return2ozmaHow do you deal with the thought of having to work for 40+ years and then when/if you retire, you're too old to do much?
ohlaphThere are better options for those who find a way.
Trying to out-earn my age. Can you guess how that’s going so far? :/
𝚝𝚛𝚔I just plan to live forever. Come 2176 I’m going to have enough money to retire in comfort.
Maybe this isn’t the answer you’re looking for: my job is my passion and the idea of retiring sounds horrible. I image it will only happen when I’m too senile to keep doing what I love, and that’s clearly not something to look forward to. But who knows… I know old people who are tired and just want to rest.
(I got lucky, since I happened to be passionate about computer programming.)
Nicely done. Find a job you love and you won’t work a day in your life.
kratoz29(I got lucky, since I happened to be passionate about computer programming. I know most other people don’t have the same option.)
When I was in high school I was very passionate about PC stuff (I mainly used Linux) and while there were not many careers about this where I live the few related ones I stayed away from them because I felt like turning your hobby into your job would get rid of the fun of it (I still think it to a degree, I see it in many hobby type sectors, like gaming).
I kinda regret my decision nowadays though, but still I feel I wouldn’t enjoy my hobbies with timelines and crappy bosses, oh and making them rich in the process ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I love computing in general, it’s just fascinating that we put electric into a bit of sand and people can be as creative as making immersive worlds, or be as positive as making lifesaving machinery, or just make Fortnite porn.
I started my post-secondary school study at college, ducking about with Visual C++ as it was at the time on a winter evening. The kind of evening where it got dark early, you got up in darkness and went home in darkness.
It was towards the end of a particular day, sat at a terminal on such an evening, and the lights were so bright that you couldn’t see out of the window but only your own reflection. I saw myself in the window, and honestly thought “fuck, do I really want to be doing this for another fifty years?”
…so I wrapped it that term, banked whatever qualifications I could, and fucked off into a different field where I’m out of the office at different locations most days. I get the benefit of both having a varied career and meeting people from vastly different backgrounds, while getting to go home and enjoy the nerdy tech life.
Admittedly, I have gone back to distance learning to tie off that loose end of working towards a degree in the field.
This is exactly where I’m at in the same type of gig. I do get a bit burnt by the end of the day but by 8pm I’m just counting hours until the next day because I want to dive back into the problems I’m working on.
I feel very lucky I’ve found a vocation that I love and pays handsomely. It’s also working for fed gov so the benefits and work life balance are insanely great. Also, work from home.
If I went into the private sector I could probably make 50k more but I’m very comfortable now and the chance of me hating my life and job working to try and make someone else rich is not appealing at all. And that’s all if the company doesn’t fold or get acquired.
Fuck that noise
HorseChandelierDon’t hold on to things you haven’t done before you retire… It is a waste of time and regretting not doing stuff, which lasts for moments, is the folly of youth.
Also what/who you want to do changes as you get older…
/sauce greybeard who is 10 years off retirement.
Thank you HorseChandelier
Yep, your priorities will change, those big plans you had 15 years ago might not seem so important now, and that’s perfectly OK.
If you’re lucky enough to find something you’re passionate about you may not begrudge the work week. I never have, so i work to live, got into a reasonable paying sector, didn’t waste money on oversized property or flash motors, as they’re not my bag, but used the cash to go adventuring at weekends, snow boarding in winter, the job takes up more time than I’d like but i’m earning freedom tokens. That mentality helped me at least.
the ideal way would be to build up passive income and/or outwaging your living costs by double or triple, but god knows how hard that is.
snooggumsIt is easy as shit to do that!
Step 1: Be born into wealth.
I don't know the other steps because I missed step one, but everyone I know that succeeded at step 1 is set for life.
Call me Lenny/LeniLiving with disability like I do means that process has sped up significantly.
Live in a country with a decent amount of vacation days.
DeceptichumGuess I gotta move to Iran for that 53 days off a year Wikipedia says they get.
Hot damn! And here I thought 30+ days was decent amount.
1984Yeah but those days in Iran where it’s insanely hot… I think we are better off in Europe. :)
I get 47 if my math is right, but not all at once. Next year I think it goes to 48.
