How Long Are You In For?

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3 Responses

  1. AlanD says:

    Joe–I’m trapped in work. This is helping. Thanks.

  2. Arrgo says:

    Good point about finding a job you are passionate about. Even if it doesnt pay a lot or is part time, it can become a lifetime income source as you don’t mind spending some of your time there doing it. I’ve been pretty good about saving for retirement, opening my first IRA at 22 then 401k a few years later when I got a real job. But I never thought about or was aware of FIRE until a few years ago after finding MMM and then other blogs. (Im now in my mid-40’s) Before my layoff earlier this year, I remember thinking about how long I would (or should) work. Maybe I would go till 55 and pad my accounts more, and thats great, but also I’d be spending many more good years someplace I really didnt like anymore for many reasons. I started thinking that at that age, much of your life is over and I didnt want to be spending it for my thank less corporation with all their B.S. I probably would have stuck it out a bit longer for the money, but in hindsight im much happier now. I’ve been a pretty good saver and have really cut out a lot of wasteful spending over the last few years so Im ok. And I have a good part time job that I’ve done for over 25 years. (Now im glad a stayed with it). I think more people should focus on also setting themselves up for financial independence. You never know when things will change and you dont want to be forever stuck in a bad situation just for the paycheck. I wish I knew more about this years ago as I would have done some things differently. However, things worked out and Im still doing ok.

    • Joe Freedom says:

      Thanks for the perspective Arrgo. And I’m glad that things are working for you. I’ve decided for myself that the key is to find the right balance between income level and career satisfaction/intrinsic value as soon as possible. Otherwise you run the risk of quickly adjusting to an income level but being unhappy with the satisfaction level. That’s what I did. The sooner you can find that sweet-spot of balance between the two, the better your chances for long-term career success and happiness. I have a high threshold for (job-induced) pain, but ultimately it petered out after about 16 years. And clearly I agree with you on the point of seeking FI. Even if you love what you do, circumstances can change, and you want to be in a position where someone else doesn’t get to make the decisions for you because you have to have the paycheck. The post earlier this week on Leigh’s blog got me thinking a bit further about some of these issues, so I’m in the process of writing something of a follow-up post right now.

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