What should I do next with my life?

[goodlife]

Hello friends,

Long-time lurker, first time poster. Now, this post will be very long and I would love to get some constructive input, but I do want to point out up front that there is not really a clear-cut answer to my “problem” and I would also like to point out that I am very aware that there are a lot of people in the world who have real problems and I certainly do not, on the contrary, I am very blessed and grateful for finding myself in my current dilemma. Hence, if I do come across as at all whiny, I apologize, it is not meant like that.

I am in my late 20s and have worked on the very top end of the finance industry for just over 4 years, have my CFA as well. I grew up quite poor, went to college on a full scholarship (I was the first one in my family to go to college) and then found myself a Master’s Degree that didn’t only provide me a full scholarship but actually also gave me a stipend. I have always been a very driven person and I am not quite sure why, but from a very young age I realized that my parents (who I love very much) are not doing so great financially (…euphemism here) and that I really want to take care of them, even though they would never have expected/asked for that. I have worked very hard for where I am and things never got handed to me, every scholarship and job I ever got in my life I got through applying online like 10 million other people, I didn’t have any rich uncle who had connections or something.

Now, my “problem” is that I have lost all motivation for what I am doing and I think it is because a) I was only motivated by money up to this point in my life b) I have realized that I don’t care that much about money beyond a certain point and c) I have become very successful way too fast. I got into my finance career because….I googled what would be the highest paying jobs….google spat out Chemical Engineer and Investment Banker. I wasn’t qualified for the former, so the latter it was! So yes, my entire career choice was driven by $$$ and not because I wanted to buy myself some fancy stuff but because I wanted to take care of my parents and make sure my younger sibling can go to college. I didn’t mind working 80+ hours per week and taking shit, as long as I was making the money that I was making, I didn’t care about anything else. While all the people around me lived a crazy lifestyle, I have always been very frugal. I quickly realized that I had zero interest in buying more stuff like all the people around me did. On the contrary, I found their lifestyle (and personalities) quite disgusting actually. The vast majority of people that I see in this industry are just there for the money and they get addicted to that kind of lifestyle which includes $20k rent per month for some pent house etc (I could do a whole other post on this, lol).

Now it is 4 years on, I am not thirty yet, but I have lived in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US and traveled to many other places. I have bought a house and an apartment for my parents (they are divorced). Each one is worth about 100k (very conservatively), but obviously I am not getting rental income from that which I am fine with. I have 400k saved. No debt. My younger sibling has graduated university (in part thanks to my financial support) and has a great job. And now….I am really asking myself…what’s next? My life has always been a pursuit of the next thing and everything I did always had a purpose to it. But what’s next? I recently switched jobs within my company and I am not working 80+ hours anymore…I still have the same pay, a much more interesting job with even better advancement potential and I work 9am-6pm now which is amazing for what I do. So really, there is nothing to be dissatisfied with, I actually worked really hard to get this position and I really thought this is what I wanted, but now it’s a few months in and I am realizing that I am just no longer motivated the way I used to be. Now, I do want to make it clear that this is not some kind of “burn-out”, it’s really more of a fundamental soul searching mode that I have found myself in for a while.

Before, I used to work REALLY hard because I absolutely could not get fired and I absolutely wanted to get a big bonus at the end of the year and I always had this dooms-day feeling that oh my God, if I ever lost this job, I could never get another one and then I would end up like my parents and life would suck, blabla….. But now, I can honestly say that I no longer care…which for me, is just the oddest way to feel. Just the other day I went home an hour early just because I felt like it and I was thinking that if they fired me tomorrow (not likely at all btw), that wouldn’t be so bad….I am sure I can get another job…or I could go live in one of my properties with one of my parents for a year for free…probably spend less than 20k a year of the 400k I have saved….no big deal, is it? And I think it is exactly that realization, that I no longer need this job for the paycheck, that has really killed my motivation.

The real problem though is that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have all the options in the world open to me and I actually have the money to do whatever I want to do. I could walk out of this job tomorrow if I wanted to no problem! I am not saying that 400k is enough to retire on indefinitely, but it’s definitely enough to go do sth else or take a break or whatever. And in all honesty, if I had the faintest idea of what I want to do, I would go do it right this very moment. The problem is I don’t. I mean, I am not some boring person with no hobbies, of course I have interests, but I really want to find another “career” or something else that I want to do.

