Do you like your work?

[zephyr911]

Love the job, hate the lifestyle. 24/7 on call 365 days a year no weekends or holidays off.  Every other day or two is spent in a hotel.  Hours vary and are never the same for work, sleep, and leisure time. 

My new goal since learning of fire is to save and invest and then maybe someday I can semi retire in to one of those cushy 9-5 ers everyone here complains about.

Hahahaha... you can always dream.

[BlueMR2]

I love my job, but I know it'll kill me one of these days.  High stress.  I'd estimate a stress induced heart attack in  5-10 years or so.  If nothing changes, I'll probably retire in 3-4 years just so it doesn't kill me.

[Daisy]

Yes.

Considering I'm not a super-techie person but work in technology, I think I've spent my 24 year career pretty well, for the most part.

I was having so much fun at work and social stuff related to work in my 20s and 30s that I would not have wanted to FIRE during that time, even if I knew of the concept. Back then, the company was growing, new people constantly coming in, tons of sports leagues at work, made lots of lifelong friends, went on trips with friends made at work, etc. It really was a great time. Oh, and the actual work I had to do wasn't too bad. For about 10 years there I also lived really close to work. Silly me decided to move to a funner location after that and increased my commute.

Now the company has changed a lot. There are still many of the same people sticking around, but it's a lot smaller and the sports leagues have died out and people are tired of all of the changes. I still kind of like the work I do in solving problems, designing things, knowing our work makes a difference in society.

But the time constraints imposed by work are really getting to me. I would love to FIRE and be a beach/cycling/kayaking bum for about 6 months. Then I'd be a ski bum for another few months. Then I'd figure out how to spend the rest of my life. I will get there soon, very soon...

[firewalker]

The work is stressful due to corporate retail sales mentality. I endure because of the humanity shown by my manager and co workers.

[Sailor Sam]

Oh love the 210's but they didn't have billets for females yet back in my day. But they refueled and re-supplied our 95' at sea all the time - and we got to hang out on them for a bit to take a break from the pounding on the 95 (once described as being inside a cement mixer 24/7) and take showers too - always a good thing as you know :-)!

Ooo, thread hijack. Hi Spartana! I was wondering if you would catch that. I love the 210's, and I hope to be CO of one someday. But nothing will ever beat my own little 87' fiefdom. Took command from a BMCM and gave her back to a BMCS, so I was really only borrowing her from my operational betters, but I sure did love her.

I now dis-hijack this thread.

[FiveSigmas]

I work in software. It can be stressful at times, but it's interesting and meaningful work, and I'm treated well. I like my boss and coworkers, too, which is also key.

I don't foresee myself leaving in the near future, but I don't hold any illusions that things last forever. As Zephyr and So Close have pointed out, it just takes one change somewhere in the management chain -- or a major economic downturn -- for things to go bad. I'm hoping that doesn't happen.

[Ocelot]

I like my job a lot - in fact, it's basically an extension of my #1 hobby, and I've worked my way up to the point where I mainly only get to do interesting things with top-tier parts. That said though, I hate having to get up early every morning to go there, and I hate having to be there when I have other goals to pursue or more rewarding things I could be doing. The bane of work isn't the work itself, it's the rigid time commitment.

[stlbrah]

I love the technology, but I can't stand all of the corporate BS. At a corporate job, you can only use 5% of your brain and the rest is all procedures, but if they want drones, you gotta give them a drone. I wish I could do full time consulting... someday. Its not that bad, but I figure why settle for anything less than 100% ideal.

Actually, that is why I am up right now at 7am on a Saturday. Going to set up a small network for a consulting customer.

[Dee18]

I really like my job (although not so much the city it ties me to). As a SWAMI I also love not worrying about money and feeling like I could quit my job any time.  Things that used to annoy me no longer bother me because I know I can choose to leave when I want.  For now I am happy taking more and more time off each year.  My MMM ways are pretty ingrained (and were long before I found MMM), but I liking knowing I can splurge, even if I rarely do.

[mastrr]

I am 27 and am on a path for FI with a NW around 130k.  Just found MMM a few weeks ago and am making consistent changes at a mediocre pace.  My mind is always trying to create better systems to be more effective at achieving my goal, which is FI.

I don't love my job but I don't believe that I would love any job that has a boss.  However, I like achievement and being successful.  It is much more enjoyable when I have control and I find it stressful when I do not.  I also enjoy the times where I can put my head down and perform compared to playing the corporate game.

[Panchos]

I love my work at the FD generally speaking. It's the best job I've ever had. That being said, there are certainly some aspects that I don't like (being exposed to sick people, carcinogens in fires/diesel exhaust, being up all night at times). I'm on a fast track to have the house paid in the next year or so and debating whether or not to stay in the FD full-time. I'll be vested in another three years if I stay full-time. Once vested, I'll be eligible for $100 a month for every year of service in my pension (not to mention my 457 and 401k; should be able to max both once house is paid). I'm really considering going part-time and working on my terms. Just not sure I'd make enough to cover expenses, medical insurance, and max out the 401k.

[FenderBender]

love being a sql server DBA working from home so much that i'm going to 3 days a wk starting in Oct.  it is a gravy job so much that i'm bored with it.  so if a take any given wk off, i'll have 11 days off so not bad.  i churn travel credit cards so will have time to use my points soon and reason to churn more points.  3 days a wk will provide 2/3s of my pay which is what a lot of people make that have debts and i have no debt so no brainer.  counting the days until i go part time.

