Downshifting the career

[ontario74]

I did a search here and found only 11 posts about downshifting. No question it is part of FI: having enough funds to opt out of the rat race, however reaching FI sometimes means upping your pay and working harder.

Those of you who are not FI, like me: Have any of you scaled back your career ambitions to focus on other things? It could be a sick child, parent or spouse, a hobby, or you :) What prompted you to scale back?

I re-focused last year and decided not to pursue a management career or even a significant pay increase. After paying off (not a lot of) debt and now saving 20% of my take-home pay and frittering less, I just don't feel the need to strive. I'm happy to go into work, do a good job, and leave it at 5pm.

[deborah]

There are a lot of posts about this, but they probably don't use "downshifting" - part time, scale back...

There is also a lot of freedom about how this is done. Someone was talking about having a sabbatical every few years, and others do the part time thing, so they have a "week" of not work, with a "weekend" of work. Some get short term jobs whenever they are available, and have long "retirement holidays" in between. Depends on what pushes your buttons.

[madamwitty]

I "scaled back" my job starting 6 years ago when my first child was born. I started working half time and have scaled the hours up and down over the course of three kids. My reduction in hours was ostensibly to take care of the kids, but the REAL reason is just that I don't want to spend all my time on my job. Since then, my career has actually progressed just as well as if I had kept on at full time (1/2 the hours = 1/2 the dollars but hourly pay and promotions have kept pace.) I think working fewer hours has helped me stay focused and enthusiastic about the job rather than burning out. I suppose it helps that DH and I structured our lives to be able to live on one income (actually, now 1/2 income) so we have FU money from that perspective. I am valued enough as an employee that they'll take what they can get. I am never going back to full time. My boss is willing to accept that.

(Edited for grammar)

[Emilyngh]

Yes.   DH and I used to live in the DC burbs, both working at well paying jobs.  We purposely left to move to a lower COL area and I got a job making about half as much money as I was, but with much-much fewer hours, great flexibility, great autonomy, etc.   We also had a child and DH completely quit his job to SAH FT.

So, we now make about a third of what we used to, but both have tons of time to spend as a family and well, to do whatever we want.   We did have a 60%+ savings rate before when both working at higher paying jobs, and used that to put a chuck down on our house and to kick off the stache.   We still have about 10 yrs to FI, though, since we can't save as much with our current sitch.   Totally worth it, IMO.   

[DocCyane]

After 25 years on a 9 to 5 grind I quit my job three months ago to write novels. I was able to do this because my partner makes enough to meet our needs and still save a good amount.

I won't go into the details of our net worth and our plan to move to a lower COL area, but that's part of the equation too.

My problem was that I waited too long to make an alternate work plan. I should have changed careers, jobs, hours... Something! But I kept at it until I officially burnt out. Now I'm sitting on the couch letting the cat use me as furniture. Nothing inspires me anymore. Not even doughnuts. Okay, maybe doughnuts.

But listen to these much smarter people who gave themselves breaks, sabbaticals, part-time gigs, etc. They are the wise ones.

[ontario74]

Thanks for the replies. Downshifting is implicit in the whole process, but it's still interesting to see how people have planned (or not) to restore balance in their lives.

The time I was happiest working was when I was freelancing 20 hours per week, working from home. I enjoyed chasing down work and being financially prudent, it wasn't difficult to handle the times I had less money coming in. I'd like to return to that someday.

I think now I'm just seeing people with all this ambition and energy and I question the value of it.

This article speaks to that I think: Google's Patrick Pichette Stepping Down
http://business.financialpost.com/2015/03/10/a-perfectly-fine-mid-life-crisis-full-of-bliss-and-beauty-why-googles-patrick-pichette-is-stepping-down/

[RetiredAt63]

I taught (College and University) my whole working life.  Towards the end of my College career a lot of my work was administrative, and the next step was to go into academic administration.  As positions opened up many of my colleagues urged me to apply for them.  I looked at what was involved and never applied for any of them.  So I didn't so much downshift as never upshifted. At the end I side-shifted (I know, it was a lateral move, but side-shift is more in keeping with the thread) and went from College to University for a few years.  That was a fun move, really glad I did it.  Much better choice than moving to admin, even though the admin positions paid a lot better.

