People Who Wouldn't Quit Their Job If They Won The Lottery Explain What They Do
Reddit user BITE_AU_CHOCOLAT asked: 'People who wouldn't quit their job even if you won the lottery, what's your job?'
A lot of workers daydream about some day winning the lottery and being able to say goodbye to their job.
Far too many workers are unhappy with their job duties, workplace dynamics or company culture.
But with a taste for luxuries like housing and food, they keep plugging away, year after year.
However not everyone feels that way about their job.
So what are these compelling careers?
Reddit user BITE_AU_CHOCOLAT asked:
"People who wouldn't quit their job even if you won the lottery, what's your job?"
Cup Of Joe
"Barista is my main regular job."
"I f*cking love it."
"I love being able to talk to people all day and making cute little swans or whatever in people's drinks."
~ Low_Perception9046
Cleaning Up
"Janitor."
"Hours are good, work is easy, people are mostly nice."
"Something to keep me busy."
~ IHate2ChooseUserName
Fun With Chemistry
"I develop chemical sensors."
"I would buy the company and work half time."
"The joy of solving the types of problems that come up is fun."
~ BadDadWhy
Helping Children
"When I win the lottery I’ll still work but I’ll probably go to part time."
"I work with children with special needs—my job is rewarding and special."
"I love working with kids."
"Plus I’m too young to 'retire' and not work, I’ll get bored."
~ No-Section3226
Doing Dos
"I do hair."
"Love it!"
"Gives me purpose."
~ Hyperboleballad
Feeding The Hungry
"I'm actually a chef at my local homeless shelter."
"My dream job, even with an advanced degree."
"I'd not quit this if I won 3 lotteries."
"I would, however, cut a fat check to my organization and my sister organizations."
~ subwooferofthehose
Angel Of Mercy
"Nursing."
"I kind of still like it."
"I'd probably back off to part time if I won big."
~ LadyVaresa
Sweet Beats
"I'm a musician."
"Basically I have what for most people is a dream job, which makes me a non-representative specimen."
"On the other hand, I still occasionally work as a paramedic, and as rewarding as that job can be, I'm mostly doing it when I want to grab some extra cash."
"I'd probably let my certs expire if I was rich."
~ loose_lady_lutenist
Healing
"I'm a doctor."
"A great portion of my income is already donated to my hospital's program that expands access to low-income patients."
"I'd probably give 100% of my income to the program if I won and use the lottery winnings for living."
~ Shiblets
DIY
"I recondition (light remodeling) apartments after tenants move out."
"I’m alone all day and I can listen to podcasts or books, the work is very satisfying to me, and as a woman I’ve loved learning HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work as I use the experience in my own home when things break/need updating."
"I would go crazy without working anyway but I really do love my job."
~ Dependent-Bass-2043
All Creatures Great And Small
"Kennel attendant."
"I’ll never willingly turn my back on these animals."
~ RathGodofWar
No Business Like Show Business
"I’m the Assistant Director for a Children’s Theatre."
"It’s really not something you do for the money."
"You do it because you love it and can’t imagine your life without it."
~ RamblingsOfaMadCat
Fostering Futures
"I work in addiction recovery."
"It means a lot to me."
"I wouldn’t quit if I won the lottery, but I would go part time."
~ randtcouple
A Stitch In Time
"I teach people how to sew, mostly kids but we have a few adult classes as well."
"It is stressful but also so rewarding to see a room full of people who have learned a skill from you and can take home a bunch of goodies."
"Sewing is a dying skill so we need to teach it more!"
~ Interesting-Chest520
Saving Lives
"National Suicide Prevention Lifeline."
"I love the job. It’s stressful at times but also very rewarding."
~ MaryKathGallagher
Many people stated they might cut back to part-time or donate their salary, but a significant number of people had no plans to stop working.
However some would change their job focus or profession.
So, would you keep working after a lottery win?
Friends Of People Who Won The Lottery Describe What Happened After They Got The Money
Most of us have had one of those fantasies about all the magical things we would do if we won the lottery, like starting an antique car collection, buying a mansion, or even more humbly paying off their or their family's debt.
But most of us have limited knowledge about what it's actually like to win the lottery or what their lives look like after winning.
Redditor RivalxGames asked:
"Have you ever actually met or known someone who has won the lottery? What happened to them?"
Cottage Core
"Friends of ours won 30 million dollars. They took a group of us on vacation. Then they bought a cottage and built a house."
"Not much really changed. They are doing great."
