At what point in life did you decide your career wasn't as important as enjoying life? (pension, beach)
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Heh. Never favored a career, always knew I had to work to make a living. I never thought "career" was important. I just want to make a decent living and do so and it's costing me in health at this late point in life.
Some of us just have... jobs. My job is professional/technical, but I don't view it as career. Or, I've had several careers, having moved around a lot in trying to make a meaningful living.
My career, or any kind of job I did for a living, had never been more important than my happiness, even when I was young. However, I stayed in the last job at a not-very-pleasant place of employment for 17 years in spite of my unhappiness, only because the children was young and I was their sole financial and emotional provider. Without the steady paychecks that I brought home, they would've encountered a lot more upheavals in their lives than they already had, and my unhappiness would've become even greater.
After the children left home and as soon as it was possible for me to put myself first, I walked out of not just that place of employment but the entire work force altogether.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 04-18-2013 at 03:36 AM..
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At what point in life did you decide your career wasn't as important as enjoying life?
~ age 20 for me, (After my first 2 yrs of 32 yrs to follow "caregiving" for a parent disabled from "CAREER - PASSION")
My kids learned much quicker than I. ~ age 12 - 16 for them. THEY really have a great 'work-life' balance. I'm scared for life, having grown up at 'Dairy-Farm_boarding-School'
I'm sure there comes a time when enjoying life due to getting older is more important to you than work. Is this true? If so, when did you feel that way?
In my mid 40's I had become a dinosaur in the high tech sales/marketing business. It was transitioning from large expensive complex systems to in a box on your desk. Territories being cut, less money, more reporting, more wet behind the ears people in management positions, etc. It was no longer a fun business.
One company I was with got bought out and I got a few bucks for the stock options I held. A few bucks in my pocket, wife with a good salary/benefits, and no kids so I was not crying in my scotch, but I decided it was time to do something else.
I knew of a small custom, club repair golf shop for sale. It took time to build it up and it had its own pressures (like pay the bills) but I was in control, I was in charge, I made the decisions.......I loved it. I knew several other dinosaurs in the same business. One bought a small garden shop. Another bought an instant sign franchise.
The fact that we had been sales/marketing types we looked more at the selling/marketing of our businesses then what the product was. Many with no sales/marketing experience get into a business they like, know the mechanicv of it, think is cute, have no financial support system, etc. and their big mistake is they then wait for customers to come to them. You have to drag them customers in...but that is off subject.
Once I can to the conclusion that my career did not meet with success and that it was unrealistic and a waste of time...That took a life time. The remainder of my life will contain no competition with myself or others. Remember the word "career" came from the word RACE...The dark horse lost in my case.
For me it was never, well rarely, a matter of not enjoing my career(s). It was simply a matter of priorities. While I was very good at what I did, when push-came-to-shove, life won out.
My job was to obtain a paycheck to support my vices: food/roof over my head.
Never had a 'career', they were just jobs. I liked many of the jobs I held, but loved my life more.
Last job pre-retirement was in a very emotionally unhealthy environment; however, I made the decision to stay put because of the excellent benefits and higher than average salary for the type of work I did. I knew that higher wages would pad my social security benefit. Besides, why take a chance on another company that may have been worse and have to take a pay cut.
For me it was never, well rarely, a matter of not enjoing my career(s). It was simply a matter of priorities. While I was very good at what I did, when push-came-to-shove, lifewon out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katie45
My job was to obtain a paycheck to support my vices: food/roof over my head.
Never had a 'career', they were just jobs. I liked many of the jobs I held, but loved my life more.
Last job pre-retirement was in a very emotionally unhealthy environment; however, I made the decision to stay put because of the excellent benefits and higher than average salary for the type of work I did. I knew that higher wages would pad my social security benefit. Besides, why take a chance on another company that may have been worse and have to take a pay cut.
Our jobs are part of life, not separate from it.
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