[Capsu78]

Downshifter here- stopped searching for my next client, wound down most engagements with existing clients and work more toward socially interacting with them as a fall back in case I get the urge or need to restart my consulting.  I dismissed working with "disagreeable" folks over a decade ago and really do like my last set of clients on a personal and professional level.  I just lost interest in the markets they served and where my exposure was.  I have watched one industry die, where I had 20 + years of corporate "identity" built up.  As I looked at the markets I was serving until recently, I see one of them in decline, one of them saturated and the other one expanding but high effort and maintenance. 

So DW said "Why do you continue to do this?" and I couldn't answer her...or myself.  After spending the past year on MMM, I believe I have a much truer picture of what "enough" is and have identified the major financial things we still need to accomplish.  DW has a career she likes and is hitting prime earning years too.  The revelation was realizing we don't need 2 incomes at this time and are close enough to FI that we could make do with no paychecks if we scaled back.

[alice76]

I started my career as an English teacher, then worked in school administration (40% raise, worked summers and spring break) for 7 years. Last year, I looked at a salary scale, and realized that the teachers' salaries had gone up considerably while mine was relatively stagnant. After being denied for a raise, I applied for my old job. I took a 20% pay cut, and I now have 10 weeks off over the summer and 2 weeks for spring break. I also like work again and my son gets picked up at 4:00 vs. 6:00!

[MrsPete]

When I started teaching, I anticipated moving into administration eventually; however, it didn't take me too many years to realize that I just didn't want that job.  Now that I'm approaching the end of my teaching career, I am backing off from some of the things I've done -- and enjoyed -- over the years.  For example, I have already dropped one club, and I plan to drop another next year.  I'm no longer anyone's mentor, and I will politely refuse future mentorships.  Unless push comes to shove, I don't want to take on another student teacher.  I'm dropping back to JUST teaching classes -- and doing only the extras that are mandatory for my job.

I started my career as an English teacher, then worked in school administration (40% raise, worked summers and spring break) for 7 years. Last year, I looked at a salary scale, and realized that the teachers' salaries had gone up considerably while mine was relatively stagnant. After being denied for a raise, I applied for my old job. I took a 20% pay cut, and I now have 10 weeks off over the summer and 2 weeks for spring break. I also like work again and my son gets picked up at 4:00 vs. 6:00!

I have a friend who made a similar decision.  She was an elementary school principal and was working the long hours that go along with admin.  She and her husband adopted four children; it was an international adoption, so the kids didn't speak English and had some big adjustments to make -- and they got them all at once.  Before the adoption was finalized, she chose to step back to her old teacher job.  She figured up that with day care, summer card, and the hours, she would be better off with the lower-paying teacher job. 

However, this is a "your mileage may vary" thing.  Jobs within the education system vary:  For example, a high school science teacher is going to put in hours after school setting up multiple labs every week, whereas an elementary school PE teacher can probably walk out at the end of the day with few papers to grade.  A high school administrator will spend loads of time attending sports events, etc. 

[Numbers Man]

I chose less stress and lower earning power. Sometimes you get envious of the people making major bank but the low intensity work days and the amount a free time is priceless. It's just like touring an old cemetery where the really rich dudes have the 30 foot monuments whereas the Mustashians have the headstones.

[Retire-Canada]

I did a search here and found only 11 posts about downshifting. No question it is part of FI: having enough funds to opt out of the rat race, however reaching FI sometimes means upping your pay and working harder.

Those of you who are not FI, like me: Have any of you scaled back your career ambitions to focus on other things? It could be a sick child, parent or spouse, a hobby, or you :) What prompted you to scale back?

I re-focused last year and decided not to pursue a management career or even a significant pay increase. After paying off (not a lot of) debt and now saving 20% of my take-home pay and frittering less, I just don't feel the need to strive. I'm happy to go into work, do a good job, and leave it at 5pm.

My plan is to gradually work less and less as I approach FI.

I'm working 40hrs M-F now with 5 weeks paid holidays and shifting to 4 x 10hrs M-th in a month or so.

2016 I'll shift to 3 months off unpaid + 1 month paid holidays.

2017 -2019 add another month unpaid each year.

Not sure what I'll do after 2019...I may stop working I may not....for sure I won't work full-time.

I'm not FI yet [~5.5% WR at minimal costs and ~7% WR at full lifestyle costs with some extras], but will be in 2-5 years depending on the markets.