Has anyone found themselves in a vaguely similar situation before? What did you end up doing? Any inspirational advice?

My game plan for now is to stick with my job until end of 2014 by which time I should have 500-550k saved. The reason I don’t quit my job right now is because I just started a few months ago in this position and I am firmly opposed to quitting anything before you have tried it for at least a full year and I actually do like this job generally despite my lack of motivation. I plan to take 2015 off, first to go on a world trip for 6 months (which is sth that I have dreamed about for years) and then I will budget another 6 months for job searching or trying out different things in the hope of finding what I really want to do with my life. What do you think? Good plan? Bad plan? My biggest worry is that even after taking a year off I might not know what I want and just waste away the days/months/years….maybe not quite realistic to think that, but I do. Has anyone here ever taken a year off (without knowing what comes after that)? How did that turn out?

For those of you who are FI or retired early, how did you find/know what you really wanted to do? Did you always know it? Do you ever feel like you are not exploring your full potential? I feel like I need to do sth meaningful and impactful with my life, even if I had $100mn in the bank, I wouldn’t just move to a nice house in the country and live a life of leisure until I drop dead…I feel like life needs to have more meaning than that, like I need to make a bigger contribution to the world. Does anyone here feel like this? Ever gone through this in their lives, especially those who chose to retire early?

I hope I haven’t bored you…and if I have, then I hope you didn’t read on all the way to this point!

[penny]

Your plan for some long term travel sounds like just what you need. You won't regret it. You won't have all the answers when you're finished,  but you'll have some new perspective.

[Lans Holman]

I think step one needs to involve reaching around to give yourself a big pat on the back.  Not just for your financial success so far (although that's pretty cool) but for not succumbing to lifestyle inflation or getting hooked on all the shiny things that money could have bought you.  Like you said, a lot of people tell themselves they're just going into some field for the money for a little while, but get hooked and can't walk away.  So, kudos.  Remind yourself that the uncertainty you are facing now is just a result of completing a fairly difficult task.  Definitely throw a party when you give notice.
As far as the next step, travel followed by some time to experiment sounds pretty good.  Do you want to look for a new career that would be somehow related to what you've been doing, or are you thinking in terms of a total switch?
One kind of off the wall thought would be the Peace Corps or something similar.  That way you're not touching your savings, you are travelling and getting perspective, and you might just be able to apply some of the skills you already have or develop some new ones that might suggest a new direction for you.

[2527]

Don't walk away from things.  Only walk toward things.

[NumberJohnny5]

How much could you save up in the next year or two? Perhaps cut back even more, save another few hundred thousand (I dunno what your compensation is, sorry), enough to be able to buy a house somewhere and retire? Not that you have to, but having the money to actually retire...it'd be a nice thought to keep in the back of your mind.

Whether or not your should take care of your parents/siblings; you've decided to provide a certain amount of assistance. Do you plan on keeping that up long-term? If so, make sure you calculate that into how much you'll need to be FI.

You've already done a lot of travel, curious why you'd need to take off extra time? I'm guessing that the type of travel you've done before didn't really lend itself to sightseeing and exploring, that makes sense. Perhaps you could continue to do the business travel as before, but at a slower pace? They need you in Singapore for three months working nonstop; tell them four months working normal hours, plus you want an extra two off to travel around the area.

I really don't see a fault in your plans, just throwing out some ideas to think about. You sound pretty sensible, I think you'll be fine.

[limeandpepper]

Hey, I think you're doing well and in a great position as you know, with many opportunities available to you if you choose.

Has anyone here ever taken a year off (without knowing what comes after that)? How did that turn out?

I haven't yet, but I am personally very interested in taking a sabbatical. Travel would be fun. Is there anything else in particular that takes your interest?

My boyfriend kinda sorta took a year off - he's a freelancer, so basically that just means he didn't actively look for work, and accepted very few gigs. The paid work he ended up doing that year probably added up to the equivalent of less than 2 months full-time. That year, he traveled - not for very long, maybe 6 weeks or so - and when he came back, he spent a lot of time processing his travel photos (he's an avid semi-pro hobbyist photographer), we worked together in submitting his photos to competitions, he won a couple plus one of his photos has been featured in a book; he also spent a lot of time fleshing out and designing an app idea, and this year found a coder who can help him make it happen. He's doing more work again nowadays. While that year was a bit tough because he had to dip into his savings, I think it was what he wanted/needed at the time and things have turned out okay afterwards, and provided the groundwork for potential career diversification.

