Begrudgingly Working to Live

[LowonLuck]

Originally Posted by silibran

I worked throughout my kids' childhood. You work because you have to. But, you know what? There is someone like you out there who would kill for your job, because she doesn't have one. Your job lets you live, and as you say, puts a roof over your head. You going to work is also a model for your kids, who see you go to work every day. Don't discount that.

Take your vacations and use that time mindfully with your kids. Plan some rec time every weekend with them. These years pass much more quickly than you think.

The way to get through this is to adjust your attitude. You are lucky to have a job. You have a way to live. You will make it--because you have a job.

You are correct.

We did jam pack the weekend with fun.

[Bearsdad]

Originally Posted by bpollen

Unless you're in business for yourself, you will retire. You will get laid off (fired). No one wants an old coot making big bucks and getting lots of benefits, when he can hire a young person who is more energetic, sharper, and gets paid a fraction of what the old coot gets paid.

Boomers are not responsible for any SS issues. But SS will be fine. It is backwards right now because of the birth boom after WWII, but in a generation, it will be back to the work force being larger than the retirement group, which is what SS is based on. All programs and agencies and departments and businesses need revising or tweaking occasionally. Federal programs are not "set it and let it roll like that forever."

Many boomers were laid off in the recession, never to find other work. So they are "retired." Additionally, many had to use their retirement accounts for living expenses, after their emergency funds ran out. Don't even mention the cost of health insurance for people over 50.

In my job, it's the 50 and over guys doing the majority of the work, because the 20+ guys don't have the work ethic of the older guys. The young guys can't put down the cell phone long enough to be as productive and management won't do anything to them because "it's how they operate" according to them. My manager actually went to a three day class on "how to deal with the younger generation and cellphones in the workplace" to learn how to try to handle them.


The young guys are here for a check and if they worked as hard doing their jobs as they do at getting out of work, everything would be fine. They know everything. Just ask them. Until something happens out of the ordinary and then one of us that they think should be long gone are their saviors.


The supervisors where I work poll the older guys on a regular basis trying to determine who plans to retire and when. It is apparent that they favor older workers because I see them pick a guy with the needed skills 40+ over the 20's and 30's guys regularly. We have even hired guys who retired from a competitor at 50 to get hard working talent. Not to say all young guys don't/won't work, but it seems to be the norm at my employer.