- Blondefarmgirl
Responsible Purchases
"My MIL (Mother-in-Law) won $33k on a scratch-off. She paid off some debt and got new windows installed on her house. The new windows in an 1890s farmhouse are amazing, don't think I've seen a happier woman!"
- CaseyBoogies
Spending Where It Matters
"I knew a welder who won a 30 million jackpot."
"He retired, bought two Ford GTs, and spends his time doing yard work, playing low-stakes poker tournaments, and raising his two young kids."
"His wife bought a crib from me used for their second child."
- PigStickerOnStone
Two Kinds of People
"I've known two people who won, actually."
"One was a friend of mine in high school who won $15k on a scratch-and-win. She rented a house downtown and threw a party."
"Somebody said I should stop by and check in on her, because they'd been down to the party and hardly recognized anybody."
"Sure enough, I got there, my friend met me at the door, put waaay too much money in my hands, and told me to go get a bottle of wine. She just partied with whoever was around until it was gone, which took about three weeks."
"Next was a friend of mine from Toronto who is mostly known for doing zombie walks. She won a 'cash for life' dealio and I think it's around ten thousand a month. She bought a theremin and started making 50s-style monster movies and is generally living a high-rolling rockabilly lifestyle."
- greihund
It's All About the Goats
"My neighbor won the lottery in his sixties, it was something like 1.2 million in the late '90s. We lived in a trailer park in a rural part of the US, a pretty low-cost-of-living area so the money stretched pretty far."
"He bought his trailer and land outright with the money and pretty much just spent every day drinking on his porch and yelling at his goats."
"If I remember correctly, he used a good chunk of what he won to put his son and grandkids through college. Died of liver failure at 85 or something. Not a terrible way to do it, all said and done."
- Kahazzarran
Oh, the Irony
"A neighbor won a few million, built an old folks home, named it after his mother, and she refused to live there."
- pascontent
People Letting Their True Colors Show
"Someone got 30k or something. Not too much, not too less. She got a lot of hate for not 'sharing her riches' whatever the f**k that means."
- Eveleyn
Family Matters
"I did see news footage before of someone in the US, I believe, who won a huge amount but somehow they worked it out that they could wear a 'Scream' mask or some sort of Halloween mask to the check pick up and photo session. And I can't blame that person at all."
"My favorite was I saw a legit story about an older woman who lived in a trailer park who won several million at least in the lottery."
"Her kids quietly moved her out of the trailer once they saw the ticket at her place and knew she won, they found her a new home in some retirement condo community that was nice with extra amenities and they packed all her stuff up for her. Whatever they didn't take from her trailer they just donated out and sold for her and sold the trailer off."
"Because they did not want her going back there after everybody found out she won all that money, especially when she was older and more likely to be manipulated with sob stories or demands."
"Some of the neighbors went on about how sad they were they never got to say goodbye and fair game, I can believe the odd one was sad. But I suspect most were sad they didn't get to see her to ask for a cut of that money or ask her if she could just help them all out."
- Dancingskeletonman86
Bragging Rights
"Technically, a kid from school's parents won a few hundred thousand. His parents were chill, and acted like they had the same money as before, but the kid was acting like a baller."
BaldEaglz1776
Romanticizing Life
"My aunt's husband won $36 million. They bought property and traveled. He liked to fish and drink and build stuff. He passed away three years ago, but he was an awesome dude."
Unable-Astronaut-677
Keeping It Simple
"I know two people who have won significant sums (well, significant for me)."
"The first guy won $100k back in the early 2000s. He and his wife agreed to split it between them. She bought a car. He slowly lost most of his half over the course of a couple of years playing in poker tournaments."
"The other people aren't friends, but I see them a few times a year. They won $61 million in 2013. They bought a home i my mom's neighborhood (lakeside property, but priced in the $200k - $500k range back in 2013, depending on which lot)."
"I'd met them several times before finding out that they were 'screw you' rich. You'd never know they were more than a regular retired couple who had enough money in the bank to take cruises and such. They are some of the most down-to-earth people I know; nice cars, but nothing fancy, etc."
- Nythoren
Blasts from the Past
"I had a patient, a hairdresser who owned her own shop, who won about 6 million. Her winnings were announced in the local newspaper."
"She consulted the right professionals, worked a plan to sell her salon, and mapped a way to retire on her winnings without a change in her lifestyle."
"But she told me that she had old boyfriends, and even guys that barely knew her in high school, who called her with some variation of, 'You know, I always loved you...'"
"She just laughed and blew them off."