For me, I have started drafting out some ideas on what I would be doing if I downshift or take a sabbatical, based on things that I enjoy and could develop further with the luxury of time. Also researching places I might travel to, and what I might do while I am there. That's something you can try. I find that it helps me feel more prepared and less concerned that I would end up doing nothing. It's quite exciting really. :)

[goodlife]

Thanks all for the great comments!

To Lans: Thanks a lot for the compliment! And yes, sth similar to the Peace Corp could be a good idea, I will have a think about that! In terms of what I want to do after, I really have no idea, but I am more leaning to a complete switch.

To josetann: I can save about 100k per year, which equates to a roughly 75% after tax savings rate. If I do quit in Jan 2015, I expect to have around 500k saved by that point. For my parents, I have done A LOT over the past few years which has set them up pretty well for the future and they live in countries with very good govt support, so I don't foresee having to provide that much more assistance going forward, plus my sibling will also be taking on a greater role in contributing to that. I also don't want to go down the road of staying in a career that I don't like just because I want to give money to my parents...I am afraid I could end up resenting them at some point despite the fact that they never asked for this. As for the traveling, yes, I have done a lot of travel, but it's always just short vacations or business trips (and on business trips you see the airport and the hotel only, lol), so I would love to take time off to travel longer term and in a different way. And funny that you mention Singapore, I lived there before for work and have traveled quite a bit around SE Asia. If I take a 6 month break, I would want to focus on South America, I have never been there and the chance of getting posted there for work is extremely low. Regarding being FI etc, yes, it is definitely something I am playing around with in my head....just keep this job for....4 more years or so and then I have enough money to "retire"....but a) that still woulnd't solve the problem of what I would do after I "retire" and b) I am just not sure that I could keep it up for that long. I can do another year of this...but beyond that...I really don't know.

To limeandpepper: Haha, I definitely do a lot of researching places, like all the time!! Both for travel or for potential places to live in the future. I love it.
 

[ozzage]

For sure do the travelling. At the end of that you'll at least know yourself a bit better, since you've probably hardly had time to really do that so far.

Since you asked, I've done something like that twice:

1. When I left my country of birth at the age of 25. I had no firm destination and nothing but a backpack. I bought a one-way ticket and travelled through Asia for six months then ended up getting a job in a country (in Europe) I'd never even considered before. I had planned on travelling longer but I was ready after six months to have a home again and it led to an entirely new chapter in my life.

2. At the age of 38 I (with my partner) took a year out and went travelling. I freelance so I just finished my contract and didn't look for a new one. Partner quit her job completely. We gave up our flat and put our things into storage and headed off. People thought we were mad, obviously. Actually we had planned on six months but we just kept going and ended up being away for just under a year. If we hadn't decided to spend Christmas with her family I have no idea how much longer we would have gone on!

It's probably not very Mustachian but we did it on the cheap and wouldn't change it for the world. We have a baby now and plan to do something similar with her too when she's a bit older (maybe not for quite as long). Some things are more important than savings rates and in my view travel is one of them.

If you do such a trip, then personally in your situation I would make as FEW plans as possible and really just wing it. Plus go slowly. You don't need an "organised" trip (even self-organised), you need the sort of thing where you can hang out in one place for a couple of months if you like it, just stay a day if you don't, and change entire country based on a random conversation or snippet of something you read. This absolute freedom sounds basic and obvious but it's such a difference from our normal western life that you'll never have the same perspective on things "back home" again. Lots of people travel but don't ever really let go of the need to plan.

[daverobev]

Travelling would get my vote. Travel light - I'd love to "do" the US in a van/rv; elsewhere, take one backpack and that's all.

Good job, you've done really well. Look into real alternatives - let's face it, you never need to work again, assuming you have your cash invested. You could become a writer, an artist, a cook at a homeless shelter.

Read 'Walden' by H. D. Thoreau - "Now we have professors of philosophy, not philosophers" - become a philosopher!

