Hello all,
I'm a few years away from FIRE myself, but I've been giving a lot of consideration to what life will be like on the other side. I'm kind of a workaholic who is always putting off vacation and working late- I do this, not because I want Megatech to be more profitable, but because I feel a certain dedication to my team- that is to say we have a sense of camaraderie. Upon further introspection I've decided that for myself the sense of camaraderie is one of the most important things in life. Camaraderie can bond people who are otherwise very different. It bonds people as a function of time and shared circumstance and is incredibly strong- we often see it in people who serve in the military, people who work dangerous or remote jobs together, adventurers, athletes etc. I think it can be particularly strong in these examples because trust and dedication can be imperative for survival (except for sports, but what are team sports if not a substitution for tribal warfare?). Again, these are just some of the more obvious examples.
Where can one find a strong sense of camaraderie post FIRE? Where have you found it?
Tungsten
You are wise to "start looking" for that replacement now.
Having retired from 24 years in the military, I'll tell you that the unit camaraderie is THE thing I miss the most, the shared experiences, overcoming hardships as a team, having those "you remember that time..." stories to share over and over again... I've gone from the military culture to "find meaning/camaraderie on your own", like "all the other civilians do".
I don't think it's as important for many people, they get what they need from the workplace, even if it's not a "hard core" camaraderie environment, it must be just enough for the majority of folks. It's smart that you've identified your motivator and can seek that out in forms other than the workplace. I'm still on the hunt and have considered becoming a police officer/fireman just to get back into a more "serious" fold. Things I have tried:
- Certification groups, they have monthly meetings (they can be a bit "stuffy" though, shirt and tie affairs..)
- Veterans groups (Many of these are dying out though, they are too formal and many just want to pretend they are still in a military structure, or spend time drinking/smoking/dying)
- The men's group at my wife's church (I'm not religious and don't attend church but the men's group has reached out and invited me to things, it's a cohort near my age/maturity level so I participate in things)
- A local meditation group (this one is new for me, still feeling it out, kind of wo-wo...)
- Facebook groups/meetups (I HATE facebook but, it's where a lot of folks "ARE" these days so I joined the MMM and FI local groups and have been to a meetup and plan to continue this interaction)
- Co-worker space (after MMM's article, I looked up local co-worker space since I work from home anyway, this might be a valuable addition to my routine)
Other ideas I've had/are in work:
- Volunteering at various events (I do this in some ways, but many orgs quickly want to monopolize your time and that turns me off)
- Becoming an EMT, I think this might be the closest thing to military service, other than policeman or fireman, seriously considering this now
- Teaching (I have a couple of side gigs teaching, I expect them to create some camaraderie and I look forward to seeing the results of those in the cohorts)
I will say this, for those who are not retired, you might think you won't miss the workplace, even if you don't enjoy the small talk/other BS that it involves, it's wise to do this type of thinking ahead (how to fill the gaps). The way I explain it to my wife is that we have "different sized buckets" when it comes to interacting with others. She can take a LOT more than me. When I was working a "real job" I was ready to choke folks by Tuesday, she's not there until Friday. Once I left the day to day rat race, I found that I needed to get some interaction or my bucket didn't "fill" at all, making me restless and a little edgy. Getting your "sources" in place now, that will likely make the transition easier.
So, just a few ideas. Where are you located? You mention the AT, are you East Coast?
Cheers,
Tim