I hope you can move to Canada and find a great job like mine. Immigrate for any healthcare at all, stay for the vacation days in the woods staring out over the ocean.
What industry and job is that?
and if in germany, get yourself a schwerbehindetenausweis and show it to your employer. they have to give you 5 extra days off when the GDB is at least 50.
bob_lemonI honestly prefer not being eligible for that to having extra vacation days.
Good luck finding a job, though.
i work in aerospace now. you don’t have to tell them when applying for a job.
Greg Clarkeschwerbehindetenausweis
What is this? I don’t speak German so Google wasn’t really useful
I’m curious also
It’s a certificate showing you’re disabled. Schwer = heavily, behindert = disabled, Ausweis = certificate.
Source: am deutsch, alla.
Herbal GamerWhat if you’re not disabled?
well then you’re not getting it, but even the slightest autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or even slight physical disabilities will get you one.
brb moving up from austria
FloufymIn what is that a solution :) ? Working 40+ years except 30days per year still make you lose your time, no?
ZoboomafooOr work for the government if you’re in the US
NyanixThank God immigration is such a cheap and accessible option to everyone!
Cry myself to sleep.
On top of being too old, I'll be too poor, so I'll probably just neck myself around ~70.
Years ago my dad made a change at work. He was working in the wood shop at a factory, making cabinetry and such with wood. For a few bucks more an hour he could take a job doing something mindless and slow, and he needed the money.
Fast forward 6 mo and he can’t go back to the old job, but this one is so boring that he’s beyond hating it: he actually vomits before every shift because he just doesn’t want to go but he has to.
We moved and he sold fucking lawnmowers for about 6 years.
But we moved. And he changed; and later he got a job as a groundskeeper and that was awesome for him because in the downtime he could do anything he liked onsite. He built cabinets and renovated the work areas and basically everything he used to do.
Don’t cry yourself to sleep. When you get that random occasional burst of energy, I hope you remember tonfocus on “this sucks. What do I want to do instead” and then “okay how do i escape this shit and get there” and then keep breaking down each step into what is possible.
Get there.
The sad part is I love my job, I work in education so helping children is amazingly rewarding, the pay and bullshit parts of the job is utterly crushing however but I know if I'm not doing it, it's going to fall to someone unqualified and I can't do that to 'em.
Che BananaFor me I decided young that I needed a career that would take me places so I could have life experiences and maybe get a few bucks.
I applied to everything everywhere while I was working and always thought “it may suck, but at least it will be different.”
There are better systems, but IMO I was never able to find or capitalize on them so i needed to focus on what my current goals were keeping in the back of my mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Be aware that your peers that do amazing work and get promotions, get that easy job or just get a lucky break only affect your life negatively if you let it.
Positive “coping mechanisms” help when dealing with stress (exercise routine, yoga, whateverworks for you), when negative coping mechanisms hurt.
I’ve been lucky enough to live and work in some amazing places, and 35 years later we have finally found a place we want to “settle”.
cheeseburgerWas just talking about how difficult work is going to make the next three days, so that I can’t wait until they’re over, but that’s another week of my life where I’m wishing for days to pass so I can try to be happy again. Lame. Lame as fuck.
If you don’t enjoy your job, try to change it. I don’t love my job, but I like it; and the people are so great that it’s a good fit. We still have to work, so make it something you don’t loathe.
Yep, and there are definitely ways to reframe work in your head so you can make the super shitty stuff either neutral or even fun in a way. Years ago I used to hate a specific meeting with a horrendous manager and I realized I was getting so sour and jaded leading up to and for a few hours after that meeting. Then one day I made a buzzword bingo card and handed it to my peers. It turned that meeting into an hour of fun.
I had an epiphany: we could control what we got out of that meeting. My peers and I decided to do random shit like try to leave the meeting with the least action items. Which lead to some pretty hilarious dodging and weaving and (good natured) 'backstabbing"–“I think Sam should do that task since he already has so much experience and you need it so quickly. I’ll shadow him.”