[Fite4Rite2Party]

Goodlife, I feel like we're in a very similar situation. I will be supporting at least one parent in retirement. I joined the world of corporate law for the money and have been doing this for 4+ years. I'm currently based in Asia. I don't enjoy my work because of the long hours and high stress, and I don't identify with most of those around me who live extravagant lifestyles. I have roughly the same amount of cash as you socked away, no debt, and ready to move on.

Here's how I'm dealing with the situation. I decided to downgrade to a low stress job in a low cost of living area that still has a good paycheck. In particular, I found a job where I can continue to work as a corporate lawyer, but no longer have to do deals. I suspect that your work may have involved managing finance transactions, so you probably know where I'm coming from. A deal-based career just doesn't work if you want to call it a day at 6 every day.

I thought about trying to stick it out in the law firm for a few more years, but just couldn't get comfortable with the idea. I also didn't feel quite ready to just check out and travel and go to zero income. So, I'm shooting for a bit of a middle ground. New job starts next month, and I'm optimistic.

I would suggest making a lateral move to something that's related to what you do in your current job but that you also find interesting, rather than checking out completely and starting again from scratch. I wouldn't check out completely until you have a big enough nut for FI. However, that doesn't mean you can't fit in a few months between jobs for a solid South America backpacking trip.

[Daleth]

A friend of mine went from corporate law to solo practice and between those jobs, she went to India and lived on a couple of ashrams for a while. Just mentioning her as a point of inspiration...

[scottydog]

What a fun problem! :-)  I once took about 2 months off to do career research and soul-searching, and I didn't get the epiphany I was hoping for but it did help.  I'm a big productivity geek and really enjoy the Get-It-Done-Guy podcast, and his tips in (http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/relationships/professional/how-to-find-your-life-purpose?page=all) were quite helpful.  I took it a step further and got some of Martha Beck's books from the library, but I think GIDG sums it up nicely by comparing the feeling of eating Oreo ice cream cake vs eating worms as a guide to what you really want to do.

I left engineering to teach because the challenges in teaching appealed to me.  Now I always tell my students to go in a direction that seems interesting and don't be afraid to make a "mistake".  One of my own early "mistakes" was to assume that there is only one perfect path.  Now I'm thankful for that because I learned so much as a result.  After a few more years of experience and switching careers I'm convinced that as long as you keep moving (i.e. watching for new opportunities and taking them), you will more or less automatically find things that are interesting.  I've observed this with some of my undergrad classmates as well; the ones who seem to be having the most fun have also been keen to explore new opportunities.

Good luck and have fun!

[cynthia1848]

Do you have any interest in finding a life partner?  If you live in a big city, there is probably a large population of young people, and you can go on dates with people and see if you can develop a lasting relationship.  It is harder to do that if you are traveling for a long period of time.

You are obviously very good at your job - do you like it apart from the $$?  Which parts of it do you like?  If you can observe yourself for the next few months in your job and figure out what parts you like and don't like, you may have an idea of things to look for in your next endeavor after traveling.

Also, when you do make the move to leave, see if you can leave on good terms and call it a sabbatical rather than quitting.  If you leave open the door to come back, you may feel "freer" since the path isn't closed to you.

[SlackerSS23]

Goodlife, I'm also a fellow 4th-year finance professional (private equity) with a newly printed CFA charter.  I recently got married and have a baby on the way, which totally shifted my priorities around.  At first, I self-diagnosed myself as not being as driven as in the past.  I had always been the typical overachiever, and now I found myself not caring as much about how successful I was at work.  But then I realized that I'm still just as driven, but my objectives are different.  My new objective was to have more free time to dedicate to family, rather than money.  I imagine your objective will be different, but usually most objectives involve freeing up more time ;)

My next step with my life is to join a start-up in my industry, in an area with lower cost of living and slower pace of life.  The money is less (initially) and the upfront hours will be similar, but I see a better work/life balance later on with the company's business model compared to if I became a partner at my firm. 

My advice would be to observe yourself, and see what you spend your time thinking about when you're not working, then gravitate towards that

[goodlife]

Thanks all for the great comments! I love it that travelling is getting many votes, I think I will definitley go do that in a year and a bit....unless I magically fall in love with my job by then, lol!

