Author Topic: What to do with this?  (Read 2867 times)

infromsea

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What to do with this?
« on: January 27, 2018, 08:34:14 AM »
TLDR: I'm RE with a mil pension, wife works, no debt but home, 80K a year income, stoic and Buddhist "leanings", frugal lifestyle (sometimes too frugal), tons of skills and able to learn damn near anything. During this period of introspection I've found that I don't mind being in front of a crowd discussing financial independence and how to earn the PMP certification.

I致e recently given a presentation to transitioning military members about how to earn a PMP cert and I致e sat down with several members and helped them complete their applications (they all believe that if they get the cert companies will be falling over themselves to hire them, I try to correct their perceptions).

I enjoyed giving the presentation, although I知 largely introverted, I知 comfortable in front of a crowd and really good with one on one counseling/mentoring/advising. I知 trying to help those who have come behind me and help them achieve their objectives and don稚 really desire to monetize this process but could see it taking up more time than I have to offer it if I知 not careful.

I知 trying to be creative and learn from these experiences but would appreciate outside points of view, what to do with this intel, the fact that I知 comfortable in front of a crowd, that I enjoy one on one counseling (as long as it痴 a subject I知 passionate about like financial health, physical fitness, working in the trades, advancing in the military, or project management).

(I have cut this from the 3 page word document I wrote with background on this situation it was more self-exploration than anything).
« Last Edit: January 27, 2018, 11:33:08 AM by infromsea »

Nords

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2018, 12:02:22 PM »
I知 trying to be creative and learn from these experiences but would appreciate outside points of view, what to do with this intel, the fact that I知 comfortable in front of a crowd, that I enjoy one on one counseling (as long as it痴 a subject I知 passionate about like financial health, physical fitness, working in the trades, advancing in the military, or project management).
Infromsea, are you asking whether you should start a coaching business (for profit or for charity) and join Toastmasters to develop a speaking career?  Because you can totally do that.

nancyjnelson

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2018, 01:41:17 PM »
Does your former organization have a retirement seminar?

I retired from the Dept of State almost five years ago.  DOS offers a three-year retirement mini-seminar to anyone qualified to retire within five years.  The course covers finances, health, getting one's legal papers in order, and life after the govt, etc.

Also, twice a year DOS offers a two-month retirement seminar which is basically a evaluation of one's skills, a survey of the market, resume coaching and job search.

It sounds like what you've done could fit in well with the first type of course.  What does your organization already offer?  Maybe you could get in contact with the folks who run it and see how you might be useful.

infromsea

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2018, 06:53:26 PM »
I知 trying to be creative and learn from these experiences but would appreciate outside points of view, what to do with this intel, the fact that I知 comfortable in front of a crowd, that I enjoy one on one counseling (as long as it痴 a subject I知 passionate about like financial health, physical fitness, working in the trades, advancing in the military, or project management).
Infromsea, are you asking whether you should start a coaching business (for profit or for charity) and join Toastmasters to develop a speaking career?  Because you can totally do that.

Good suggestions (as always Nord). I keep meaning to join toastmasters, I need to get hot on that.

I'm re-reading your book by the way, trying to keep the fear of non-work at bay and see how the first couple of months or retirement pay line up with my projections, to be strong enough to say screw working a JOB. Thanks for all you've done for the community.

infromsea

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2018, 06:55:25 PM »
Does your former organization have a retirement seminar?

I retired from the Dept of State almost five years ago.  DOS offers a three-year retirement mini-seminar to anyone qualified to retire within five years.  The course covers finances, health, getting one's legal papers in order, and life after the govt, etc.

Also, twice a year DOS offers a two-month retirement seminar which is basically a evaluation of one's skills, a survey of the market, resume coaching and job search.

It sounds like what you've done could fit in well with the first type of course.  What does your organization already offer?  Maybe you could get in contact with the folks who run it and see how you might be useful.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'd read the books, done the online "What to be when you grow up" and am now working through the process of actually doing things and seeing how they treat me. I'm doing lots of informational interviewing and introspection but doing is where I really seem to learn if XXX or YYY really interests me or would be a viable long term pursuit. Thanks again for the feedback!

Nords

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2018, 08:12:05 PM »
I知 trying to be creative and learn from these experiences but would appreciate outside points of view, what to do with this intel, the fact that I知 comfortable in front of a crowd, that I enjoy one on one counseling (as long as it痴 a subject I知 passionate about like financial health, physical fitness, working in the trades, advancing in the military, or project management).
Infromsea, are you asking whether you should start a coaching business (for profit or for charity) and join Toastmasters to develop a speaking career?  Because you can totally do that.

Good suggestions (as always Nord). I keep meaning to join toastmasters, I need to get hot on that.

I'm re-reading your book by the way, trying to keep the fear of non-work at bay and see how the first couple of months or retirement pay line up with my projections, to be strong enough to say screw working a JOB. Thanks for all you've done for the community.
You're welcome, and I'm glad it's helping! 

I think you're going through a perfectly normal transition, with all its limit-cycling and speed bumps.  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.

The Navy sent me to instructor training school followed by eight years of experience, and over the last 15 years I've dabbled in the same public-speaking puddle.  I enjoy talking to military audiences (in person and through a keyboard) and I give talks several times per year here on Oahu.  I've been told by speakers and agents that I'm in the $2500 range for giving a day's seminar, and becoming a Toastmasters Accredited Speaker (with all the experience that goes into it) multiplies that by 5x-10x.  If you want to explore that further then I can refer you to a few people with the experience.

The other side of public speaking is the prep & rehearsal time, accompanied by the logistics of travel and the bureaucracy of running a business.  It can be challenging & fulfilling, or it can be yet another self-inflicted job.

infromsea

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2018, 08:51:58 AM »
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!

 


Dicey

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Re: What to do with this?
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2018, 12:28:17 AM »
Regarding butchering, I recommend the book, "Cleaving" by Julie Powell, of "Julie and Julia" fame. Can't say it's the best book ever. There are times I'd like to throttle her, but in this book, she does what you want to do. I'd skim the irrelevant parts and really dig into the rest. I think you'll enjoy it.

(And psst, it's called a "backhoe", even it can dig big-ass holes, among other cool things.)