Author Topic: Burned out of work... Help!  (Read 3554 times)

maginvizIZ

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Burned out of work... Help!
« on: May 29, 2018, 05:50:23 PM »
Hello!


Age: 27
Salary: $65k
Net worth: $200k
Average annual expenses: $20k

Clearly I'm not FI yet... But holy shit I'm burned out. I'm losing passion in finance (at least corporate finance... Or maybe I'm simply losing the desire to work). I’m slowly going to work later and later, taking longer and longer lunches, and leaving earlier and earlier. Im horrible, I know. This is why I’m writing this and could use some advice.

I'm currently in a good gig where they pay for my rent until Feb 2019 (currently in San Diego.. woot woot). It makes no sense to leave before then (unless I want to pay for rent here). My $15k tuition reimbursement period and 401k Vesting period ends June 2019 (about $6k)..


I no longer look forward to work. I do love the work/life balance here... Coworkers are awesome... I kind of just don't give a shit about the industry anymore.

Anyway. I've casually watched 5 hours of YouTube videos of others living in Thailand for 600 a month. Im thinking about taking 3 months off, to relax, and then come back to look for a new job once I’m refreshed. I believe I’m slightly underpaid, and could land a $75-$80k job next summer (assuming I want to stay in the defense industry).

I’ve even thought about self teaching myself computer science to try a different field... I wonder if I’m just sick of corporate finance...

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Has anyone ever felt like this? Been in this situation? Is quitting the answer? A new job in the same industry? New industry?

Thank you in advance.

WalkaboutStache

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2018, 07:36:59 PM »
This stuff is dismal, and your feelings about it are understandable. I feel the same about my own gig, even down to the upside of waiting longer for the financial rewards.

I don't have an answer, but what helps me are the days where instead of avoiding the dull work I force myself to embrace the suck (as a friend says) and just deal with it. Time passes faster and my overactive daydreaming about.all things I am missing quieted down.

Also, your work-life balance is a big plus. I keep reminding myself of that when I hit a low.

Nothing wrong with taking a break, but it seem better to wait. If that wait seems unbearable, maybe reminding yourself of the cost of lost reimbursements will help you see the break as less attractive for the time being.

Good luck!

mozar

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2018, 08:12:54 PM »
Some other poster said that if you continue to let your life suck, you are training yourself to always have a life that sucks. 27 is a great age to go spend some time recharging in Thailand.

DreamFIRE

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2018, 09:13:51 PM »
Burned out at 27?  That's pretty young.  Have you considered meditation?

maginvizIZ

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2018, 12:15:53 AM »
Embrace the suck. I like it! The work life balance is a huge plus.  It’s probably the only thing keeping me going.

Meditation? I’ll look into it. I do wonder if I should simply focus less on work, and more on some type of hobby. Any books I should look into for this?



If I did do a long term travel... I would wait for summer 2019. I don’t think it’s worth to lose my tuition thing or 401k over it.... but I am seriously looking into Thailand. How badass would that be? But at the same time, fear always creeps in...

joestash

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2018, 12:58:48 AM »
Are you "burned out" because you have so much work to do or because you feel like your job is pointless?

Here's an intro to meditation by Tim Ferriss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfLuQ2arP48

I would also recommend his book The 4-Hour Workweek for your current circumstances.

Hirondelle

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2018, 01:15:59 AM »
If you like travel in general I'd totally recommend the Thailand/SE-Asia option. You don't have to stick to Thailand only; you could slow-travel the area for $600/month easily. Being in your late 20s and having a good stash you're in a great position to do that.

Just be prepared; going back to work after that will only be harder ;)

tomorrowsomewherenew

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2018, 05:17:17 AM »
You sound like me--spending less and less time at work. I eventually came to the conclusion that I was super bored. Really, I can only stay at a job about 18 mo before I start losing my mind. Fortunately, after a year or two it's acceptable to look for a different job. I think you should ride out the rest of your rent/tuition reimbursement situation and then immediately look for a new job.


chasesfish

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2018, 05:38:41 AM »
I'm going to chime in with a little motivation...

Suck it up and get through your two commitments in the next year and save a bunch of money, then take your time off. This coming from someone that is in his last year of kinda/sorta "corporate finance".  It took me 7 years of working to get that level of net worth, mainly because of a really crappy market and student loan debt.  You're a couple years ahead of the game and hell, I'm retiring at 36.

There's something special about getting to that $300,000 - $500,000 net worth range, especially if its all invested.  That starts this wealth snowball rolling.  For us, it was $400,000 then the market finally had one of its "good" years. 

I've grinded out to a net worth I never imagined, but also got locked into golden handcuffs and in hindsight, some of the life sacrifices were't worth it. 

Later on, consider using your skill set for something lower stress, like community banking.

mcneally

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2018, 10:03:21 AM »
Age: 27

But holy shit I'm burned out...

I no longer look forward to work. I do love the work/life balance here... Coworkers are awesome... I kind of just don't give a shit about the industry anymore.

If you're dying to go on an extended trip to Thailand, go for it. It sounds like you have unrealistic expectations about what work is though.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2018, 10:36:08 AM by mcneally »

Acastus

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2018, 11:08:30 AM »
A new job sounds like the ticket. You have put in your 5(?) years at 1 company. Time to try something else. You picked the right time in the job market - companies need people who can fog a mirror. "My job is soul crushing, but it pays well" is not really selling your current position all that well. Maybe finance is not for you. Maybe doing finance at a company that you care about is.

mm1970

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2018, 12:32:31 PM »
Quote
I’m slowly going to work later and later, taking longer and longer lunches, and leaving earlier and earlier. Im horrible, I know. This is why I’m writing this and could use some advice.

