Is Anyone Done With Working?
Replies
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Here is my problem... I could get my work done everyday in 4 hours... but I have 8 to fill!!0
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Gonna get on a soapbox for a minute here...
We're all brainwashed into equating having a job with creating an income, but they're not the same thing, or at least they don't have to be.
When you really think about it, having a 40+ per hour week job is pretty dumb.
Your employer will pay you just enough that you don't leave for a competitor position and you will work just hard enough that your employer doesn't fire you. So the needle falls into this crappy middle ground where no one really wins - everyone just scrapes by. There's a reason some people say that "Job" stands for "Just Over Broke".
Security? A total myth. Especially in a country like America where most states are "work at will" and a company that you've poured a lifetime into supporting can dump you in a hearbeat for the most trifling reason.
Having a single job as your sole source of income should scare you. Why? Because if the job stops - so does the income.
So what's the solution? Well, there's no easy way out but there are certainly other routes. With a bit of hard work and smart thinking up-front you can twist your skillset into a source of passive income instead of a job. Say you're a graphic designer (just using my own example)... you could get a job doing graphic design - steady paycheck and health insurance but it's the lowest tier of wage you could earn (your employer profits more from your skills than you do) and if the job dissolves, so does your income. You could start your own design business - great, now you get all the profit, but you work harder and longer and if you can't find the work, again the money stops coming.
Or you could instead put in some hard work up-front and set off a passive income stream - perhaps create a stock graphics website or maybe write a book about a certain niche of graphics that you're good at. Yeah, the income is generally lower but once it's rolling, it's rolling, and you can sit back on your loins and earn your royalties etc without lifting a finger from then on. This leaves you free to set more balls in motion and wait for the results. As one stream dries up - which all streams do over time, you just turn to others.
Notice your job is the same. The underlying skill set is the same. You're still a graphic designer. The difference is you just shook off the "traditional" mode of thinking - being tied to a single job with a single, non-secure source of income. I encourage all of you to try and think this way about your own careers and skillsets.
Okies, soapbox done...
Been thinking a lot about that. I have some skills, various one, I could use and do something like this. But, then, that's work right? You have to keep doing the next thing. It doesn't end. One answer is to buy real estate for the very long term with no intention of ever selling, and just rent it out. Keep doing that until you have enough to live on, and then that's it. You're all set.0 -
I find this thread interesting? In short, I've been on disability for the past seven years with NO apparent cure for my health issues. Nothing terminal mind you, but not able to work. Through some miracle I was admitted to the hospital and while I was there was cured.
Now, what do I do? Do I go back to work? Do I stay on SSI even though I'm well? I was seriously considering returning to the rat race but all your posts remind me of how I too felt just seven short years ago. I can't even imagine getting hired at 50 years old with a seven year gap in his work history.
Even if I say I was sick for seven years, do you really think I will get hired? (Except for maybe a fast food joint) I feel they would see me as a relapse risk.
Sorry to rant it's just that this topic hits right at home for me...thanks for posting it! I've got a lot of thinking to do!
I think if you are well enough to work, you should work and do your best to support yourself even if you're flipping burgers.
It's dishonest (and illegal) to take SSI when you are perfectly capable of working. Those benefits are for people who are unable to work, not those unwilling to work.
It's good to hear that you're well now though!
Truthfully, my Doctor's haven't cleared me for work yet as a relapse may happen but will absolutely go back to work when I get the ok. I am more afraid of losing my medical benefits than anything else. Also I am very grateful to have my health back.
I thought I was going to lose my colon... 0 -
I find this thread interesting? In short, I've been on disability for the past seven years with NO apparent cure for my health issues. Nothing terminal mind you, but not able to work. Through some miracle I was admitted to the hospital and while I was there was cured.
Now, what do I do? Do I go back to work? Do I stay on SSI even though I'm well? I was seriously considering returning to the rat race but all your posts remind me of how I too felt just seven short years ago. I can't even imagine getting hired at 50 years old with a seven year gap in his work history. Even if I say I was sick for seven years, do you really think I will get hired? (Except for maybe a fast food joint) I feel they would see me as a relapse risk.
Sorry to rant it's just that this topic hits right at home for me...thanks for posting it! I've got a lot of thinking to do!
I think if you are well enough to work, you should work and do your best to support yourself even if you're flipping burgers.
It's dishonest (and illegal) to take SSI when you are perfectly capable of working. Those benefits are for people who are unable to work, not those unwilling to work.
It's good to hear that you're well now though!
Truthfully, my Doctor's haven't cleared me for work yet as a relapse may happen but will absolutely go back to work when I get the ok. I am more afraid of losing my medical benefits than anything else. Also I am very grateful to have my health back. I thought I was going to lose my colon...
I'm glad that you have your health back at least. I can't imagine how scary it would be worrying if I were going to lose my colon. That's awesome news 0 -
Personally, I feel like every day is groundhog day. I've come to the realization that I have to find things to look forward to AFTER work to keep myself going. What I do is fairly meaningless and I have zero job security. The way I see it, a job is life support. Life starts after I leave the office and stops when I come back in the morning. Everything after work is MY time.