- Earguy
An Epic Pizzy Party
"I worked with a guy who won like $3k/week for life on a scratch-off. He continued working for like six months before he bought a truck and went and lived the O/O life in the oil fields of North Dakota. He bought everyone pizza on his last day."
- 0100100012635
Keeping It Humble
"A friend won 1 million. They paid off their house. Saved for their kids' education and basically don’t live paycheque to paycheque anymore. Both of them still work full-time."
- hornblower_83
That Darn Pandemic
"I met a girl at a party shortly after the pandemic who won 1 million pounds. She won it about six months before the pandemic hit. Her parents are already millionaires and her dad convinced her to put more than half of it into reliable stocks."
"She also planned a huge family holiday all around Asia... Well, the pandemic hit, canceled the holiday and disintegrated all her shares."
"She said she bought a house for 200k, a new car for 20k and she has about 100k left, and still has her same job."
- TheBrazenBeast
While some of these were extravagant by everyday standards, most of them were heartwarming in how the person continued to lead a simple, if not also humble, life after winning a large cash prize.
It's a great reminder that while money can afford someone stability, that money doesn't necessarily equate with happiness.
One stands a better chance of being struck by lightning multiple times than they do of winning the lottery.
With the odds standing at roughly one and 175 million.
Even in spite of these extremely low odds, however, people continue to spend money on lottery tickets, in the hopes that they might take home the big bucks.
And as they leave the bodega or gas station with their lottery tickets, they contemplate how they'll spend their winnings when they cash in the check.
Some are more practically minded, and plan on either saving the money or putting it to good use.
While others dream much bigger, and plan to spend it all as quickly as possible.
"What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?"
Must Be Too Good To Be True...
"Double check, then triple check, then still believe it was a mistake."- 1100redonions
Make Sure It's In Good Hands
"Lawyer."- Catacomb82
Moochers Be Gone...
"Not tell anyone."- Spiffy@ssSam
Escape!
"I would go on one of those six-month around the world cruises and not tell anyone but immediate family."
"Hopefully by the time I’m back stateside, everyone else has assumed I’m dead."
"Then I’d move to whichever city I liked best from that cruise."
"I fully expect this to happen despite never buying a ticket."- alexy8s·
No Judgement Here...
"Buy the Lego Imperial Star Destroyer."- matkins70
Chillax...
"Claim it and book myself a nice hotel room."
"Sleep and resign from work."- elleccceee
When In Doubt...
"Open that reddit thread that goes in detail on what to do."- gresgolas
It's worth noting, those lucky few who do win the lottery, against the odds, usually blow their winnings in a shockingly short amount of time.
Sometimes even finding themselves even worse off financially than when they were before.
Making one wonder if we're better off dreaming of winning, than ever finding ourselves in the reality...
People Debate The First Thing They'd Do If They Woke Up With A Billion Dollars In The Bank
Haven't we all wondered what we'd do if we had a billion dollars in the bank?
Of course we have. They say that "money can't buy happiness" but we all know that that's ridiculous. The truth is that having enough money would solve most of the average person's problems, especially when their problems typically revolve around making sure that they can pay all their bills on time and keep a roof over their heads.
People told us what they'd do if they could only be so lucky once Redditor Stef4nos asked the online community:
"You suddenly wake up a Billionaire. What do you do?"
"Nothing..."
"Nothing until I’m sure it wasn’t a bank error."
maxpower7833
Ah, a smart person here. Yes, best be careful!
"Transfer it..."
"Transfer it off shore, pull enough out for a new identity, and set up a new life in a non extradition country, and continue living my life as normal. If no one comes looking for it, I can always transfer it back. But if they start asking about it, poof."
[deleted]
Well, well, well... it definitely sounds like you've thought about this a lot.
"Go back..."
"Go back to sleep. I can deal with this sh*t later."
OK_whenever_Buddy
Correction: You can afford to deal with this sh*t later.
"Apologize..."
"Apologize for waking him."
[deleted]
Ah, we see what you did there.
Smart-aleck.
"Going back to sleep..."
"Going back to sleep since I don't have to go to work."
[deleted]
Hey, hey... when you're right, you're right.
"Find a few..."
"Find a few really good lawyers and financial advisors to keep me on the straight and narrow."
jasperfilofax
Definitely the wisest option. Some people would make so many mistakes.
"I’d hire lawyers and financial advisers to keep an eye on my lawyers and financial advisers and hire a company to audit the lawyers and financial advisers who were hired to keep an eye on my original lawyers and financial advisers and then hire another company to audit the auditors who are auditing the lawyers and financial advisers who were hired to keep an eye on the lawyers and financial advisers I originally hired to manage my money. Then, maybe at that point I could enjoy being a billionaire."
