Considering a change in life

[fretless]

and on that note , when y'all get home from a long day , don't turn on that TV but sit down with your family , cats , dogs , kids everyone in the house and talk , play & enjoy the company .

[The Anomaly]

I'm stuck, been doing the same thing for decades, just random office jobs, but, there's nothing else I want to do, other than play music, and the medical plan sucks. I've never been trained to do anything, there's just no profession that I have any kind of passion for, and it sucks.

Having said that, I transitioned to working from home, seamlessly, and my company is also recession-proof, so, this might be as good as it gets for me, and I've kind of made my peace with that. I balance it with still playing out (pre-COVID), so, it's not all just soul-sucking office work.

[Ostinato Rubato]

and on that note , when y'all get home from a long day , don't turn on that TV but sit down with your family , cats , dogs , kids everyone in the house and talk , play & enjoy the company .

This is really really excellent advice in general and I can’t agree more. Same with the phone, put it down.

[GuitarBilly]

another POV could be..... it's called work for a reason..... if your job gives you a special fulfillment that's great.... but you know.... sometimes it's just a job..... unless it's absolutely soul sucking, which some jobs can be.... I'm sure you can find fulfillment with something else man....

This is 100% true and pretty much how I've been living my life. And it served me very well. But I am also wondering if I could try different things since I've built quite a bit of a security. I mean, I know I am not going to end up homeless in the streets. So what is the worst that could happen?

Not just security but I'm assuming you've built yourself a niche in your career. Lets say you did make the leap if you leave amicably and don't burn bridges on the way out you could always head back to whatever industry you left if you so chose.

A short story about a time I bought a bike. I found an ad on Craigslist for a used bike that had been fixed up. Went to the guys house to buy it and he had a garage FULL of bikes. All types, sizes, years, and various levels of quality and completeness. I got to talking to the guy and apparently he used to be a big deal of some kind at the Chicago stock exchange. Sounded like your typical finance guy living to work and working to live while making stacks and stacks. His house in Chicago was probably 800k - 1mil and was totally paid off. He had no debt and a big nut in the bank. One day his son ded in a tragic accident and it really rocked the guys world. Realized he had spent the majority of his life working on something that didn't make him happy to get money that also didn't necessarily make him happy. Generally when I saw happy in the context I also mean fulfilled. He felt pretty crushed as to how he had spent his time and felt he hadn't spent enough time with his son and clearly had A LOT of regret tied to that.
Ultimately the guy quit his job, reshuffled his priorities, and just started buying old bikes and fixing them up in his garage because he always liked bikes and working on them. All he did all day was meet new people, talk to them, sell them great bikes at a great price, and enjoy the sunshine and working with his hands. Like I said you could tell the regret he had for how he had spent his time but seemed like he was really in a better place relatively. He also now had more time to spend with other people he cared about that were still around (I think he had another kid) and he seemed really happy for that.

I know your story is very different but meeting this guy and hearing his story has always stuck in the back of my mind. I'm in nowhere near the level of security that you are but if I were I'd strongly consider doing something like that even if it were just to find out if its for me. Lately I've started building furniture in my garage and I'd probably try doing that for awhile if I could. Theres something for being said for doing something that is fulfilling in and of itself.

Different story yes, but I am in the same head space he is. Thankfully, no one had to die for me to come to this realization.

And yes I could always come back to my industry if I needed to. I wouldn't burn any bridges by leaving, it would be a well planned leave with plenty of advance notice and making sure everything is taken care before I left.

[TurboPablo]

Will your employer grant you a leave of absence?

[GuitarBilly]

I hadn't thought of that. I need to find out.

[TurboPablo]

:hmm: I hadn't thought of that. I need to find out.

Be strategic in how you find out. Don't give away your thoughts.

[Yarbicus]

Will your employer grant you a leave of absence?

Excellent suggestion. I plan to apply for a sabbatical when it is time to open my own shop.