Have you thought about taking a class after work? Some kind of regular activity that makes you look forward to the end of the day. Photography class? Guitar lessons? Painting class? Cooking Class?
Anyways, there's also planning your escape. Have you thought about looking into starting your own business or opening a franchise business?0 -
I think you need a new job!! My day job does get on my nerves at times, but overall I enjoy it allows me much freedom while paying the bills. My other partime job I absolutely love and look forward to going to.0
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Gonna get on a soapbox for a minute here...
We're all brainwashed into equating having a job with creating an income, but they're not the same thing, or at least they don't have to be.
When you really think about it, having a 40+ per hour week job is pretty dumb.
Your employer will pay you just enough that you don't leave for a competitor position and you will work just hard enough that your employer doesn't fire you. So the needle falls into this crappy middle ground where no one really wins - everyone just scrapes by. There's a reason some people say that "Job" stands for "Just Over Broke".
Security? A total myth. Especially in a country like America where most states are "work at will" and a company that you've poured a lifetime into supporting can dump you in a hearbeat for the most trifling reason.
Having a single job as your sole source of income should scare you. Why? Because if the job stops - so does the income.
So what's the solution? Well, there's no easy way out but there are certainly other routes. With a bit of hard work and smart thinking up-front you can twist your skillset into a source of passive income instead of a job. Say you're a graphic designer (just using my own example)... you could get a job doing graphic design - steady paycheck and health insurance but it's the lowest tier of wage you could earn (your employer profits more from your skills than you do) and if the job dissolves, so does your income. You could start your own design business - great, now you get all the profit, but you work harder and longer and if you can't find the work, again the money stops coming.
Or you could instead put in some hard work up-front and set off a passive income stream - perhaps create a stock graphics website or maybe write a book about a certain niche of graphics that you're good at. Yeah, the income is generally lower but once it's rolling, it's rolling, and you can sit back on your loins and earn your royalties etc without lifting a finger from then on. This leaves you free to set more balls in motion and wait for the results. As one stream dries up - which all streams do over time, you just turn to others.
Notice your job is the same. The underlying skill set is the same. You're still a graphic designer. The difference is you just shook off the "traditional" mode of thinking - being tied to a single job with a single, non-secure source of income. I encourage all of you to try and think this way about your own careers and skillsets.
Okies, soapbox done...
I did something a little non-traditional as well. I've successfully created a new job position for myself with my skill sets which happen to be in demand. I'm a huge fan of developing multiple skill sets and bridging them whenever possible now.
Good advice here.
It's not a good thing to be a one-trick-pony in the job market anymore.0 -
I used to feel the exact same way. When I woke up in the morning I felt physically ill when I thought about going to work. If I was in a good mood it immediately diminished as soon as I turned into the parking lot of the company I worked for. My boss was a jerk -- always up in my business and getting on me if I came in a little late OR took my lunch later so I could workout and then go home even though I was always ahead with my work and never had a complaint against me. I didn't particularly like my co-workers because they all complained and I had NOTHING in common with them.
Then I quit my job and started working for my self and *POOF* all that stress and crap is GONE! When I wake up in the mornings I'm happy. If I have a day where I don't feel like doing anything I don't. I never have to worry about someone giving me crap about one thing or another. Unlike where I used to work I really do get paid for my performance: If I don't perform, I don't get paid!
I'm my own boss and I will never, ever, EVER go back to the corporate world and working for someone else. Quitting was hands down the best thing I did.0 -
I'm getting close to being "done." I'm "easing out of it" while trying to pay off bills. I'm down to substitute teaching several days a week during the school year, except for tax season when I prepare tax returns. I take summers off. Right now, it's pretty easy to work when I want. My husband is happy to be working after being out of work for 4 years with back problems. The retirement income from our military careers makes it easier, too. Of course, not going to work doesn't mean not working. We have a small farm and plenty of farm chores. Hang in there! Your day will come!0
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I'll be 54 years old this year and I'm soooo ready for retirement!!!! Unfortunately my bank account and bills have a different plan for me. But I look forward to my 'leisure days'......hiking, biking, walking, swimming, traveling, unlimited gym time, getting to spend more time with my family, Monday morning yoga classes, shopping at the mall on a week day in the daylight!!!!, lunches with friends....oh yea and some naps too!!!!0
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Whoever decided that 40 hours (most of the time more) was an appropriate amount of time each week to work can suck it!! I feel everyday like I am working my life away and for what?! I get home there is barely enough time to cook, clean, work out, watch a little TV or have some me time and I don't even freaking have kids. I try to think everyday of a way around it that is still fair to society but nothing yet. Still sitting here. *sigh*
I hear ya!!!!!! 4 day work week....now that would be awesome!!! At least you would get a longer weekend!0 -
I'll be 54 years old this year and I'm soooo ready for retirement!!!! Unfortunately my bank account and bills have a different plan for me. But I look forward to my 'leisure days'......hiking, biking, walking, swimming, traveling, unlimited gym time, getting to spend more time with my family, Monday morning yoga classes, shopping at the mall on a week day in the daylight!!!!, lunches with friends....oh yea and some naps too!!!!
