I'm a 20 y/o college drop out making $60000/year with a 401(k) however it's not like I thought it would be

Hey guys, I feel like I don't really see much people my age in this sub so I thought I'd share my thoughts on my first job.<br><br><br>After high school I got in a good university but ended up dropping out after the first semester. I applied for a ton of different jobs and after a lot of rejections I got one at a large financial institution. It's been 2 years and a half now since I got in and it's been a wild ride with a lot of surprises. I'm not mad at my situation but I had some expectations that didn't quite live up to the reality.<br><br>**The good**<br><br>My pay went from $45000 when I first started to around $60000 today. After taxes, I take around $4200 home each month and after expenses I have around $1000 left over that I can save/invest each month. On top of that, I get 401(k) matching and 3 weeks of paid vacation. Considering the money and PTO that I get, I’m not complaining it's way better than what most of my friends get. <br><br>**The bad**<br><br>This is my first job out of high school and what I didn’t expect was how stressful and taxing it is to work 40 hours a week. I have less free time than I did in university! In the 3 years that I've been in this role, I've seen a lot of my coworkers burnout and quit. A lot of people I work with complain about not having work life balance, feeling overworked and exhausted, living for the weekend, etc etc. I personally find that I don’t have enough time for the things I enjoy or focus on my mental health. It also means I have less time to spend with my family and friends.<br><br>On top of that, I’m constantly worried about losing my job. The company I work for is constantly restructuring and laying people off. Beyond that, I don’t think a job like this is stable long term as AI and automation replace people like me.<br><br>**The conclusion** <br><br>I guess my point is that I thought having a high paying job would give me a good quality of life, but so far it hasn’t. The extra money I take home each month is nice and all but the cons of this job I feel outweigh the pros. I am now talking about quitting and trying to pursue a job that gives me better work life balance and stability but it feels scary and a bit stupid to give up a job that pays so well.<br><br>Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? Where do I go from here?<br><br>Also feel free to ask me any questions you have about my job situation, I'm happy to elaborate!