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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51122665

Why would someone with a good job want to leave, and still be afraid to quit?

Hey, I'm Damon. I’m 31, and I work as a chip engineer in Shenzhen, China. The pay is decent, and I get weekends off—at least on paper.But is this job really as good as it sounds?

This Sunday, my girlfriend and I spend the afternoon at a free public library near my home. Along the way, I will share you how I entered China’s chip industry, what this job has given me, why leaving feels so risky, and how work has shaped our plans for marriage after 17 years together.

If a job gave you stability but kept taking away your time, would you stay? What would you do in my position?

Chapters: 00:00 - A “Good Job” at 31: Why I’m Afraid to Quit 00:47 - A Free Public Library: Why I Study Here Every Sunday 01:54 - I Got Lucky: From Physics to China’s Chip Industry 03:12 - Why I Quit My First Job and Moved to Shenzhen 04:12 - 9-to-6 on Paper, 24/7 On Call in Reality 05:37 - Planning My Next Move—Without Quitting My Job 06:40 - A Library Card in Minutes: Borrowing and Disinfecting Books 07:20 - 17 Years Together: Why We Still Haven’t Married 09:11 - Another Sunday Goodbye: Coming Home Alone 09:48 - One Last Run Before Monday

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[-] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

This Sunday, my girlfriend and I spend the afternoon at a free public library near my home.

[-] manuallybreathing@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago

By the time I was 31, I had lost the job I held for 8 years, lost a job I had for 1 year, lost another 1 year job, and was working 4 week contracts doing the same work under different job titles dor 3 years, with another 2 part time jobs comming and going in there as well

Since then I've been unemployed for 18 months, and worked 3 other casual jobs

I've seen videos of people doing the work I do now, from China, they work in cleaner, safer environments, with fully functioning tools. I get paid more, and the money I pay in tax funds a genocide.

This is interesting, thanks for sharing

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If a job gave you stability but kept taking away your time, would you stay? What would you do in my position?

Maybe I’d get a different job. Leaving the private tech industry is “risky” insomuch as he might have to take a job that paid less, like for instance working as a teacher, which is what he said he probably would have done had he not been in the right place at the right time when he entered the workforce. The industry he’s in pays very well but is very competitive and demanding. Money isn’t everything.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

it fascinates me to no end that the work hours he describes are illegal in the country, but so pervasive nonetheless that its effects are transparently reflected on rednote and weibo.

like @manuallybreathing@lemmy.ml i too have had to jump from job to job and i always attributed the lack of stability as the result of the epstein classes' short term outlooks; but seeing a country full of people w significantly stronger social safety nets as well as significantly expanded worker protections have just as much instability driven angst as much as i do has been eye opening and troubling.

The industry he’s in pays very well but is very competitive and demanding. Money isn’t everything.

i'm no longer in such an industry myself and my current job is significantly below market rate for my skillset so i can attest that the lack nor abundance of competitiveness and/or demand have any bearing on the precariousness of work in this country.

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 5 points 23 hours ago

My understanding is that it’s pervasive only in certain tech industries in certain special economic zones, so on the whole it’s uncommon.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 2 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

i was aware of those economic zones and i sooth my anxiety with the conclusion that it's the social expectations related to making the most money that is driving up the angst of the workers within the closest thing that this world has to a workers paradise instead of a dysfunctional short-term oriented job market that i'm forced to contend with to keep a roof over my head and food on the table.

[-] suff@piefed.social 0 points 1 day ago

Unexpectedly transparent straight from within China 🤔

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day ago

It’s only surprising if you believe Western propaganda about China being a hermit kingdom.

this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2026
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