I’m half done. I’ve kept up my health and I’m trying to improve it even more. When I hit 65 I won’t be too old to do much.
But the real question should be what are you waiting until retirement to do and why not do it sooner?
Because at the age of 36 I’m financially treading water and a week off here and there is enough time to de-stress from work, not enough time to do what I’d really like to.
You answered the why not without answering the what you want part. I’m sure you have a good reason to prioritize finances over your goals though. Good luck.
I’d like to travel.
soliI’ve pretty consistently chosen less hours and better working conditions over pay since I started to have that choice. It’s made it a lot more tolerable. I’m currently on a four day week, with a minimal commute, good perks and a relatively stress free job that I took a pay cut for. My retirement savings look pretty slim, but due to my health the chance of a long one isn’t much higher anyway.
Not without it’s issues. Pay is pretty significantly below the median. Fortunately I’m not interested in having kids and I’m content living cheaply, even if it sounds boring. But I’m in a weird dead zone for government support; for instance - if I earned more, there are programs for “middle income” housing and the like that I earn too little to qualify for. Low income housing programs are a joke - with wait times being as much as a decade -but even if it wasn’t I’m not high priority anyway. Also no way on earth I’m ever getting a home loan, even though mortgage repayments would be less than rent and I could conceivably make the deposit.
vikingYeah I’m doing whatever I want as long as there’s still some life left in this body. Opted for a career that gets me to live all over the world, decided very early on that I’ll never have kids, and live my life to the fullest.
Accidentally I’m also really good at what I do and got people pay me big time to live where I want to be. About to move to my 10th country on the third continent.
Phil KThe answer is: do a job you like and do the things you like. I’m due to retire in ten years and won’t be doing so. I won’t work as much but I will work
It’s easier in some countries than others. But the key is not wasting time on things that you feel pressured to do because of societal norms or because you’re too lazy to do anything different.
A pivotal piece of advice once shifted my perspective on work. It was put simply: ‘If the thought of retirement is your main motivation, you might be in the wrong job.’ This implies that if you’re constantly counting down the years to retirement, you’re essentially wishing for time to fly by quicker. But those years are valuable, and letting them slip away in anticipation of something else isn’t worth it. The key is to find a career that reduces your stress and enhances your life now, not just in the future. While financial security is undeniably important, it’s also crucial to recognize when you have enough and to prioritize your well-being and happiness in the present.
Its an interesting sentiment… but ultimately it just rings a bit hollow yeah? As if nearly anyone would work 40 hours a week if they didnt have to. You think if 100 people were given enough money to cover their housing/food/leisure/travel they would go to a factory job 40 hours a week? Or even a job they enjoyed or had fun at? Or would they spend their time with loved ones, doing things they enjoy, filling their lives with interesting experiences they can enjoy in the moment and reflect back on?
I enjoy my job quite a bit, It even has value to me in that it contributes to society in a fulfilling way, but 100% I am looking forward to not being obligated to do it
Times are tough, but here’s what’s worked for me so far:
Depending on your circumstances, you might only have to work for 20 years, and if you do what you love, it won’t feel like work.
CosmicApePoorly.
I can’t imagine stopping to work. If I retire, I’ll have no money. I cannot count on pension either.
But I have an IT job, it’s just sitting in front of the computer all day; it’s not like a physical job I wouldn’t be able to do at old age.
QuazatronJust wait until your eyesight fails you, and the joint that makes your mouse button click starts hurting.
Things that you love to do after work (like playing video games) start to sound like chores.
Shit, the 2nd paragraph hit much earlier than that. It hit me even before my 30th bday
Yep, here I am suffering some pain on my right shoulder, wrist an index finger after yesterday’s small gaming session.
Still, gotta Doom.
I’d rather pick that, than starve to death.
Goes without saying.
Just take care of yourself and make sure you work for a living and not the other way around, that’s my motto.
I’m not planning on being able to have an IT job in my old age. Seems likely that ageism or economic factors will conspire to make sure I can’t. I’m planning on possibly involuntary retirement in my 50s.
If you work IT and can’t envision having enough money saved to retire then you’re doing something wrong.