[Pepi]

Just remember life is a ....

[TurboPablo]

Just remember life is a ....

Sine?

[skybluegary]

Good for you dude. I wish I was in that position.

As some have said, maybe hold out a while longer until the effects of the virus are fully felt, but go for it and best of luck in whatever you choose to do!

[Pepi]

Just remember life is a ....

Sine?

Called BioRhythms

[Loop Bizkit]

Dude... I get this 100%.

You and I are pretty close in age, so maybe that's why lol.

For me, that was 2016. My job had basically built itself up to one that essentially managed itself, and I just felt at some point that it had gotten....easy? I like being challenged, and I kind of need to be to stay engaged.

So I changed course. Entirely different discipline and line of work. I was lucky enough to do it at the same company, so it came without the big fear of walking away from something stable, but it totally renewed my interest in what I do.

If you're in a financially viable position to take the leap, then why not?

[***1776***]

The stable job, working from home is NOT a bad gig but it can get tiresome/bored. I hear ya and its called "life" i lost a job i enjoyed due to this damn virus, i am dabbling in learning a language and getting better at guitar lol. How much of what your thinking or feeling is due to the pandemic and the fact you cant play out/live and a boredom type thing?

Also since currently vacations/getaways are NOT a real option and its the holiday/grey/gets dark season that sure doesnt help either IMO

[GuitarBilly]

I am enjoying reading all the different opinions and perspectives here. Really good food for thought. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it

[GuitarBilly]

How much of what your thinking or feeling is due to the pandemic and the fact you cant play out/live and a boredom type thing?

It certainly doesn't help but I've been feeling that way for a while now. This pandemic definitely made it stronger, without a doubt, but the seed has been there for a while.

[Diddlybo]

Those are great options to have. I would ride out the pandemic and wait to see how all this stuff shakes out.

Be happier if you can do it. I would change my situation in a heartbeat but I'm stuck in a situation I will probably never escape.

[neilrocks25]

I know how you are feeling well, I normally move to a different country when I get that bug.
You are only a few months older than me and I have started questioning what I do (I deal with bankers all day and it does get sickening dealing with people moaning at me about a price of laptop when they are on 5x my money).

You definitely have the financial thing in your favour so I would say go for it.
Maybe a start an owl sanctuary or travel. The world is your oyster (well it will be when stupid virus starts to die).

[Pepi]

Just a quick point ... Retirement is not all it's supposed to be. I have found that you have to work at being retired. I really get very bored. A lot of my good friends have died in the last few years and that put a rock on me. AND, this COVID pandemic has been hell

[greatmutah]

So another perspective... my wife has been in a very financially stable job for most of her adult life. However, since having our son, she feels like she’s missing out bro being able to see him as much (it’s an hour drive one way to get to her job almost) and she’s not been thrilled about their Covid response. They’re manufacturing but they have all their office personnel onsite too despite being able to have them work remote. The owner won’t do it, even though they worked remote effectively for about 3-4 weeks during the first lockdown. She’s an accountant.

A couple months ago a city right by where we live posted an opening for Finance Director. She felt she was under qualified and wasn’t sure if she could even get it. Funny thing is, the current finance director is my uncle. And he’s leaving because right now he’s effectively working two jobs - finance director here and finance manager for another local school district. So she talked to him a bit about it and put in her app. She had an interview with the whole city council, after which they unanimously voted to approve her and they offered her a job. Just this week. It’s a pay cut from where she was, but we have savings built up and the benefits and PTO are much better than her previous job. She’d had the same vacation time there since she started 16 years ago. She’s a little nervous about it (government accounting vs manufacturing can be a different thing I guess) but the way I told her to look at it is she gets to be closer to home (10 minute drive vs nearly an jour), she’ll have more PTO to take should Duncan have any appointments, she’ll save a bunch of money in gas and won’t feel she’s missing as much during his early years. Plus, if she decided to change jobs again, she’d have experience in government accounting and manufacturing.