Ozzage, well said about not making plans when travelling, I am such a planner in general, so this will be totally new to me, but I am sure I will do it! I fee like I have never done anything in my life that's totally unplanned, I have always had goals and things to achieve, so this type of trip would be the first time in my life that I do anything just for the fun of it.

cynthia1848: Thanks for the dating advice...I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I am actually engaged and will be getting married next year, I am very much looking forward to it. I may have given the impression of being some crazy workaholic, but I am really not, lol, I do have a very fulfilling personal life actually, it's really just the work-part that I am dissatisfied with. What do I like about my job aside from the $$$....hmmmm...honestly, I really don't know whether there is anything. I don't openly dislike it or hate it either, I think one of the big problems is that I feel like I give only 30% of my effort and somehow I am still seen as a top performer, how is that possible?? There is a lot of time when I feel like I don't really do anyting. I have the best time when I am busy but not overworked, but there are plenty of days when I don't really have much to do...I could be done with 4h of work every day...but obviously I couldn't go home after 4h...I have to stay here till 6pm. And that contributes a lot to my unhappiness. Don't get me wrong, if I have things to do and I feel engaged, on the contrary, it can be fun on those days! But I feel like I have too many days where I just seem to waste away the hours. But if I have an idea or something that I want to work on, then I don't really care what time or day it is, I have come to the office for an hour or two on a weekend, not because I had to, but because I had an idea or just thought of sth that I wanted to get done. It's just the regular 9-6 grind or whatever that really gets to me. So yes, SlackerSS23 go it right, I would like to free up more time, that would kinda solve the problem. I am very efficient and being bored really annoys me. I just hate the days when I sit here doing nothing of value....I could follow a lot of other interests during that time while still being exactly as productive in my work...but that's just not how the world of finance works!!
And Cynthia, yes, no worries, I would definitley quit on good terms, I have nothing bad to say about my current employer whatsoever and it is a small world!!

Southern Dude: Totally with you there on the deal-based work, that's very much how my previous position was and I worked ridiculous hours (which were often totally unproductive though I have to say....a lot of it just involved sitting chained to your desk until 11pm just to wait for some email or whatever that wasn't critically important at all). My new position is much better now though since I am doing a very niche type of PE. I definitely would never go back to working the hours that I used to work, no way, that's just not how life is supposed to be lived. And +1 on not identifying with the people around me, I feel like an alien from another planet most of the time! The way they spend money and how they talk about their lives, I find it so pathetic. Maybe this also contributes to my job dissatisfaction because I don't really have friends at work...coming to think of it, I only have one friend who works in the finance industry, lol, and she doesn't like her job either! I just can't join in on most of the conversations that go on at work, because they are always about some kind of extravagent money wasting lifestyle type topic...and I just have nothing to say!

scottydog: Agreed on the "keep moving" part. One of my biggest fears is of getting "stuck", either in a job that I don't like or of quitting and then not being able to make up my mind on what to do next. I feel like I always need to accomplish something and work towards a goal.

[Noodle]

You know, your story reminds me a little of another person I read about recently, also in high-earning finance. He actually plans his career to alternate a few years making crazy money (with high savings) in finance with a few years of low earning in public service work (and maybe there was a digital journalism startup)?  When you are done with your "travel break" another thing you might consider if you want to stay in the work world is volunteering some different places and then perhaps working for a non-profit. Many are starving for good staff, especially in  finance/IT/administration areas, because they can't pay salaries that compete with the corporate world. They often also have part-time jobs because they can't afford full-time positions, or flexible schedules. If you are in a good non-profit (and some of them do have toxic work cultures, just like any job...that's why I suggest volunteering first), they often have really interesting people working there who have cool outside lives too, plus the work feels worthwhile. It can be stressful to work in the nonprofit world with no financial cushion, but that wouldn't be a problem for you.

The other thing I will just mention is that a lot of people try to find what is their passion, and then seek to pursue it as a career or avocation. But in fact a lot of people I know, including myself, find something they like to do reasonably well, and then find the part of it they can be passionate about and really good at. For instance, one sibling really wanted to go into medicine but didn't have the grades. So he picked an area of business related to medicine, where he was still working around medical professionals (originally thinking he might go back to school in a few years). Turns out he has been very successful and started his own small business related..and he loves what he does. A classmate in grad school went to work for a company doing research and statistical analysis peripherally related to our field of work, mainly because she needed a job. She has turned into a national expert and travels all over the country consulting and speaking. When I was a young professional in my field, my employer offered some specialty training in an area I was not all that interested in, but the opportunity came with some perks I wanted. Well, the more I studied, the more enthusiastic I got until I turned into a staff expert in this particular area. That had ripple effects that have, a decade later, helped me into a really terrific job in my field and helped me succeed at it.

