I am in my late 20s and I hate the corporate BS and rat race. I’ve saved enough to essentially FIRE (financial independence retire early). I dream of traveling the world or starting a family and taking care of kids at home. I recently started a new job but realized quickly I’ve already became disengaged. Going to work ruins my day. I just can’t justify why I spend 40 hours putting up with BS and meetings and people bossing me around when I can afford not to. Whenever I joke about quitting, people seem unable to relate. Older folks tell me I need a career and can’t rely on hubby. Friends cant relate because many are just starting off in their careers. I find it funny because they just assume I have no money myself. It’s increasingly making me depressed because I feel I’m living someone else’s life when my situation is different. Thinking of having kids next year and just stay at home after but feeling shamed about it due to above mentioned stigmas. Are there other career choices? Thinking of contracting/full time investing for more flexibility. Anyone with advice? Help!
Your situation is not the norm here in the US. You're actually so far outside the norm that my gut reaction to reading your post was to be suspicious that this is fake. Assuming it's true, you need to realize that only a tiny subset of the population will have had this experience. You are in a terrific position of having the option of not working. I think you're observing the sad reality that so many of us deal with BS because we feel trapped. I can't guarantee that you'd have a universally positive reaction, but if you were willing to mention that you are financially independent, the responses would change and most people would wish they were in your position and, depending on how bad your workplace is, they'd be surprised you haven't already quit.
Op here, Thanks for your thoughtful response. I haven’t quit because I feel I’m obliged to keep working in a sense. Growing up, It’s ingrained to me to work hard and study hard so one day I can be financially stable. But I am at that point where I feel I reached that goal of financial stability. So the question is does the process (keep working hard) still apply after the goal (financial well-being) is reached? On one hand, I feel don’t we work hard so we are free one day? On the other hand, I feel guilty and lazy if I stopped working.
I can say that I personally would have no such compunction. I would stop considering whether a job pays well and instead spend my time on things I'm passionate about. I would also happily spend way more time with my wife and children given the option. In the US we have a legacy of "the Protestant work ethic" and I've debated with my wife about whether I should continue working if we won the lottery (not playing, just dreaming). She thinks there's something to the argument that work is important to happiness. I'm a big fan of Aristotle and his distinction about "leisure." Leisure (in his terms) are the activities we do for their own sake, rather than to achieve something else. He argued that leisure activities are the ones that bring us fulfillment as humans beings. Bottom line: I think you should favor leisure activities to the degree you can do so responsibly. While raising children is necessary for our specie's survival, it's definitely a leisure activity for parents (they're certainly a bad investment :-).
So why don't you do it? And volunteer for your fulfillment in life? You will be giving back way more than being a corporate slave. Life is too short. I'm just jealous that you can retire now
Exactly! Volunteering will give you a new perspective on life.
It sounds like you want to make a change but are afraid to take the step. What is stopping you? Just do it. If it doesn’t work out you can always go back to a job. Make a deal with yourself that you will give not working 1 year and then re-evaluate at the end of the year. Do not even think about whether you made the right decision during the year, just live. This doesn’t need to be a decision to shape the rest of your life, just one year of your life. No reason why you can’t stop working for a while then work for a while, then not work for a while, then work, for your entire life.
From the sound of it, it's not working that is causing you grief but the place you are currently working. I'd look for a better situation. Consider a place that impacts the world in a way you can be proud of and will allow you to make meaningful contributions using your talents. Money is freedom. You've bought yourself freedom to spend your day goes you want. The basic needs of people include having fulfillment and purpose. Quitting 'work' in general free you from some headaches but you'll still need to figure out what gives you fulfillment and how to best use your talents. In any case, congrats and good luck.
I had one friend in particular do this over 20 years ago. She was 30 and had plenty of money to retire young. She was married with a couple of kids though but her husband was not in tech. She made nearly all the money in their relationship. In her case it worked out well. They have kept their life simpler which has made it work. Even though you would consider me to be an older person, I say just do it. If you want children, definitely meet someone outside of the Bay Area if that's where you live and meet them traveling in an area you love. Travel to Europe and Asia too. You will find fantastic people and you might find you would love to live in Tuscany or the Alps with the right person. The only thing I would recommend, keep your skills relatively up-to-date since it sounds like you have some great experience. It won't take much time. You might find an awesome position somewhere in the world where you least expect it if you decide to work again. Since you most likely live in some high tech area, you will only find people who tell you to keep working and are closed minded. Trust me, get out since you can. If things don't work out, you are young and you can easily rebound. I wish you an awesome adventure.
Don’t worry, you’re just ahead of the curve. Most every office environment is toxic in one or more ways. I would start taking all of your vacation as it accrues, doesn’t matter if you do a staycation or go someplace, just do something besides home and office to break the routine. After that, negotiate for part time or a 4 10s schedule. You should feel a pull to work or to “vacation” more, or eventually find balance.
You are in your 20’s and can retire early. What a problem to have. If you have had as much success as you stated, why would people’s opinions, especially in a job you don’t like hold such meaning to you? You should have a confidence overload. Do what makes you the happiest and don’t fret the small stuff. IMO retiring early isn’t your issue, it’s finding work that doesn’t feel like work. You need to soul search my friend.
Confidence is for blowhards. Fretting the small stuff is exactly what you should do if you care. Typical lack of empathy.
Confidence is for blow hards? Maybe lack of experience is your issue? Fretting the small stuff can cause unwanted anxiety and cloud your judgement, leading to even less happiness. You can care about things in a healthier way.
She still hasn’t said the magical number: net worth. Until she says that, it just sounds like she just wants everyone to pat her on the shoulder and feel bad for her.
Why does she have to tell blind her net worth? Sounds to me like she was looking for some empathy for her situation.
Becuz if you truly have enough money to do whatever you want, why is this even a question. If you don’t like the rat race, fucking quit and go try to increase clean water access in Africa or find some other passion project to use your time. What is this, a hug session for people who have all the tools to empower themselves but are too weak to take that step?
It really sounds like a lose-lose. Your heart is elsewhere and your company isn’t getting 100% out of you. Bail.
OP here, this is exactly the reaction I get from people. I don’t get taken seriously and feel isolated.
For real, what's your net worth? Retiring early is super expensive and the earlier you retire, the worst it is. It's not even linear because you're missing out on all the compounded interest. You can't contribute to a company 401k anymore, you can't withdraw from your IRA, etc. Unless you won the lottery, made bank with a startup IPO or sold a company for many millions, I highly doubt you have the money to sustain yourself for than 50 or 60 years. Also, you mention wanting to raise a family. Kids are super expensive and will probably cost more than anything. The only way I can see you succeed is if you're living in a country like Thailand, Indonesia, India, etc. where the CoL is low, but that's very selfish with kids. You have to think about his education and quality of life more than anything. So, unless you tell us what's your net worth and how you became a multimillionaire under 10 years, I can't see anyone taking you seriously. This is am important decision and you have so many parameters to take into consideration.