possible in any US state unless you’re supplementing with another food source. Even if all you eat is a box of pasta and can of sauce a day I’d be shocked if you could stay at $35 and definitely that’s nutritionally questionable.

Pretty sure it’s in P2025. At least the need to make it so employers don’t pay for it.

This is the perfect comment! Thank you for putting it so eloquently!

I started learning violin almost 3 years ago. I take lessons. I still suck a lot but I keep going because I do enjoy learning, even if it’s often frustrating. I have absolutely no musical background and was actively encouraged not to pursue an instrument when I was young because of the expense, so I guess it’s also a way to reclaim my childhood.

Several people mentioned chickens but I think bees are also a good choice, especially if you are growing food. Honey is already an expensive item, and I feel like you could barter with it pretty easily since everyone else will have chickens. Sweet treats during a depression are hard to come by.

Community is definitely the correct answer. Realistically, the end of the world won’t be the end of the world forever. Get to know your neighbors and diversify what you can provide based on what they can provide. If they’ve got chickens, focus on something else you can provide, like veggies or woodworking. Rugged individualism isn’t all it’s cut out to be.

This is also good advice for non-end of the world stuff. Maybe a tornado leaves you without power for a week. Interconnected communities recover faster.

Woah, hey now. I doubt she’s got the depth or the warmth to be called that!

That’s enough Internet for me today, thanks!

I was wondering how far I’d have to scroll to find a The Good Place reference. Thank you for your contribution.

This is probably the “right” answer if you are morally bothered by your job but not able to just quit. That and continuing to look for something else in the meantime.

Congratulations! I hope your new job is rewarding and long lasting!

This is so real. I generally find my job morally commendable (I work in emergency management) but even working around disasters there’s improvements to be made (ugh, the recovery process! Definitely entrenched in a very biased, racist, system!) There is no morally perfect job you can land that avoids those deeper systemic issues.

As a government worker, I will say there’s a lot more than just teaching that’s morally filling work. A ton of government jobs are directly tied to keeping the public safe. Food inspectors, doctors, researchers, firefighters, even grant writers. It’s not all cops and politicians.

After college I worked a project management job for a while before going to grad school. I didn’t find it morally questionable, but I definitely found myself feeling like I was just working to make some rich guy richer. It didn’t help that the rich guy(s) (the owner and his son in law who was out CEO) worked in the same building. So I went back to school. Got my master’s. Ended up doing some contract work for the same company afterwards. Never felt more stuck in my life. Hated it. Did more grad school and when the contract work dried up I got asked to come work for another company but I still hated the bs corporate vibe, so instead I went from billing $80/hr to making $15/hr as a 911 dispatcher. Graduated and stayed in that field. I’m an emergency management professional now and while it’s not a lucrative field (thankfully I don’t want kids) I get a lot of satisfaction out of the work and I feel like my job matters.

Long story short, you choose what to prioritize in life. For some people making sure you/your family is well cared for will matter more than what you’re doing or who you’re doing it for. For others, you’ll take a pay cut to feel like the work itself matters or that you’re making a positive impact. Everyone has to balance what’s important to them.

OP, If morally aligning with your job matters to you, you’ll ultimately land somewhere you can stomach at least, because you won’t stop trying until you get there. Don’t blame yourself for having to do other work along the way to keep yourself fed and able to enjoy the ride there.

For some people it’s take that job or starve. It’s nice that you live somewhere that gives you options but for a lot of people the only places hiring are morally questionable.

Hahaha I grew up in a very conservative house in the South. Most of what I said before college was embarrassing.

I’m better now.

Must be why she’s so good at it!

Oh don’t feel bad for us. It’s also hotter than hell with 115% humidity every day for 7-9 months!

23 miles door to door for me. Can take as little as a half hour (zero traffic)… Or as much as an hour 20. And good luck predicting exactly how bad it will be at any given day/time!

Also in the greater Atlanta and can confirm. My job thankfully has me work from home as much as I can (I also travel a lot, which requires getting a vehicle from the office). But it’s still a nightmare every time I do have to go in.