For Doug Menadue, the decision to become a computer programmer was easy. "I was programming as a kid at school and showing my teachers how to use the computers," he says.

After university, Menadue landed a job designing computer systems and databases for the Department of Defence. It was the beginning of a career that lasted 20 years, including five years in IT with financial services firm JPMorgan.

But as the industry started to change, Menadue found he was spending less time on the parts of the job he liked - writing computer code and solving problems.

"The computing industry was looking for more modular solutions," he says. "I was getting less of the stuff I loved and more meetings and bureaucracy."

However, he did appreciate the flexibility of his last role. "I was at J.P. Morgan for around five years and I was in a pretty good position as I worked four days a week and had three days off," he says.

The Tuesday-to-Friday schedule meant Menadue had three days a week to explore his passions away from computers.

"I'd always been interested in stones and gems," he says. "I collected them as a kid. But during the last couple of years at work I got more and more interested. I joined forums on the internet talking about gemstones and started buying [rough] gems."

Eventually, Menadue decided to learn to cut his own gemstones. He bought a $4000 machine and got started on his days off. "There was no one to teach me, so I bought a book and I taught myself," he says. "If I had questions I asked them on the internet forums."

Eventually, Menadue realised his day job wasn't making him happy.

"Computing was giving me a pay cheque but it wasn't satisfying any more," he says.

A chance sighting of an ad in a stone-cutting magazine helped him figure out his next step. "A small gem shop in Mount Surprise [about 300 kilometres inland from Cairns] needed help with their topaz-cutting tours. It was my dream job," he says.

Menadue quit his IT role and moved from Sydney to the Queensland town of about 160 people. That was almost four years ago.

"In the tourist season I work for the couple who own the gem store, running tours for visitors," he says. "I also get to put the gemstones I've cut into their shop."

Working as a tour guide can lead to some early starts. "By 8am up to 20 people are ready to take their tour to the gem fields," Menadue says. "We have a claim there of 300-million-year-old pink granite and topaz; it's very hard stone that looks like diamonds."

Menadue teaches the tourists how to dig for stones and is usually impressed by the results. "Everyone finds stones and they get to keep them. Sometimes what they find is a bit too good," he says, laughing.

In his downtime, Menadue cuts stones for his own clients. He's learnt that good gem cutters need patience, an eye for perfection and an inquisitive mind. "It can take one to three days to cut a stone," he says. "You need to want to know about your gemstones; some give you a hard time and scratch or chip, others are a dream." The final works are sold on his website.

Then:
Salary: About $120,000. "It was very nice!"
Work-life balance: "I enjoyed the four-day work week. I was happy but just didn't want to do it for another 20 years."
Hours: 8am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Now:
Salary: $35,000 is a good year. "I live a very simple life. It gives you a new appreciation for what a dollar's worth."
Work-life balance: "Fantastic! I love gemstones; there's a whole world I am immersed in."
Hours: Running tours (June to August) 8am to 2pm. " In the off-season, I'm my own boss. But I try to do something every day."
Miss: "The pay cheque. That's it!"
Challenges: "I have enough to pay my way but I don't have a family or a mortgage; it's not enough for that."