Working part-time gives me some great times now and let's me keep adding to my 'stash while it grows on its own power.

-- Vik

[pdxbator]

I absolutely see downshifting in my future. Right now I'm doing the 8 to 5 grind and have a good paying job with good benefits. Due to unforeseen inheritance I have found myself FI. It's a nice place to be in especially since I was already in the frugality mode. I haven't expanded my lifestyle. I've told myself the second my aging parents (73 and 70) need me I'll just do the retirement early thing and help them. After all they put 18 years of me at home so I certainly could help them for some years.

I'm 42 and my husband is 44. We've talked about doing the retire thing now, but we are both chicken-sh*t to pull the trigger at this moment though we could afford to.

[The Beacon]

I am at least not "up-shifting".  I am a programmer.  I like programming.  So in 2-3 years when I hit my FIRE number. I will need to work on projects that put a smile on me every day. If my current employer can not meet my requirements, I will fire him. In my field, it is very easy to find a gig .  It is especially true when money becomes secondary.

[gt7152b]

To be honest I've spent a good bit of my career in a lower gear than I was capable of. The reasons for doing so are complex. It's a mix of laziness, optimizing efficiency, and just prioritizing other things over work. With most of my jobs I didn't have a clear vision of harder work leading to any significantly proportional rewards. In fact, I've had promotions dangled in front of me that never materialized despite clearly meeting the goals set forth for them. I could have thrown a fit about it but I'm not that kind of person so I just downshifted instead.

When I first started out I was always asking for more work because whatever I was given was not enough to fill my plate for 40 hours a week. Maybe they thought I was too green but it really didn't result in getting more responsibility. Now that I'm further along with my career I also have a family that I value spending time with much more than work, hobbies that are critical to my happiness and health, and a desire to be more self sufficient than ever with DIY projects. I do have much more responsibility at my job than I used to but it's still rare that it requires 40 hours/week. I can get so much done in a focused 40 hours that there is almost never a need to work extra especially knowing that it will slow down after a busy week or two.

Now that I'm in the early stages of FI (I could live off passive income but I'd like a little more for a good travel budget and some extra luxuries) I have downshifted even more. I just don't allow anything work related to stress me out. Compared to your average worker bee I've always been very good at this but there were times I got a little worried about some VIP thinking badly of me. Now that I basically don't give a shit what anyone thinks I'm actually a very productive and confident employee. Wish I had started this attitude years ago. Being so close also means that another raise/promotion is probably not coming and even if it did the impact would be minimal.

[happy]

I've been downshifting for 20 years. It has its challenges, but its suited me. Its enabled me to look after my family, and stay sane. If I hadn't downshifted, I probably would have burnt out in my career long ago. Details about downshifting are scattered through my journal: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/happy-aussie-downshifter/100/

[HappyMargo]

My plan currently entails full FIRE at age 53.  DH's plan is to work FT until 62 (he may pull trigger earlier at 60 y/o.)

So in the meantime, while he is still do the full-time thing, I plan to definitely down-shift to just per diem hours & only pick up random shifts I feel like working.

...Or possibly take a few travel assignments to go check out towns around the US that sound interesting while having travel/ apartment/ etc paid for.
...And also volunteer on medical missions to other countries.  FI buys the freedom to still participate in work/ volunteering as much or as little as I'd like!

[HappyMargo]

My plan currently entails full FIRE at age 53.  DH's plan is to work FT until 62 (he may pull trigger earlier at 60 y/o.)

So in the meantime, while he is still do the full-time thing, I plan to definitely down-shift to just per diem hours & only pick up random shifts I feel like working.

...Or possibly take a few travel assignments to go check out towns around the US that sound interesting while having travel/ apartment/ etc paid for.
...And also volunteer on medical missions to other countries.  FI buys the freedom to still participate in work/ volunteering as much or as little as I'd like!

And to add on to the plan above & further answer your down-shifting question: 
I also consciously "down-shifted"  my entire career.  I went from using my Business Degree, very ambitious, pursuing promotions & more responsibilities.... to realizing I had many years ahead of me in the job market.  Did I wish to continue at that pace?

