I've had a long term plan, that I'm currently researching towards, wanting more perspective from those who have gone before me.
I'm inspired by FIRE concepts to change my daily grind to doing something a little more fulfilling (now programmer, looking at chef). I've since started getting experience here and there by volunteering and I plan to work on an internet-based diploma when I make the shift.
I consider it appealing on a number of points
1. Part time option. Want to earn decent money and work hard, but less hours. Maybe nights, weekends, and be home for my kids during the daytime so we have someone always at home during school holidays etc. Yes there are part time programming options, but nothing nearby, which brings me to 2nd point.
2. Is a line of work that is always available no matter if you want to live rural or big city, there is some food for sale. I would love to have the option to go live&work at holiday resorts one day if my home situation agreed with it, my kids were grown up, etc.
I realise doing part time work doesnt get me any closer to Early Retirement, but I could learn to live on less and have more freedom to do what I want with free time. Example: I might spend it on my kids and home at first, but later engage in 1 or 2 side hustles just to do interesting shit and meet people. Hustles I consider: house sitting, babysitting, Etsy shop, writing, proofreading, ghostwriting, programming related. I've read a lot of encouraging things saying along the lines of... make the time, and you will do something interesting, and maybe end up richer monetarily - definitely richer in experience.
So I want to know if my ideas are poisoned by too much optimism or "Grass is greener" mentality. I hope to speak to as many people who have done a full time to part time shift, and/or people who have a career as a chef or similar, to see if some of my ideas make sense.
Bonus if you quit IT to do some kind of more physical work and can help by reflecting on that?
footnote: i have considered asking current employment about part time (between school hours) option. I did this with another previous employer and got the gig, which was nice, but it also has drawbacks, like resentful feelings from coworkers. Anyway it'd be nice to ditch this job.
If this idea dies young, I will make more money over 10 years, but I wonder what I lose out working 9-5 in terms of time for my kids and time for my ideas and side hustles to have some speculative work done on them. Overall, it seems still possible to take a high pressure, high paying chef or even IT gig after 10 years of taking it 'easy' on the dayjob side, if my priorities are more just to maximise income around that time.
If I do stay the course with my current income, I'm looking at saving for a house in the next 10 years. so tehre is some emotional baggage/lifelong dream style stuff that I have to contend with on the "trying nothing new" side of the fence.