[Cranky]

Yes. My job - teaching - is way fun. I put my entire tiny salary into my retirement account, and I enjoy knowing that they can't afford to replace me.

[FLA]

I LOVED my job, home hospice nurse. It fulfilled my need to have a purpose and a life of service (although I was renumerated for the work). Out of all the types of nursing I tried, this was the perfect fit. I didn't make much but saved for retirement young and IMO fairly aggressively.  Single mom, 2 kids, lived way below our means.  When I had enough in Vanguard Index funds that you get free financial planning help, I told him I wanted to retire at 62 (was worried about cost of healthcare).  He said I could easily retire at 55 if I looked into Obamacare.  Retiring that young had just never, ever occurred to me because I really thought I needed to wait for Medicare.  So that would've meant 10 yrs more of work. That was a lot to think about. I ran every retirement calculator available on the internet, I could see it but could not believe it.

well, that was all shot to shit when I got sick in Sept and just kept getting sicker.  I refused  to accept that I was not going back to work "in a month", so I did not listen to my doctors telling me to apply for SSDI NOW.  I finally "got it" NINE months later, and applied. So I put myself behind the financial 8 ball there. When I did get it and realized the odds of me ever going back are zero, I was panicked and spoke to Vanguard and the 403B guy at work. I forget everything now but I do know that I should be ok and able to draw from investments enough to get by frugally without touching the principle. 

But I need to confirm that now that I am not panicked and post here for advice if you guys think I am on track and investing well.

Leaving a job I loved so much was at first extremely hard to deal with and not at all because of money, I could not accept that I would likely never be able to do the one thing I know I am good at (I'm not bragging, I just found my niche and it was a perfect fit). So if I couldn't do that "one thing" ever again, what am I going to do?  I have some volunteering ideas, nothing I can remotely do now. As time has passed, I'm accepting it better and trying to see it as I had a good ten yr run with hospice, met amazing people and worked my butt off to help and I learned so much from them in return.  I worked with a team of social workers, chaplain, and doctors of a caliber I had never seen in my other 13 yrs working for the parent company. So who am I to complain, how many people get to love their jobs the way I did?  I was very fortunate.  Time to work on Life Phase II.

[11ducks]

I love my job. As a permanent teacher, I get paid summers off, and am only at work 8-4 most days (though spend a bit of time marking/planning outside of that). I love teaching and working with 99% of teens, though you get the odd draining/horrid one that can take up way too much of your time and energy. Having been in the same school for 5 yrs now, it is wonderful to see the sweet yr7s that I know transform first into horrid teens (yr9-10) and then back into lovely, well equipped young adults (yr11-12) who take your lessons with them out into the world as they graduate.

I get very frustrated  at times by the lack of support from direct supervisors/admin, and the insistence on integration without the supporting infrastructure, which results in wildly differing outcomes, and some students taking far more than their share of time, while others don't get the help they need.

But yes, on the balance, I love what I do an am grateful for the opportunity I have to work in a secure job in a 1st world country, near home, and to keep on adding to my stash.

[Tabaxus]

I enjoy the substance of my work.

I wish I had about half as many hours of it.

[FLA]

  it is wonderful to see the sweet yr7s that I know transform first into horrid teens (yr9-10) and then back into lovely, well equipped young adults (yr11-12) who take your lessons with them out into the world as they graduate.

 

this would be cool and they are lucky to have you

[big_slacker]

Network/Security engineer here. Love it. The problem solving, the logic, and getting to see 'behind the curtain' of a lot of cool stuff.  I'm incredibly grateful that my hobby turned into my career and that people seem to want to keep throwing money at me to do it. Like some others on this thread I'll just semi-retire and do it on my own terms when I'm ready, probably 10 or so years from now.

[OlyFish]

I like my work. It is challenging and the day to day can sometimes be a little stress inducing, but it is extremely fulfilling and rewarding. I feel like I am contributing a unique skill and helping people. I also like my co-workers.

I think I will possibly move to a 0.8 schedule (3.5 days a week for me as I am currently working 4) once I am financially independent. I will have all debt including the house paid off in 8 years (student loans suck SO bad.) I think in 10 years we should have $1m in investable assets, plus a paid off house. I think at that point I will feel somewhat like a SWAMI.

[TheBuddha]

I like my job. Being a truck driver I don't have to deal with annoying coworkers, office gossip/culture, dress codes, and when I take time off I'm OFF - no thinking about work at all. I dropped the trailer off and now I'm done. No loose ends.

[Lifestyle Deflation]

I love my job. It fits me perfectly and I am great at it.

What I don't like is corporate BS, micro-management, etc. My biggest reason for shooting for FI is to *ALWAYS* have the freedom to pick my jobs carefully and the ability to leave if things start going downhill. If the situation is good I will produce at a high level for a long time and enjoy doing it.

[DrSweden]

I love my job. It fits me perfectly and I am great at it.

What I don't like is corporate BS, micro-management, etc. My biggest reason for shooting for FI is to *ALWAYS* have the freedom to pick my jobs carefully and the ability to leave if things start going downhill. If the situation is good I will produce at a high level for a long time and enjoy doing it.

True! Freedom of choice is important! And being able to take time off to consider your options