Drop highest paying client to focus on university?

[pablo_aka_god]

I've been thinking about this issue for the entire year because it has conflicting interests it's really hard for me to make a decision.

I will be totally honest and try to summarize my situation here:

I'm a single 30Y, live in Argentina and work as a remote contractor for US companies as an AI engineer/developer.

Net worth: 53K USD in stocks, bonds and some Bitcoin.

Monthly expenses: Between 2.5k and 3K USD.

I have 2 part time clients:

Client 1: 

Pays 36 USD/hr. very good company. project aligned with my LP in AI for health domain. can bring 3k USD /month.

Client 2:

Pays 55$/hr. Startup that has no idea what they are doing. but pay well and on time. I dislike job bc no one uses our product and it's a very shitty product. soul crushing work. but very relaxed work ethic, I work whenever I want as long as I can ship some new feature every week.

On January I'll start an online masters degree in CS. and really want to drop client 2 to focus on masters. but I keep doubting myself bc I fear I may not be able to get a new high paying client w current market situation. I keep getting DMs on my Linkedin for jobs that pay much less and read a lot of negative things about the markets. I fear a Job market crash due to AI automating software engineering jobs

Should I try to manage both clients + the masters or just drop client 2. and do what I like: client 1 + masters?

I would be happier with dropping client 2, that way I would only do work I love. But I would not be able to save any money with client 1 as my single source of income.

Some of my current reasoning:

Getting extra $ gives me peace of mind but having free time also gives me peace of mind. if I don't have any free time I won't be happy even if I make good $.

I fear losing money but also don't want to get stuck in my career and a high paying client that builds a BS product actually impairs my career. I could use that time to build something real.

Would appreciate your perspectives.

 

Edited November 28 by pablo_aka_god

[pablo_aka_god]

Something good about client 2, it's very relaxed. As long as I put in the hours no one questions me or gives me deadlines.

but all my work gets put in a shitty product that will never be used by anyone and this is not a good addition to my resume.

This company is unsustainable so it may even go bust in a few months. But i've been working with them for 1 year and a half and it survived so far.

Edited November 28 by pablo_aka_god

[pablo_aka_god]

I threw my post into Gemini 3 and gave me this wonderful response:
 

Quote

This is a classic "Golden Handcuffs" scenario, complicated by the anxiety of a shifting job market. You are oscillating between Short-Term Security (Client 2's money) and Long-Term Asset Building (The Master's degree + Client 1's relevant experience).

Here is a breakdown of your situation from a strategic, financial, and career perspective to help you make the decision.

1. The Financial Reality Check

You have a significant safety net for someone living in Argentina with USD income.

Net Worth: $53k.

Burn Rate: $3k/month (assuming the higher end of your expenses).

Runway: You have ~17 months of expenses saved if you earned $0.

If you drop Client 2:

Income: ~$3k/month (Client 1).

Expenses: ~$3k/month.

Result: You are "breaking even."

The Risk: You stop growing your net worth, and any emergency eats into your $53k. The Mitigation: You already have the emergency fund. That is what the $53k is for—to buy you the freedom to make career pivots. You are not "losing money" by dropping Client 2; you are "spending" potential earnings to buy time and education.

2. The Career ROI Analysis

You mentioned a fear that AI will automate software jobs. This is exactly why you should favor the Master's and Client 1.

Client 2 (The Trap): Working on a "shitty product" that "no one uses" is the type of work most susceptible to AI automation. If the product provides no value, the developers building it are precarious. It adds "years of experience" to your resume, but not "quality of experience."

Client 1 + Master's (The Hedge): Deep domain knowledge (AI for Health) + Fundamental Theory (CS Master's) is how you future-proof yourself. AI automates generic coding; it struggles to automate complex, domain-specific problem solving.

Conclusion: Client 2 pays better now, but Client 1 + Master's pays better in 5 years.

3. The Capacity Problem (The "Burnout" Risk)

You are underestimating the workload of a serious CS Master's degree (especially if it is a rigorous program like Georgia Tech OMSCS or UT Austin).

Client 1: ~20 hours/week? (Estimating based on part-time status).

Client 2: ~20 hours/week?

Master's: ~15–20 hours/week (per course).

Total: 60 hours/week of high-cognitive load. If you keep both clients, you risk failing your classes or doing poor work for Client 1 (the one you actually care about). The "relaxed" nature of Client 2 is deceptive; context switching between three distinct major focus areas (Client 1, Client 2, School) is cognitively expensive.

4. The "Middle Path" Strategy

You don't have to quit today. You can use the remaining time to cushion the blow. Here is a proposed timeline:

Phase 1: The aggressive save (Now – Mid-January)

Keep both clients.

Live on the bare minimum.

Throw every cent from Client 2 into your savings.

Tell yourself: "I am only enduring this soul-crushing work for 6 more weeks to buy my freedom."

Phase 2: The "Quiet Quitting" Test (Late January - February)

Start your Master's.

Keep Client 1 as your priority.

Demote Client 2: Since they are "relaxed" and "no one questions you," test the lower limits of their expectations. Do the absolute minimum required to ship the weekly feature.

Crucial Decision point: If the workload becomes unmanageable within the first 3 weeks of the semester, resign immediately.

Phase 3: The Pivot (March)

If you survive Phase 2 and the money is nice, great.

However, if you feel your grades slipping or your mental health declining, drop Client 2.

Accept the break-even life. Accept that for the next 1–2 years, your net worth will be flat ($53k). That is okay. You are investing your time into an asset (the degree) that appreciates, rather than stocks.

Summary Recommendation

Do not fear the "break-even" scenario. You are single, 30, and have a $53k cushion. You are in the prime position to take a risk.

If you keep Client 2, you are essentially letting fear of the future ruin your present opportunity to upskill. The money from Client 2 is "danger pay" for stagnating your career.

My advice: Plan to drop Client 2 by the time your first mid-term exams approach, or the moment they demand more of your time. Rely on Client 1 for daily bills and your savings for emergencies. Your peace of mind and your grades are worth more than the extra $2k/month.

Would you like to analyze the specific expenses you have to see if we can create a slightly larger margin of safety on just Client 1's income?

 

Edited November 28 by pablo_aka_god

[Elliott]

How much experience do you have? How much will a masters help you right now? Are you learning anything useful, doing work for client 2?

[pablo_aka_god]

5 minutes ago, Elliott said:

How much experience do you have? How much will a masters help you right now? Are you learning anything useful, doing work for client 2?

@Elliott I'm not learning anything useful at all for client 2. Also they are a 5 people startup w nothing to show so has 0 weight in my resume.

I want to do the masters as a an opportunity to get exposed to new ideas and mainly to network and add some pedigree to my resume. 

It's very hard to get a very good research or engineering position from Argentina since most of the best companies will hire people from the US or maybe Europe. So I think it gives me an extra chance for breaking into a good position.

 

[Elliott]

19 minutes ago, pablo_aka_god said:

@Elliott I'm not learning anything useful at all for client 2. Also they are a 5 people startup w nothing to show so has 0 weight in my resume.

I want to do the masters as a an opportunity to get exposed to new ideas and mainly to network and add some pedigree to my resume. 

It's very hard to get a very good research or engineering position from Argentina since most of the best companies will hire people from the US or maybe Europe. So I think it gives me an extra chance for breaking into a good position.

 

I'm leaning toward masters then, I don't know the costs in Argentina. I think it depends on if it is actually valuable to your situation. If you can find a better project to work on it might be more valuable than a masters right now, if you can't then I would consider the masters.