The answer was "no."  So I returned to school for a Nursing Degree & down-shifted from a corporate salaried management job to very fulfilling, hourly work in Health Care. 

so.worth.it.   :-)

[FIRE Artist]

I did this two years ago, leaving frontline management in the private sector (oil patch) and entered the public sector as an internal consultant in healthcare.  At half the pay, but only 60% the of the work hours (and those being completely low stress, no direct reports, no selling or hunting for work), I feel like I came out on top with the move. 

I used to tell people it was like I was going into semi-retirement, but now that I have learned the term downshifting, I will start to use that instead as it is the perfect descriptor for what I have done.  Love it. 

[Joan-eh?]

I'm starting the downshift in my mind. I'm now less likely to jump in to solve problems, to feel responsible, --I'm isolating myself a bit, then I will start working less hours gradually until I finish. I like my work, it's what I would do even if I weren't paid... But I like the idea of downshifting to a different attitude toward it/relationship with it and then less of it.

[pbkmaine]

Decided years ago that I did not want to be a partner in a Big 4 accounting firm, and then decided I did not want to supervise large numbers of people. So I took a job for a bit less money where I was just the subject matter expert, not the fearless leader. Lots of stress relief. Three years ago, DH retired and we moved. I presented a plan to my company that would allow me to work remote and gradually phase me out. This was accepted. Now I work about 5 hours a week at $125 an hour. This suits me and DH and keeps most of our capital compounding.

[bondo]

I'm not sure "downshifting" is really the right term. In an automotive sense, you downshift (higher rpm, burning more gas) to go fast, or up a steep hill.  Upshifting is going into a higher gear for relaxed driving or cruising(good mileage).  Maybe its just because I am a mechanic for a living. 

[gt7152b]

I'm not sure "downshifting" is really the right term. In an automotive sense, you downshift (higher rpm, burning more gas) to go fast, or up a steep hill.  Upshifting is going into a higher gear for relaxed driving or cruising(good mileage).  Maybe its just because I am a mechanic for a living.

Ah, but you also downshift when the car slows down. Don't want to stall the engine.

[spokey doke]

Realizing that the benefits of busting my ass was not paying off much at all - either in terms of salary or a sense of making-a-difference in the world, I have been downshifting for a few years, and have the last two fairly well mapped out.  I'm not saying no to everything, and will keep making sure my work is done well, but it is really liberating to take stock of all of the "last time I have to do that BS" episodes.

While I'd like to pull the plug today, there are some nice prospects for engaging work over the next couple of years - wrap it all up in a bow and then I'm done.

[use2betrix]

Ah, the dreams of downshifting. I have slightly, but my downshifting is still far more than most average people work.

At 21 I left a tech school working 56 hrs/wk with no vacation the first year. From 21-25 I worked an average of around 60 hrs/wk. Many 70 hr weeks and the rare 50 hr. The last year I've switched from hourly to salary so I rarely work over 50, which is a downshift for me lol.

Fortunately my job is not overly difficult and I enjoy a lot of it. I typically have a good amount of downtime where mmm comes in handy. Fortunately due to the nature of my work I also earn a very high salary for my age, so hopefully that will speed up the whole process. Prior to getting into management I was an industrial pipe welder, so I have many options for finding seasonal or part time work down the road some day, or just doing contract work and working a project or two a year.

[ash7962]

Very interesting topic since I've recently been playing around with the idea of downshifting as part of my FI plans.  I'm thinking that I will keep working for 4-5 more years and then quit my job and downshift to hopefully a part time job.  My plans are still fairly fluid since I just started thinking about this a week or so ago.  I'd definitely have to move to a lower COL area (from a big city HCOL area).  My initial plan is to just quit my job with 6-12 months of living expenses easily accessible, then take a few months off full time work while moving and figuring out what my actual spending is in the lower COL place, and finally come up with a more concrete FIRE plan.  Part of what makes this so hard to plan for me is that I don't have a really great idea of what my expenses would be in the lower COL area.  I feel like a lot of my expenses could change going from where I live now to a smaller town/city.  I would have to buy a car (I bike and public transport only now), would maybe attempt to garden (currently impossible in my city apartment), source my own health insurance, maybe buy a house?  Its possible I won't be able to make it on a part time job, or I just decide that I'd have to work at a part time job for too long to FI, or maybe that I just want some extra spending money per month.  Either way, I think the time off will do me some mental good, I could try out a different life style to see how I like it, and at the very least allow me to get a better idea of the magic number I need to be FI.