A mechanical engineer with more than six years of experience is so fed up with his job that he's asking Reddit if he should quit and deliver pizzas instead.
From Engineering to Delivery Driving
Posting to Reddit’s r/Salary forum, the engineer explained he's doing "the work of 3 engineers" while also covering manufacturing and quality roles. Despite begging his manager, chief financial officer and director of operations to hire help, he says they've refused, claiming "business is slow."
He currently makes $77,000 a year, but says it's not worth the toll on his health and mental well-being. "I just want a low-stress job. I think I'm developing an ulcer from the stress," he wrote. "Every single engineer we've had quit in the last 3 years hasn't been replaced."
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Even taking time off has become impossible. "They deny me taking PTO longer than a day so I can't even clear my head," he added.
Frustrated and burned out, the engineer is considering a dramatic change. He asked Reddit bluntly, "Pizza delivery drivers, do any of you make 50-60K?"
Pushing Back Without Quitting Yet
Responses flooded in from hundreds of Reddit users, most of whom strongly advised against leaving engineering entirely. Many instead urged him to "quiet quit"—a now-popular phrase that essentially means doing only the bare minimum required at work.
"Just don't work so much. The worst that could happen is they fire you and then they'll be in even worse shape," one commenter said. Another added, "I put my 40ish hours and I'm out. Whatever I get done is what gets done. If I miss a due date? Too bad."
The original poster seemed open to the idea, replying, "Not a terrible idea." He later admitted, "Only recently have I gotten to the point mentally that I actually consider getting fired a not so bad outcome."
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Job Hunt Fatigue
He says it's not like he hasn't tried to escape. Despite applying widely to utilities, project management, sales engineering, and more, he says the market has gone cold.
"I've looked everywhere," he explained. "Companies are super picky right now because basically everyone is slowing down."
He also clarified that while he's a mechanical engineer, he's seeing far more demand for electrical engineers, which has limited his options.
Delivery Earnings May Fall Short
Commenters were frank about the financial reality of delivery work. While a few said it's technically possible to hit $50,000–$60,000 a year with long hours and generous tips, most said it's rare.
"If we could make $60K a year delivering pizzas, we'd all do it," one person wrote. "You wouldn't see ‘now hiring' signs at every pizza place."
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Others warned of the wear and tear on vehicles, health issues from constantly being around fast food, and safety risks like robbery.
Still, a few outliers said they earned solid money doing deliveries or rideshare gigs. One claimed to make $83,000 driving for Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) and Uber (NYSE:UBER) full-time, calling it "low stress" but acknowledging that "the hours aren't much better" than his previous job.
Despite the criticism and advice, OP seems deeply burned out and emotionally drained. When one commenter suggested the job sounds like “Office Space,” the 1999 workplace satire film, he replied, "I wish my job was like Office Space. It's nonstop work and people hounding me and needing me for things for 10+ hours a day."
Image: Shutterstock