Duality-is-my-prison
It's lawyers and financial advisers all the way down!
"Fill..."
"Fill my gas tank all the way up."
Parhel
Wow, look at Mr. Moneybags here! What's next? Not carrying around a credit card balance?
"Wouldn't it be cool..."
"Wouldn't it be cool to dump like a million dollars in an account and set ALL your bills to auto pay and just forget about them for years?"
theangryintern
And after that you’d still have $999 million to spend.
"Do what I usually do..."
"Do what I usually do but with a smile on my face."
i-like-eating-tacos
This is a good answer. Because if you suddenly got a billion bucks on your bank account (or worse, in cash), you will live in danger if you start talking about it or acting rich.
But smiling and doing what you usually do is the way to go, until your money is locked up in real estate and other investments.
The sky's the limit, people. Though at this rate you might have a better chance of getting a billion dollars if you eat the rich.
They've given us enough of a reason.
Have some thoughts of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!
As a mom of three who is into awesome stuff, I have watched a LOT of Backyardigans—like I've watched it enough that I now own all four seasons on YouTube just to make my life easy.
Uniqua's "Into The Thick Of It" had a moment on TikTok not long ago, but I assure you it is far from the only bop on that show. I'm partial to the whole secret agent limbo moose thing, myself. But there's something to be said about Tasha's "I Quit" song.
And that something is that it belongs on this list.
I quit a job working for my ex husband (long story, not for this article, but girl I know. That's what I get for saying yes to begin with.) by singing the "I Quit" song. And dancing along. With pom poms.
What can I say, when I do something I do it big.
Reddit user MAinSBmUrKin asked:
"You just won the lotto! How do you quit your job?"
Reddit ... you make me proud with how big you'd do it if you won the lottery and could quit. It brings a tear to my melodramatic eye.
Send Another Agent
"If I won the lotto big time I would hire actors and a helicopter."
"Towards the end of my shift I would have a helicopter land in our parking lot. Wind blowing everything in sight, rotors blasting noise that the whole warehouse hears. Obviously we go outside to check it out."
"Once the dust clears and the rotors die down 3 individuals step out all wearing black. Two of which are hot ladies in military jumpsuits looking like movie stars. The last one is a Nick Fury type. Trench coat, eye patch, and stone cold face that makes you look away."
"All 3 walk toward us. It's revealed to my co-worker's that they are seeking me and it's an emergency. I step to the front, walk towards Fury."
"Me: How did you find me?"
"Fury: Come on agent Jack. You'd think we'll let our best agent go and not know about his whereabouts? I do have to confess. It was a bitch trying to find you but nothing our agency can't do."
"Me: What do you want?"
"Fury: Remember Dr. Xavier? Well his daughter has been kidnapped by the black order. We both know what that means."
"Me: I told you. I put that life behind me. I've paid my dues. Send in someone else. *turns around and walks away*"
"Fury: We did and he needs your help too. Your partner is stuck behind enemy lines."
"Me: *stops and turns around * Agent Johnson?. . ."
"Fury: We don't have time to waste."
"Then all four of us board the helicopter and fly away as I look down on all my jaw dropped coworkers lol. The end."
- TheDreamer_
GiphyLet The Games Begin
"I don't, I buy the company then let the games begin"
- alrighttreacle11
"If you buy the company, you are legally required to do exactly what Jeremy Piven's character did in Entourage. Go through the building with a paintball gun and shoot everyone you don’t like to tell them they’re fired."
- pedote17
"Buy the business and tell nobody."
"I would keep working the same position. Then bitch about company policy with my colleagues to get an idea on how to change the business for the better."
- jibjabblack
"Dad did something similar."
"Was testing out a company, on paper it looked good so he went and talked to the owner, got invited to basically be a recruit and learn the ropes. He met everyone under the guise of a 'new guy' and learned about their work ethic over two months."
"Bought the company and made changes lol"
- HowDoIRun
GiphyChoreography
"A large choreographed musical number based loosely around the song 'Take this job and shove it.' "
"I’m talking dancers, confetti cannons, the works. The dancers would be cowboy themed strippers both male and female and I'd have an extra large sheet cake that has my letter of resignation printed on it."
"All of this would go down during semiannual lead meeting. All of this professionally filmed for posterity."
