Most people can identify what a mid-life crisis looks like, but fewer can immediately pinpoint a quarter life crisis. Millennials and Gen Zs have developed an entirely different relationship to a work-life balance than those who came before them, and it can often result in quite a bit of friction.

How would you handle hitting a milestone birthday and realizing the life path you were on is wrong for you? One guy recently shared his woes about his current situation with Reddit. Here’s what he said.

Turning 30 next month and realizing i’m trading my entire youth for money. I’m out.

I am currently working a tiring full time schedule under a toxic, unstable manager.

My entire life has shrunk to: wake up, go to work, sleep, repeat.

I feel completely trapped.

And that’s no way to live.

​I’m turning 30 next month, and the realization finally hit me: I don’t want to wake up at 40 realizing I forgot to live because I was too obsessed with chasing money.

I’m living in Central Europe, and while the money and safety are great, the lifestyle is entirely centered around work.

I have no time for a life, no energy to enjoy anything, and I feel like my best years are passing me by.

He’s likely barely exaggerating honestly.

​So, I’ve made a dramatic decision that is finally giving me some mental peace: I am resigning from full-time employment at the start of next year.

​I’ve managed to save and invest carefully over the last few years to build a decent passive income.

Sounds like a pretty solid plan.

My plan is to relocate to an energetic, lower cost-of-living city in South America where I can finally live to the fullest with less financial stress.

My plan is to come back to Europe to work for like 4 months a year to save up cash and grow my capital, and then leave to live happily and in total freedom for the rest of the year.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a Glassdoor review that had an unexpected impact on hiring.

This guy sounds like he may have found a light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s see if the Reddit community agreed.

The comments section immediately jumped to support this plan.

Others gave some shrewd financial advice.

One person advised on where he should live.

Another mourned the reality of the new world.

However, one person dragged him pretty hard.

Working to live is valid, living to work is not.