anyone successfully escape the 9 to 5 life?

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by Turbo

Getting gunned down on the street or killed in a hostage taking in mexico would certainly give you a shorter work week

Oh come on, it's Mexico, what could go wrong for a gringo?

[covance]

Originally Posted by humfrz

So, covance, if you would like to share your age, education, skill set, job experience and target income, maybe we can give you some ideas.

For example, you mentioned real estate, after I retired the first time, I became a real estate broker for about 10 years. I contracted with FHLMC (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) to repossess and liquidate properties that they had foreclosed on.

I specialized in their more challenging properties (properties in the scary parts some towns like gang hangouts, grow operations, meth labs, chop shops and combinations of the above).

Needless to say, evicting those types of people was, shall we say, interesting. Why? Because they just aren't thinking quite straight -

See, part of my work life experiences involved "real estate finance" -


humfrz

Originally Posted by Jajanken86

Interesting question OP, I'm really curious why do you ask? No one really asks that question these days, much less in a car forum. But it's a really good question if you want more out of life.

Sent from my iDroid

I think about this type of question pretty often, I think most of my life. I just don't like the idea of the majority of my week going towards working for someone else or even work in general. Family is a major priority for me, and as I am about to have my first kid thinking about how my time is spent in a given week is on my mind even more. I would love to maximize time with my kids while they are still young. Ofcourse I know that a good income is important for properly taking care of family.

Thought I would ask on this car forum in the off topic section because a. I like the people here and b. you get a more random and diverse set of answers that I like reading, compared to if I posted on the financialindependence sub on reddit or something like that.

humfrz, I would love to know your life story if you are willing to share. Always happy to learn from people who have more experience in life than I do. As for me: 29 years old, undergrad in Finance and Marketing, grad degrees in Finance, most of my work experience has been in finance and accounting (including 7 years at FHLMC aka Freddie Mac's biggest competitor :P). my interest has always been in entrepreneurship. I like creating things and seeing other people get value out of them. But since my goal has always been time over money, I have been pretty careful in the entrepreneurial things I have tried. It has mostly been ecommerce projects with no real ongoing success to let me leave my full time job. For a while I was looking for part-time work in accounting/finance so I could focus on entrepreneurship, but I found that the part-time work in the field was at a much lower level of pay and experience (tons of jobs for bookkeepers with a G.E.D., not much for full fledged accounting/finance analysts). I do accounting work now and for most of my working life have sat in Microsoft Excel 40++ hours a week.

[covance]

Originally Posted by Clutch Dog

visiting your local recruiter will quell any 9 to 5 woes. Me personally? I look forward to the 9 to 5. and not sleeping on ikea furniture in a rental

lol been working 8 years full time and still sleeping on ikea furniture in a rental! DC cost of living

we would love to move to a better cost of living area but my wife's industry is very specific to this town

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by covance

I think about this type of question pretty often, I think most of my life. I just don't like the idea of the majority of my week going towards working for someone else or even work in general. Family is a major priority for me, and as I am about to have my first kid thinking about how my time is spent in a given week is on my mind even more. I would love to maximize time with my kids while they are still young. Ofcourse I know that a good income is important for properly taking care of family.

Thought I would ask on this car forum in the off topic section because a. I like the people here and b. you get a more random and diverse set of answers that I like reading, compared to if I posted on the financialindependence sub on reddit or something like that.

humfrz, I would love to know your life story if you are willing to share. Always happy to learn from people who have more experience in life than I do. As for me: 29 years old, undergrad in Finance and Marketing, grad degrees in Finance, most of my work experience has been in finance and accounting (including 7 years at FHLMC aka Freddie Mac's biggest competitor :P). my interest has always been in entrepreneurship. I like creating things and seeing other people get value out of them. But since my goal has always been time over money, I have been pretty careful in the entrepreneurial things I have tried. It has mostly been ecommerce projects with no real ongoing success to let me leave my full time job. For a while I was looking for part-time work in accounting/finance so I could focus on entrepreneurship, but I found that the part-time work in the field was at a much lower level of pay and experience (tons of jobs for bookkeepers with a G.E.D., not much for full fledged accounting/finance analysts). I do accounting work now and for most of my working life have sat in Microsoft Excel 40++ hours a week.

You want it all without working?

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by covance

...and still sleeping on ikea furniture in a rental! DC cost of living ..

You guys keep mentioning IKEA furniture like its a bad thing. I still have pieces of IKEA furniture I purchased in 1987 when I lived in DC. It's survived through 3 states, 4 moves, and raising 3 boys.

I still buy pieces from them on occasion.

[BigHugeFatGuy]

This is why the tiny house movement exists. People want lower bills and/or more time near family, and a tiny home gives you both. OP could work it out too, as he has a skill that can work remote. Minimalism is gaining steam too, probably for the same reasons.

I went into freelance since I was that meme from a few pages back. A bachelor's doesn't mean anything when the industry just pooped the bed. So, I got a 9 - 5 (actually 7 to 4:30 with every other Friday off) and decided to see if I could make money doing what I like on the side. Today, freelance brings in more than my gov't job, for about half the hours. I keep the main job because I like it (and the health care is insanely good), and I use the side grind to pay down debt (just house), car mods, and kid's college. I could leave the daily grind anytime, but I like my job, and don't like risk.

[soundman98]

the longer i live, the more i see how easy it is to accumulate 'stuff'. it's very easy to buy a place with more than enough space, and fill that space, but it is almost impossible to buy a smaller space and get rid of all that 'stuff' that we formally could live without...

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Oh come on, it's Mexico, what could go wrong for a gringo?