[potatoface]

Noodle beat me to my suggestion :) I second the volunteer work. Based on your experiences with your family it seems like you really like helping out others. Volunteering helps out others and keeps us grounded at the same time.

Your interest in your work is similar to mine. I've worked at the same job for 11 years because it pays the bills. I don't hate it, I'm just indifferent. But working in a hotel has helped me learn more about the industry and comes with good travel perks, which I love to do. If nothing in your job really gets your heart pumping then try out other careers. Your savings & intelligence will allow you to test out other paths without being totally dependent on keeping the job if it's not for you.

[chasesfish]

I sent a PM and we should talk.

Not all banking/finance has to be the extremely high stress/high reward route you took with Investment Banking.  Your skills can translate well to a number of other fulfilling jobs with decent lifestyles.  I work with many big 4/big 5 consulting refugees who were in a similar situation.   I also know a few I-Bankers, I've realized their jobs only seem glamorous until you see what they have to do each and every day.  That is not a time/money trade I'd ever be willing to make.

[Tetsuya Hondo]

Is there any chance that you can set up your own shop? Can you work as a sub-contractor to your current employer or to others? Or, can you take your skill set and apply it to your own business?

I was working for a Big 4 firm (management consulting, not accounting) and was experiencing the same malaise that you seem to be going through. I wasn't dissatisfied with my work, but it was no longer enough to get me going in the morning. I knew that I needed a change, but I didn't know what to do. Then, an opportunity arose for me to work as a sub to a previous employer. It turned out to be the best move of my career. I now work far fewer hours, make more, have much, much more freedom, and find that I really enjoy the work that I'm doing again. It is so much more motivating and intrinsically rewarding to work for yourself than for others. And, being freed from all of the corporate crap that you have to do on the side (HR training, internal projects, others' performance appraisals, etc.) was another nice benefit.

[Katnina]

First of all, CONGRATS!  You are doing really, really well.  So many accomplishments already!!! 
Second of all: totally hear you on being motivated solely by the $$ as a reason to go into finance-good on you for recognizing it and and for stashing so much of your earnings so you could get out quicker!   
As to what to do with your life:  Travel is a great option.  So is figuring out what else makes you happy.  Is it volunteering? Teaching? Being outside? Rock climbing?  Art?  Woodcarving? Cooking?  Try lots of things and you will figure it out, and it is okay to take a LOT of time to figure it out!   Figuring out what you love is a fun and rewarding and sometimes frustrating process, but the fact that you have the means to do it is amazing-many people will never be in your shoes!  And know that what makes you happy can and likely will change with time-and recognize that if something is no longer making you happy or helping you to feel fulfilled, it's time to move on.
I was also in the finance world and was laid off last year at age 31.  I have always been very frugal and was solely in the industry for the cash.  I managed to save a net worth of $1M, including a paid-off studio apartment, so when I was laid off (with a nice golden parachute), I did not have to find another job.  This left me time to figure out what I really wanted to do.  I started buying & fixing up houses in Detroit.  They are all now rented out and I have rental income from them.  I lost interest in managing and maintaining them, so they are all managed by a property manager.
I got really into volunteering at the animal shelter where I adopted my first dog, then fell in love with a second dog.  My husband said no more volunteering at the animal shelter after I brought home the second dog (he worried we'd keep ending up with more pets, and in a studio apartment, 2 people + 2 pets is the max occupancy for sanity), so I started volunteering with an organization that teaches gardening in NYC public schools.  I lost interest in that and started a blog.  I kept blogging and also started mystery shopping part time (my job from college, which i loved).  I'm still mystery shopping and am also starting to get back into sewing, which I did a lot and loved when I was younger.  After over a year out of the finance world, I've also since realized that I really do enjoy trading (I was an equities trader at a hedge fund prior to being laid off), so I've been reading lots of finance literature and have started trading a fun money account (ie money I can afford to lose) when I feel like it and when something strikes my fancy.
It's been fun and frustrating and wonderful figuring out what I want to do, and I feel lucky every day that I get to figure it out.
So, it may sound trite, but truly: enjoy the journey.  It will be frustrating sometimes, but that is part of the process.
Congrats for coming so far already!!!