It’s not the most ideal time to change jobs or the most ideal job pay wise, but it’s a lot less stress coming plus having access to the current/soon to be previous finance director (he’s my uncle and we’re close) is a plus. And while it’s a pay cut for a little bit, she does get merit raises and increases annually so it’s not as much of a hit over time. Most importantly she gets more time with our kid and will be out of a toxic office environment there (aside from Covid, they can be pretty shitty). And I think those benefits outweigh the pay cut.

[clipless bumper]

....they unanimously voted to approve her and they offered her a job.....

As long as the price cut isn't more than 20% or so, I'd say this is a no-brainer - just the commute time/cost/being closer to home alone almost makes it worth it!!

[Yarbicus]

....they unanimously voted to approve her and they offered her a job.....

As long as the price cut isn't more than 20% or so, I'd say this is a no-brainer - just the commute time/cost/being closer to home alone almost makes it worth it!!

This! Congrats to Mrs Mutah!!! That is awesome.

[GuitarBilly]

Maybe a start an owl sanctuary or travel. The world is your oyster (well it will be when stupid virus starts to die).

Yeah that's one of the things I want to do. Not start my own sanctuary because that's very hard to do (bureaucracy) but I miss volunteering in one, like I did in CA.
I'd also love to move to another country, Kimmi and I talk about it all the time, but realistically speaking that's unlikely to happen.

So another perspective... my wife has been in a very financially stable job for most of her adult life. However, since having our son, she feels like she’s missing out bro being able to see him as much (it’s an hour drive one way to get to her job almost) and she’s not been thrilled about their Covid response. They’re manufacturing but they have all their office personnel onsite too despite being able to have them work remote. The owner won’t do it, even though they worked remote effectively for about 3-4 weeks during the first lockdown. She’s an accountant.

A couple months ago a city right by where we live posted an opening for Finance Director. She felt she was under qualified and wasn’t sure if she could even get it. Funny thing is, the current finance director is my uncle. And he’s leaving because right now he’s effectively working two jobs - finance director here and finance manager for another local school district. So she talked to him a bit about it and put in her app. She had an interview with the whole city council, after which they unanimously voted to approve her and they offered her a job. Just this week. It’s a pay cut from where she was, but we have savings built up and the benefits and PTO are much better than her previous job. She’d had the same vacation time there since she started 16 years ago. She’s a little nervous about it (government accounting vs manufacturing can be a different thing I guess) but the way I told her to look at it is she gets to be closer to home (10 minute drive vs nearly an jour), she’ll have more PTO to take should Duncan have any appointments, she’ll save a bunch of money in gas and won’t feel she’s missing as much during his early years. Plus, if she decided to change jobs again, she’d have experience in government accounting and manufacturing.

It’s not the most ideal time to change jobs or the most ideal job pay wise, but it’s a lot less stress coming plus having access to the current/soon to be previous finance director (he’s my uncle and we’re close) is a plus. And while it’s a pay cut for a little bit, she does get merit raises and increases annually so it’s not as much of a hit over time. Most importantly she gets more time with our kid and will be out of a toxic office environment there (aside from Covid, they can be pretty shitty). And I think those benefits outweigh the pay cut.

Oh yeah for sure, I'd be more than happy to take a pay cut to do something I enjoy better.

Just a quick point ... Retirement is not all it's supposed to be. I have found that you have to work at being retired. I really get very bored. A lot of my good friends have died in the last few years and that put a rock on me. AND, this COVID pandemic has been hell

Yeah, I hear that a lot from people that retired. But retirement is out of question for me for at least another 20-25 years... I want to keep working.

[SuperFlyinMonke]

Don't forget that when you're in government, the pay cut usually gets offset by a fairly substantial pension.

[Yarbicus]

Don't forget that when you're in government, the pay cut usually gets offset by a fairly substantial pension.

Also excellent insurance options.