Paul Terhorst (author of the 1988 FI classic "Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35") used to advise doing nothing new for at least two years just in order to avoid inadvertently re-creating your work environment.
That's good advice BUT, in this process of self-discovery (although some would say there is no self to discover... but that's another post) I'm enjoying thinking about doing XXXX YYYYY or ZZZZ, mostly new things that I have not done while in the service. I'd like to do them to explore if they are a good fit or not. The problem that I've run into (and mentioned to a few others) is that many of the things I'd like to dip my toe in are "barricaded" behind a JOB, often of low wages and long hours.
It's not the wages are an issue, it's just that it's often not enough for me to give up: sleeping in (when I want), working out (when I want), taking the kid to the dentist, buying groceries/necessities while everyone else is at work, randomly dropping in on wife to deliver flowers, cleaning the house, making dinner, keeping up the yard so we have free time on the weekends, volunteering at the VFW and other locations.
Example, there is a nice hotel near by, I could walk there and back daily, that I think I'd enjoy working at as a maintenance tech part time. The issue is that they want full time wage slave suckas who will work for 10.50 an hour.... So, I gotta find a work-around for something like this (my house is essentially done with upgrades/work of this nature).
That seems to be a developing theme for me, how to gain the knowledge/experience that might not be possible at home while not having to sign up for that wage slave job? Most of these things interest me out of pure curiosity, I went to an interview at a waste processing plant just to get a "behind the scenes" look at the process. I think it was a win-win, I didn't want the job due to commute and they used me to say "yep, we interviewed a vet but, too bad... he was over-qualified...." and hired who they wanted anyway. Here's an example of what I'm talking about (how to find the work-arounds):
Wage slave job (WSJ): Cooking in a professional kitchen Work-around: Volunteering at local VFW kitchen cooking meals
WSJ: Veterans Career Counseling at local college/support center WA: Freelance, one-on-one counseling (doing this now)
I've got to spend some time coming up with ways to test the waters on some of these other things, any suggestions appreciated!
WSJ: Butcher shop, really learning the process of meat portioning and packaging (Yes, I can cut a chicken using a youtube video but learning to process a whole cow, that sort of thing...not from home right?).
WSJ: Any of the trades, I'm enamored with them all (and have experience in most, from plumbing to electrical to concrete, I've touched on each and electrical seems to speak to me the most but the rest are within my skill set and intriguing). I need to look into internships and craigs list adds for laborers/unskilled help wanted.
WSJ: Heavy equipment operator/crane operator. I'll come right out and say it, those "big toys" freaking rock, I wanna be the guy running the large back-hole, tearing down the applebees! My kid made fun of me, I was so amazed at this sight, I stood, transfixed, watching the guy at work, what can I say, it speaks to me!
WSJ: Maintenance tech at an apartment complex/hotel/large building. Does this turn into simply un-clogging toilets? I could drop an add on CL for handyman/mobile maintenance tech, need to explore this further. My thought was that at a "formal" position at a building etc there might be training involved and a greater variety of hands on learning...
WSJ: Marking underground utilities. I've stopped two of these folks and interviewed them, they love the work, it's solo, it's outdoors, they give you a vehicle BUT it's a WSJ. No part time at the local companies, some weekends, some dead time where you get paid to stare out a windshield.
WSJ: Nutritionist, other medically related jobs helping people change their lives/stop the coming obesity crisis in this country. Few people are willing to listen if you don't have the letters MD after your name.... This may be the hardest nut to crack and the area I'm most passionate about. If you are not medically "qualified" most don't give you the time of day... Personal training is a sales gig first, help people second... Becoming a qualified nutritionist is a time sink/not cost efficient, and the curriculum has not caught up to reality anyway, why spend time/money to earn a degree studying something that is wrong anyway....
This is another post that may not get many eyeballs but just typing it out was helpful. I am so grateful for this community and this forum, the ability to connect with like-minded folks from all over the world, right from the comfort of my own home.
Thanks anyone/everyone, I am so blessed!