r/Advice•
connie_art

Should I switch jobs?

Basically… I’m (25F) currently working 30 hours in food service, it’s extremely hectic serving food, clearing tables, washing up, till, barista, serving drinks (all table service, massive space, very busy). Currently I’m living at home with my parents so financially I’m pretty ok right now and my savings are going up at a decent pace in hopes I can move out in a few years. I’m lucky enough that I get in really well with my parents and they enjoy the company, it’s a nice area so I’m not desperately saving up money to move out or anything (at least not right now). My current focus- for my whole twenties really- is less financial and more about time. I have a Masters degree in Illustration and have big creative dreams, I’m currently working on some passion projects I’m hoping will take off some day but unfortunately I’m so mentally and physically exhausted after work that most days I just go home and straight to bed instead of working in my dreams. My biggest fear is spending my entire life never accomplishing any of my creative dreams… I just don’t know what job I can do besides food service as I dedicated my entire school era to learning art for my personal goals and don’t have anything else I’m good at or any other skills for better jobs. I really went all in on art, and I am proud of my work but I do need a decent job for some stable income alongside that.

My current job may be tiring but I do really love days I’m scheduled to be the barista, it makes me feel a bit more creative doing cute latte art and seeing the customers brighten up when they see it. There’s a barista job going near me at a local Starbucks situated at a train station, very friendly staff but it’s part time at 20 hours a week… honestly part of me is desperate to work 20 hours, that’d give me so much more time and energy to get my art dreams rolling and I’ll get to make drink’s exclusively. It’s SO much smaller than where I currently work which sounds amazing but the other side of me is going “you’re so lazy! 20 hours a week as an adult? Get your life together!” You know? I already feel guilty I’m living with my parents at 25 years old… They’re lovely and tell me all the time not to worry as I’m not unwanted, I do pay them affordable rent and help out at home and they say I can stay with them forever if I want and they’ll be very chill with it but I dunno. Societal expectations and all that I guess, it gets to me a lot. I could never move out by myself though I’d get so lonely, living alone would be so expensive too I’d have to work a lot more hours and never get the motivation to draw. I’m also asexual/aromantic so a partner is absolutely out of the question, might sound odd but to me I can’t imagine anything worse as someone who loves her own space. All I ever want to do in my free time is draw alone and explore alone, so a partner would never work out anyway. But I’m rambling!

So do I apply to this 20 hour Starbucks position? Is 20 hours ridiculous or do you think prioritising the extra time for art is a good idea? I mean I might absolutely hate it, does anyone have experience working at a Starbucks? I don’t know if it can be much worse than my current day job, and even then I don’t mind where I work it’s just so exhausting when it’s busy and I do want to be a barista more specifically. Working long hours and saving lots of money for a house… That seems to be the expectation for what we should be doing with life and I feel guilty and lazy even for wanting to work less. But I kinda want to go for it and save up slowly through my twenties, prioritise my passion projects and if they absolutely fail THEN I can start looking for full time positions and get a move on financially. I guess? Or is this really childish?

Posted Mar 4, 2026, 10:36 PM UTC

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