The job thing is interesting to me.
I remember reading about a guy who was a janitor all his life. Never bought a new car, never owned nice clothes. People assumed he was some loser. But then after he retired, it was discovered that he was actually quite wealthy, with a net worth well north of a few million. His janitor pay may have been low, but he saved all he made, and also invested some wisely.
I think of that story often when I think of "bad" jobs.
It always reminds me of the Zen saying:
Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water.
After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.
The idea is before enlightenment we hate the work. We are angry at it. We wish we could be rich and comfortable, some great prince living in comfort and surrounded by beautiful women. But no, we have to do this stupid humbling work that makes us feel like a loser. Our attitude makes this work our own personal hell.
But after enlightenment, we still have to work, but now we see how the work itself is part of the universe and that doing this work is just as valuable as anything else. There is no longer any need or desire to escape from the work, because we embrace it.
Ok... the metaphor breaks down when I try to apply that saving to a dead-end job. Haha. But maybe you can see where I'm coming from. If people would adjust their attitude towards work, they would see that even low-paying jobs that seem "beneath them" still pay, and we can use that money to invest.
That also reminds me of a gif I saw recently comparing buying a $5 coffee at Starbucks daily to investing $5 daily in Starbucks stock over a period of 20 years. I don't remember the math offhand, but it showed how one left you in the hole thousands of dollars while one led to impressive gains.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble here. Just a few things that popped in my head as I read your post.
And rambling is fine by me!
Your janitor story reminds me of a friend's parents who ran a corner store in Australia. In India, they were wealthy. My friend ended up being a lawyer with a staff of 50+ and his brother a doctor :)
That is one of my favourite quotes btw!
I like your take on it. I take a slightly different view, where regardless of enlightened or not, our needs still need to be met and the work for that doesn't change.