My grandparents retired at 65, and both of them had a really hard time adjusting, but now all they do is play golf, go fishing, and drink lots of wine. It's great 0 -
I'm so done that you don't even know. I just simply don't want to work anymore. I get out of bed, and spend 30 minutes or so convincing myself that it's going to be an awesome day. I get to work and tell myself I'm going to kill it and do my best. Then I go home at night and think, "That was the biggest f'ing waste of my life ever." Then, I do it all again the next day. I don't hate my job, I just hate working. I don't think there is any job in the world I would be happy doing. I just don't want to have to work or report to anyone ever for any reason anymore.
Does anyone feel the same way, or is it just me?
In fact were going to need you to come in onnnnn Saturday. MMmmmmkkkkkkkay.
Yeah, I don't feel like paying bills anymore either0 -
I'll be 54 years old this year and I'm soooo ready for retirement!!!! Unfortunately my bank account and bills have a different plan for me. But I look forward to my 'leisure days'......hiking, biking, walking, swimming, traveling, unlimited gym time, getting to spend more time with my family, Monday morning yoga classes, shopping at the mall on a week day in the daylight!!!!, lunches with friends....oh yea and some naps too!!!!
My grandparents retired at 65, and both of them had a really hard time adjusting, but now all they do is play golf, go fishing, and drink lots of wine. It's great
Awesome! Your Grandparents Rock!!! :drinker:0 -
I don't mind working. In fact, I need to feel productive. I used to have a job I loved; I used to get up every morning thinking "hey! I get to tackle another workday!", so I know it's possible. I hate my current job. It's far below my intellect and abilities, and is in no way connected to anything I've ever wanted to do for a living, but it pays better than most jobs around here. I have applied to countless other positions in the last 3 years and had a few interviews, with no result. So I figure-- here I am, might as well make it count. I couldn't spend every day thinking about my misery anymore. (And hopefully I'll end up with a free graduate degree out of it..)
I've found it vitally important to do things I really enjoy-- usually things that appeal to my intellect and creativity, which would atrophy if I didn't use them outside of work-- on my own time. Still trying to get back to the place where exercise is something I "really enjoy" ... :laugh:0 -
I'll be 54 years old this year and I'm soooo ready for retirement!!!! Unfortunately my bank account and bills have a different plan for me. But I look forward to my 'leisure days'......hiking, biking, walking, swimming, traveling, unlimited gym time, getting to spend more time with my family, Monday morning yoga classes, shopping at the mall on a week day in the daylight!!!!, lunches with friends....oh yea and some naps too!!!!
My grandparents retired at 65, and both of them had a really hard time adjusting, but now all they do is play golf, go fishing, and drink lots of wine. It's great
Awesome! Your Grandparents Rock!!! :drinker:
It's amazing the mental change they've made too. They are so much happier, healthier, and generally calm about life than they were when they were working. They live on about half the income they had before, and just downsized to compensate and are just doing great. I love it. I hope they'll be around a long time as a result.0 -
They live on about half the income they had before, and just downsized to compensate and are just doing great.
This is an interesting and important point, I think. If we're honest, many of us could afford to work less if we were willing to maintain a "simpler" lifestyle.0 -
Yes, I am done. I retired April 13th, but then I'll be 62 in June.
So far, I'm really liking retirement. I don't miss work or my co-workers or the commute. I don't miss having to dress a certain way and I love going to workout whenever I want.
Tomorrow I'm going to Charleston, in the middle of the week, and I don't have to get any boss' permission for time off. It's Great...
And, believe me, I earned it.0 -
They live on about half the income they had before, and just downsized to compensate and are just doing great.
This is an interesting and important point, I think. If we're honest, many of us could afford to work less if we were willing to maintain a "simpler" lifestyle.
My husband and I made it a point to live well within our means partly because we saw how my grandparents did it. It's so nice having money to save and money to travel. We would never have that with a bigger house or newer fancier cars.
That being said, some people really can't do that. People with lots of kids and a low-income just don't have that luxury. I think my husband and I are very fortunate here that we don't have kids at the moment and make enough to live this way.0 -
I find this thread interesting? In short, I've been on disability for the past seven years with NO apparent cure for my health issues. Nothing terminal mind you, but not able to work. Through some miracle I was admitted to the hospital and while I was there was cured.
Now, what do I do? Do I go back to work? Do I stay on SSI even though I'm well? I was seriously considering returning to the rat race but all your posts remind me of how I too felt just seven short years ago. I can't even imagine getting hired at 50 years old with a seven year gap in his work history. Even if I say I was sick for seven years, do you really think I will get hired? (Except for maybe a fast food joint) I feel they would see me as a relapse risk.
Sorry to rant it's just that this topic hits right at home for me...thanks for posting it! I've got a lot of thinking to do!
So you're healthy and able to work, but you don't think you'll go back simply because you don't want to?
This shouldn't even be a question. How about you get a job and stop making us who do go to work pay your way. It shouldn't matter what type of job it is, just do it.
It's one thing if you couldn't go due to health, but this is completely ridiculous.
This type of mentality is what's going to do this country in.0
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