Well, everything will be OK at a cantina, if when you head back to the restroom, you pay the girl at the door some change (she will let you know when its enough). Don't be stubborn like my buddy, and refuse to pay and just pee on the wall when she blocks your entrance.-

Just try putting the that mordida, under tolls, tips and taxis, on the expense account -


humfrz

[why?]

Originally Posted by covance

I think about this type of question pretty often, I think most of my life. I just don't like the idea of the majority of my week going towards working for someone else or even work in general. Family is a major priority for me, and as I am about to have my first kid thinking about how my time is spent in a given week is on my mind even more. I would love to maximize time with my kids while they are still young. Ofcourse I know that a good income is important for properly taking care of family.

Thought I would ask on this car forum in the off topic section because a. I like the people here and b. you get a more random and diverse set of answers that I like reading, compared to if I posted on the financialindependence sub on reddit or something like that.

humfrz, I would love to know your life story if you are willing to share. Always happy to learn from people who have more experience in life than I do. As for me: 29 years old, undergrad in Finance and Marketing, grad degrees in Finance, most of my work experience has been in finance and accounting (including 7 years at FHLMC aka Freddie Mac's biggest competitor :P). my interest has always been in entrepreneurship. I like creating things and seeing other people get value out of them. But since my goal has always been time over money, I have been pretty careful in the entrepreneurial things I have tried. It has mostly been ecommerce projects with no real ongoing success to let me leave my full time job. For a while I was looking for part-time work in accounting/finance so I could focus on entrepreneurship, but I found that the part-time work in the field was at a much lower level of pay and experience (tons of jobs for bookkeepers with a G.E.D., not much for full fledged accounting/finance analysts). I do accounting work now and for most of my working life have sat in Microsoft Excel 40++ hours a week.

The biggest thing I've found for saving time is to live as close to you work as you possibly can.

Ecommerce requires tons of work and creativity, and still then even when you succeed you will probably want a full time job just to pay the health insurance.

The only "part time" gig that can pay for an accountant is to do lots and lots of income taxes, and if you do it right you give up 4 months of the year to take it really easy for the remaining 8. Everything else is like you mentioned, garbage bookkeeping jobs, unless you get really really good at data entry and can blast through it very quickly. But in general that just doesn't pay.

I don't know what the laws are, but it is always worth trying to see if you can go into teaching. A college professor can earn a ton and not work too much. And colleges are always looking for people with actual abilities and life experience.

Also writing blogs can pay if you put the work in, but again it will take lots of time and effort, and bringing something that no one else has to the market.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by why?

I don't know what the laws are, but it is always worth trying to see if you can go into teaching. A college professor can earn a ton and not work too much. And colleges are always looking for people with actual abilities and life experience.

This is actually one of my two possible "retirement" gigs. I have taught some classes at the local college in the past and they would love to have me on a part time basis. Just do a few classes a week and have the whole summer off.

My other option is to do some ISO auditing. Would mean traveling from 6 to 8 weeks a year but I am fine with that.

Neither of these options will earn me a living salary but both would top up my pensions very nicely.

The whole thing is that there is very little that Joe Average can do that makes you full time wages at part time hours.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

This is actually one of my two possible "retirement" gigs. I have taught some classes at the local college in the past and they would love to have me on a part time basis. Just do a few classes a week and have the whole summer off.

MomHawk is an occupational therapist but has worked most of her career in the elementary school system. She works "teacher hours" (including days off), has a pension and health insurance, and makes about 90% of what she could working in a more traditional job in her field. She also doesn't have the afterhours stuff teachers do (grading papers, lesson plans, extracurricular stuff)

In fact, she's on "winter break" this week...

I think that's about as close as you can get to a "real job" and balancing the time off.

I also have a couple of friends that have made a good life consulting. They typically work 4 days a week with some travel on the 5th day of the gig if out of town, work from home some, and can pretty much schedule their time between gigs, often taken anywhere between 6 to 10 weeks off during the year. Not for me though, I don't like the travel or the "unknowns".

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

MomHawk is an occupational therapist but has worked most of her career in the elementary school system. She works "teacher hours" (including days off), has a pension and health insurance, and makes about 90% of what she could working in a more traditional job in her field. She also doesn't have the afterhours stuff teachers do (grading papers, lesson plans, extracurricular stuff)

In fact, she's on "winter break" this week...

I think that's about as close as you can get to a "real job" and balancing the time off.

I also have a couple of friends that have made a good life consulting. They typically work 4 days a week with some travel on the 5th day of the gig is out of town, work from home some, and can pretty much schedule their time between gigs, often taken anywhere between 6 to 10 weeks off during the year. Not for me though, I don't like the travel or the "unknowns".

I considered doing the consulting thing but there are just so many out there already that you either have to go all in or accept the scraps from the big players.

[soulreapersteve]

In the middle of switching from an "office drone" 9-5 job to a 3 day on, 4 day off, 4 day on, 3 day off 12 hour shift new career (upon obtaining my degree).

I'll still be in an office of sorts. Except this office is very public, and is on rotary wings!

[Clutch Dog]

Originally Posted by soulreapersteve

In the middle of switching from an "office drone" 9-5 job to a 3 day on, 4 day off, 4 day on, 3 day off 12 hour shift new career (upon obtaining my degree).

I'll still be in an office of sorts. Except this office is very public, and is on rotary wings!

Never Trusted them whirly birds. Beat themselves to death if they arent balanced and tuned properly.

my current job is 3-2-2-3 and 8 hour shifts, but its not set shifts and theres no pay for overtime.

are your hours set or are you recallable off shift?