On Working Three Days a Week
Since 2017, I've been mostly working 3 days a week - first as an employee and now as a freelancer. This means that I'm blocked from key positions (though not as much since I started freelance), and that I earn much less money than I could.
It's worth it.
After 4-5 years as a software developer, working full-time, I've been told that I "look grey". I didn't have energy for much outside of work, and it felt like my job was the biggest part of my life. It was always present in my mind. I wanted to change that.
Also, I'm lucky enough to be in a convenient position economically - on the one hand, I'm working in a well-paying profession. On the other, I do not have nor do I want kids, so I do not have the biggest expense other people my age have.
With this in mind, I understood that I could live nicely with a 40% cut to my salary (less than 40% after taxes), and that it's probably the healthy thing for me to do.
So I... started working full-time at a friend's startup. It took me a few months to understand that this was a mistake. After six months of workin there, I quit, rested a little and started looking for my first part-time position.
It took me months to find that first position - both because part-time is very unusual in this industry where I'm from, and because I listened to recruiters who told me to "interview, make a good impression, and only then talk about working part-time" (which, of course, was a waste of time to both sides). In the end, I found it - and worked, alternating between 60% and 70% position, for more than two years.
The next positions were much easier to find - maybe because I had more professional experience.
I've been mainly working as a software developer and didn't progress to software architecture or any other role, because who'll take someone for such key positions for three days a week? This was partially solved as a freelancer - I can now sometimes find architecture and mentoring projects.
So now I have a four days weekend, and lots of free time. I can't say I optimize it very well, but it's much better to be in a position where it's my fault, where I could change this, than in one where the lack of time and energy just won't allow me to do much.
I'm very lucky to be able to have this lifestyle, and I know that not everyone can, or should, do that.
If you'd like to try, I'll upload a post with things to consider tomorrow, which I hope will be helpful in helping you make this decision. Also, if you consider this or have any question, feel free to email me.
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