I tell this not as a sermon but as an unvarnished report from the middle of my life. I chose stability and now earn 41,300 euros per year. That sentence changed how friends look at me. It also changed how I look at risk and ambition. There is no swagger here. There is a modest calm that comes from knowing the roof over your head is not negotiable every month.
Why I stopped hunting pins of opportunity and kept one secure peg
For years I treated career planning like a sport. I chased glowing job titles and side projects, convinced that one more portfolio entry would flip the world in my favor. Then the math of living happened. Rent went up. A family member needed time. The scale of anxiety attached to chasing rising but unpredictable income finally outweighed the romanticism of not being tied down.
The choice to prioritize a regular paycheck was not a moral decision. It was pragmatic, emotional, and slightly selfish. Pragmatic because predictable income let me plan more than emergency fixes. Emotional because the daily background hum of worry quieted. Selfish because stable work gave me time for other things I value and did not have to monetize immediately.
It is not about giving up on growth
I am not anti-ambition. Stability became a platform. With steady hours and predictable pay I started to invest in skills in a way that felt slow and sustainable. Instead of burning myself into the next shiny thing I began a two-year stretch of deliberate learning, one evening a week, that paid off not with explosive income but with steady, cumulative advantage.
What stability bought me that hustle never could
Let me say something unpopular. The instability economy sells freedom but often delivers unpaid hours, emotional exhaustion, and the constant handshake of auditioning for your next gig. Stability bought me fewer crises and more leeway to be boring. That leeway translated into better sleep, a calendar I could trust, and less time spent negotiating pay for every small job. Those are small things until they are not.
There is also a hidden fiscal logic. A predictable wage means better credit, easier bureaucracy with banks and landlords, and a lower cost of stress on decision making. When every month is not a ledger of survival, you think differently about investments and the future. That different thinking compounds.
An evidence touchstone
This is not just my feeling. Economists and labor researchers have pointed to the social value of regular employment even in age of platform work. Jan Hatzius Chief Economist Goldman Sachs observed that rapid structural shifts in hiring patterns are emerging and that early signs of labor market disruption deserve attention. That observation matters when you weigh stability against novelty.
Jan Hatzius Chief Economist Goldman Sachs This is not the main thing driving the labor market But we are seeing early signs.
How I climbed to 41,300 euros per year without grandstanding
The headline number is precise because I want the tradeoffs to feel real. I earned less before and more in unpredictable bursts. The slow road to this level required three linked moves. First I accepted a permanent role that matched my baseline competence. Second I said yes to internal projects that increased visibility without requiring me to flail into the freelance abyss. Third I spent earned time on incremental skill upgrades rather than continuous hustle marketing.
That combination produced a steady raise schedule and the kinds of internal promotions that often go to people who show up in consistent ways. The salary is not celebrity money. It is reliable middle tier income in many parts of Europe and it buys a life that feels anchored.
People misunderstand stability
Many assume stability equals stagnation. I see it as a base rhythm. When your foundation is sturdy you can try risky things without jeopardizing basic living. I started a small blog that never had to support me. It grew slowly. After two years the blog became a meaningful secondary income stream because I could take editorial risks that had real value but little short term payoff.
The cultural friction around choosing steady pay
There is a moralizing tone around hustle culture that pressures people into perpetual visibility and showmanship. Choosing a steady job often invites judgement from people who equate income peaks with virtue. I have been on the receiving end of that. I have also learned how to voice my own version of success out loud: predictable income, restored evenings, and the ability to say no without guilt.
There are costs. You might miss the adrenaline spike of a wildly successful launch. Some social circles will not understand your choice. You may have fewer tweets about dramatic exits. But you will have a quieter ledger of months where rent was paid on time and sleep was not a negotiable luxury.
Not everyone can or should choose the same path
This is personal preference disguised as career advice. Some people thrive in fluid unstable environments and invent value there. Others, like me, find their best work when the scaffolding is in place. The right answer is neither universal nor obvious. It is tied to personality temperament obligations and local economics.
What I would tell my younger self
I would say do less dramatic role switching early on. Build pockets of stability even if you crave novelty. Put safety nets around experimental projects. If you insist on the unstable route, fund it with a solid part time contract that covers essentials. There is elegance in doing one creative thing and one steady thing simultaneously instead of treating the two as mutually exclusive.
I would also tell my younger self to be less impressed by noise. Loud success often masks fragile foundations. Stability is quieter. That quiet lets you hear what your real priorities are.
Open-ended observations
Does my choice scale to everyone? No. Do I believe the rhetoric of the hustle is always wrong? No. I think our conversation about work needs more nuance. Too many think of stability as safety for old people and be more exotic for the young. I disagree. Predictability can be a radical act in an economy that prizes constant novelty.
| Key idea | What it delivers |
|---|---|
| Predictable paycheck | Lower anxiety better planning and cumulative financial clarity |
| Stable role plus side experiments | Space to fail safely and build real skills |
| Incremental learning | Slow compound advantage rather than volatile spikes |
| Visible but measured ambition | Career growth without perpetual crisis |
FAQ
How do I decide between a stable job and a freelance path
Start by mapping obligations and risk tolerance. If your month to month survival depends on income then stability should be prioritized. If you have a buffer and crave experimentation then a freelance route can be reasonable. Think in seasons not absolutes. Try a year of stability with a clear plan for side experiments and reassess.
Will choosing stability limit my long term earning potential
Not necessarily. Stability can be a platform for compounding skills and reputation. People in steady roles often climb into leadership or specialist lanes that pay significantly more. The crucial factor is deliberate skill acquisition and visibility inside an organization. Stability should not become complacency. Keep investing in growth even as you enjoy predictability.
Can I switch from stability to entrepreneurship later
Yes. Many entrepreneurs begin from stable roles. That path gives you the capital time and mental space to plan, pilot, and iterate. Use your stability to build a safety net before you leap. That does not eliminate risk but it makes risk manageable.
How do I explain this choice to friends who value hustle
Be honest and specific. Talk about the things stability enables rather than defending your decision philosophically. Practical examples are persuasive: more sleep better mental bandwidth and the ability to help family members. Most people understand tradeoffs when they hear them in human terms.
Is 41,300 euros per year enough
It depends on location obligations and expectations. In many places it allows a comfortable middle class life with prudent budgeting. The point is less the number and more the quality of life it produced for me. Stability turned numbers into a reliable foundation.
How do I keep growing inside a stable role
Volunteer for cross functional projects ask for feedback and dedicate time to one or two marketable skills. Slow deliberate progress often beats frantic reinvention. Keep a small portfolio of achievements that show measurable impact and revisit compensation conversations prepared with evidence.