- UponADarkHorse
"I love that you included male cowboy strippers. My gay ass would be in heaven and it'd be the best day at work I've ever had."
- bearbarebere
"Then quietly re-apply for the job after realizing that you blew your winnings on a dance troupe?"
- EpicRedditor_
GiphyWorking For The Weekend
"I wouldn't. I'd show up but do nothing and just keep doing nothing while executives grow increasingly frustrated in their inability to get me to do something."
"Then when they send an HR stooge to term me, I'd fart loud, unstifled bombs that rattle the windows with their shockwaves and a stench that peels paint."
"I'd make them go through the trouble of getting the COBRA paperwork and then make a paper airplane out of it."
"As I'm walked out by security, I'll sing Working for the Weekend or something that'll be stuck in their head for days."
- PlanetBarfly
GiphyCasual Upgrades
"I wouldn't quit right away. I've got some people to mess with first."
"I’d act like nothing happened, but slowly start to introduce randomly expensive upgrades to my day to day. One day I’ll show up with an expensive watch, maybe some expensive clothes."
"Finally, I'd roll up in a car that is clearly too expensive for my salary. All while acting completely normal and nonchalant."
"I know that there would be a few people in the office that this would drive crazy."
- branduzzi
GiphyClowned By The 'Dream' Gig
"I would hire a man in a clown costume to go in and sit at my desk quietly and insist he is me until I get fired."
"At that moment the clown would take of his clown clothes to reveal an FBI uniform. I would then watch my bosses sweat from the live feed that I paid my favourite colleage way too much to film."
"They have some shady ass practices and I know the FBI would terrify them."
"A mariachi band would then enter playing their spin on that 'abcdefu' song that's been trending whilst the clown/fbi agent hands out big wads of cash to everyone in the office minus the management and that one dude who was a douche to me."
"I will then realize that I spent way to much on this elaborate plan and go back to working at dominoes because turns out that was more fun and payed better than my 'dream' gig."
- Ok-Replacement8864
GiphyNDA
"I work in IT, so my plan for when I win lifechanging money, is to tell people I had a job offer with a big consulting agency as a Senior [redacted]."
"This will explain:"
"The nicer car ('it’s a company car')"
"The frequent trips ('oh yeah, they’re sending me to Hawaii next month for a few weeks…' 'I know, it’s crazy, I hope to get some time to chill out.')"
"The nicer house ('well, they pay a lot extra because of the international travel, so I can finally afford buying a house!')"
"Plus, I can always cite NDAs as the reason for them never seeing any of my work ('They work with aerospace, it’s an internal project I can’t talk about.') "
"I don’t want anyone to know about me being rich."
- PerjorativeWokeness
GiphyThe Unexpected Reality
"I did win the lottery!"
"I texted my boss and told him I would stay until he could find a replacement. He wouldn’t accept my resignation and instead sold me half the business."
"I’ll buy the rest when he retires because he has no family to pass it on to."
- Early_Government198
GiphyWhen You Love Your Boss
"Sadly tell my boss that I’m quitting, but also that I’m giving her a bit of the money."
"My boss is an absolutely wonderful woman who owns a small business, immensely helps our community, pays me well, and has had my back during several hardships."
"I’m her only employee and I couldn’t just leave her high and dry."
- lilbeany
"I’m not gonna lie, I would wait until I received a little of my money and quit by giving my direct boss a little money to help with her mother and then peace out."
"My boss has been very selfless with me taking off many days due to personal illness I deal with and has never made me feel bad for it. She is very supportive, covers for us if we need to be out, and goes to bat for us when problems come up with other departments."
"She does that all while doing her office manager duties in 3 of our locations and taking care of her elderly mom full time."
"She’s exhausted and I wish someone would just drop her a lump sum of money for an in home care giver or something so she could just breathe for once."
- kjolyn
GiphyThe New Boss
"I actually love my job - but that doesn't mean I wouldn't quit."
"Supposing I made enough money to, I would buy enough of the company to have a controlling majority and give two weeks notice that I quit my current position."
"Then go change into a suit and walk back in as the new boss."
"As long as I could do it and hide my identity as the new controlling majority til the day I quit I'd like to do it this way."
- knox1138
GiphyOf course for a lot of people the answer was that they just wouldn't quit.
These quitting fantasies might be fun to think about, but for the most part quitting doesn't seem to work well for winners.
The reality of being a lottery winner is often darker and more difficult than you'd think. The ones who seem to do best are the ones who don't tell anyone that they won and just continued living as close to a normal life as possible.
The ones who didn't ... well ...
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