Why is that horrible?  If it gives you balance, not horrible.

maginvizIZ

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2018, 02:06:09 PM »
Age: 27

But holy shit I'm burned out...

I no longer look forward to work. I do love the work/life balance here... Coworkers are awesome... I kind of just don't give a shit about the industry anymore.

If you're dying to go on an extended trip to Thailand, go for it. It sounds like you have unrealistic expectations about what work is though.

Could you explain what you mean? Maybe I do have unrealistic expectations.


Quote
I’m slowly going to work later and later, taking longer and longer lunches, and leaving earlier and earlier. Im horrible, I know. This is why I’m writing this and could use some advice.

Why is that horrible?  If it gives you balance, not horrible.

It’s horrible in that I paid get with the assumption of working 40 hours a week... but really I crank in 35ish hours a week. I mean I get all my work done.... just in less time.

A new job sounds like the ticket. You have put in your 5(?) years at 1 company. Time to try something else. You picked the right time in the job market - companies need people who can fog a mirror. "My job is soul crushing, but it pays well" is not really selling your current position all that well. Maybe finance is not for you. Maybe doing finance at a company that you care about is.

Working for a company that I care about!... that is interesting. Maybe I would enjoy it if I had passion in what my company does!




I did just get back from a meeting about my position, and it sounds like there is potential to take unpaid leave for a while to travel (I didn’t ask, but someone mentioned they took 3 months off last year for personal reasons)... so I could potentially start working the second my trip ends. Doesn’t quite solve the “I’m miserable” at my job... but maybe simply taking 3 months off of working will help me gain better expectations of work... and actually wanting to work!

Working for a company you have passion for is a really cool idea.

mcneally

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #13 on: May 30, 2018, 05:44:22 PM »
You only work 40 hours a week, you like your co-workers, doesn't sound like you have a bad boss or high stress, you seem perhaps bored but not dreading going to work. I'm only a few years older than you, but it just seems silly for a 27 year old in this scenario to describe themselves as burned out. Dissatisfied with pay for a HCOL, maybe, though with the free rent and tuition (student loan?) reimbursement it doesn't sound bad. Burnout would make sense if you were working 100 hour weeks at Goldman. Or to a lesser extent if you just had a high pressure boss.

I think it's a pretty rare person that can find a job they're passionate about and look forward to going every day (or most days) once you've been working full time a few years. If you're able to do so, great.

maginvizIZ

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #14 on: May 30, 2018, 05:50:39 PM »
I agree with that! The word “burned out” was probably the wrong one to use.

I do like my coworkers (well, some of them. Haha).
Working only 40 hours a week in finance is pretty rare (I think?)
I don’t have a high stress boss either...


Man I’m such a complainy pants now that I’m thinking of it! Haha

I’m being paid well, since I volunteered to move to San Diego for a year. Once that ends (feb 2019), I think I am underpaid by $10-$15k (according to glassdoor).



Maybe it is rare to truly enjoy your job... And I just need to get over that part and focus on hobbies? 🤔

Daisy

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #15 on: May 30, 2018, 08:56:13 PM »
Yes, time to focus on hobbies. Call it FIRE-training.

It sounds like your job is all you have in your life. In your future FIREd life, you won't have the job, so start planning what you will do with all of this time.

MrUpwardlyMobile

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #16 on: May 30, 2018, 09:02:12 PM »
Are you "burned out" because you have so much work to do or because you feel like your job is pointless?

Here's an intro to meditation by Tim Ferriss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfLuQ2arP48

I would also recommend his book The 4-Hour Workweek for your current circumstances.

Burn out is definitely different From bore out.  The poster sounds bored, not burnt.

JanetJackson

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #17 on: May 31, 2018, 07:40:03 AM »
Sadly, I think it's unrealistic (in my opinion) to find work that is actually enjoyable... work that you would wilingly trade your time for, even if you weren't paid for it.
I always think of work (which I hate) as something that no one would do for free, so we have to be paid to do it.. and it's a constant battle.  We want to be paid more to do less, they/the company want to pay us less to do more.  We wrestle and wrestle and then HOPEFULLY come out ahead and can stop exchanging our limited resource of time for money and we can actually live our lives and spend our time doing things we enjoy.
It's dismal.

All of that being said, I'm sorry you are in the position of burn out/bore out.  I have been there before and exist somewhere on that spectrum now (burned out at one job, bored out at the 2nd job... I actually kind of like my 3rd job) and it's no fun.

I would second the recommendation to do some meditation.  I had always considered meditation as some woo woo self-help BS, but then I actually started doing it regularly.  I'm about a year in (I used guided meditations in an app called Pacifica) and it's helped my mindset somewhat.  I'd say I'm perhaps 10-15% more able to deal with the dredge of every day at work, and more focused on the enjoyable parts outside of work (this is key).

I think you should implement some hobbies, meditation, and other things outside of work.  Get through the tuition and rent reimbursement period (2019 isn't too too far away), and then take the time off that you want/need.  I'm 34 and low(is) income focused on FI/RE (more the FI part), but don't have even HALF of what you have in terms of both income and savings.... If I were in your shoes I'd definitely take a mini retirement to travel and then reset upon return.

Good luck! :)

nessness

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Re: Burned out of work... Help!
« Reply #18 on: May 31, 2018, 10:07:08 AM »
Have you heard the expression, "If work was fun, they wouldn't have to pay someone to do it"?

That being said, you're 27 and single, so if you want to take a couple months off to travel, and/or train for a new career, this is as good a time as any. Teaching yourself some computer science sounds like a good starting place. Once you identify an area you want to focus on, you can start working toward some certifications.