[trombonedadio]

I worked in a high-stress field for over 20 years and watched many people go through the same experience as you are now. All had worked like crazy people since they were teens to a) get a job and  b) do the job.  A few years in, they said " is this all there is?"  Did they work in finance? engineering? law?  Nope!  They were symphony musicians! That's right, they busted their asses to learn how to play a musical instrument at an incredibly high level of expertise in order to win a place in a highly competitive field (roughly 3-5% of people who study music performance actually find employment......). Eat, sleep and breathe music, every waking moment from the time they were 10-12 onwards.  You can see the parallels - you were focussed on money, my colleagues (and me) were focussed on music. Then one day, the lightbulb goes on -"what the f%$K am I doing?" or "who the f%$K am I?" Your problem is balance. You've been sitting on one end of the teeter-totter for way too long without even realizing there are many fun toys to play on in the playground!  I don't know if travelling is the answer for you, or bungee jumping or antique collecting. What I do know is your lightbulb is now on and it is time to peel the blinders off of your head so you can look around and see what is all around you. It sounds like you know how to make money - okay, cross that off your "to-do" list (you already know how to do it) and put your focus elsewhere. Try stuff - if you don't like one thing, try something else. Only one life to live.....

[msnln7]

You have been blessed and you should count your blessings.  But, in finance, at least for most, blessings don't go on forever.  I too am in finance and have been for past 22 years. I actually started out in trading myself (treasuries initially, then corp bond, then synd loans) and instead of renting one of those pent house apartments, I bought one before I turned 30.  By age 35, I started my own shop and first few years were great too. I was making more money than ever and taking on new challenges and having a blast. 100K bonus is a lot of money in real world but in finance so many people make 7-8 digit bonuses. In hedge funds, bonus numbers can go into 9+ digits.

But party ends (or dwindles) eventually, and that for me was with the financial crisis of 2008.  That year, so many of my colleagues and peers saw their careers come crashing down and most have not been able to recover from it.  Many are still in finance but as salesmen selling insurance or real estate.  The company is still around but only as a shell of its original form.  Even though my income has shrunk substantially from the heydays, returns from my investments continue to appreciate and will finance my retirement and eventually pass down to my kids.

I would say you should stay in the field and save (invest) as much as you can while things are good so you will not regret getting bigger piece of the pie.  I have a friend who, in 1992 was making 6 digits (when at the time 40K was considered high end starting salary) leave his job because of similar issues you are having; and today, he runs a convenience store and regretting the day he left his high stress, long hour job.  Money is not everything but it could buy a lot of freedom down the road, and isn't that what MMM is all about?

[Elaine]

Hey! I could really relate to this despite the fact that we are not from similar backgrounds or in similar financial positions, I think a lot of mid-late twenties folks feel this way. I found something that has been helpful for me has been 1. meditation (of course this is up to you, but sometimes it's productive to clear the mind) and 2. pursuing interests outside of work. You say that you have hobbies and interests, but you don't mention that you're actually DOING any of them. If you were working that many hours until recently I can understand why, but now it seems you have time, and certainly the income to do it. I'm working hard on filling up my free time with things I love doing and things I've always wanted to try, especially since I don't absolutely love my job. I made a list of everything I'd like to do, from hike the Inca trail (long term since I need to train and save money to do so) to learn the piano and practice aerial arts three times a week. From doing these hobbies I have found more and more interests, I'm no longer as dissatisfied at work, I've made new friends, and I'm now in the beginning stages of pursuing a part time gig because of someone I met in a class. This part time gig may well turn full time in the next couple of years (it's voice over acting if you're curious, for audiobooks, nature shows, cartoons, etc. apparently I have what they call the "moneymaker" voice). Sometimes you don't need to find a next THING and stick to it, you just need to take some time perusing the menu of life and considering the possibilities. I hope this helps, and you don't sound ungrateful at all to me.

[goodlife]

Thanks all for chiming in, really appreciate it!

msnln7: Definitely good point regarding counting my blessings and saving a lot of money. Totally what I plan to do until early/mid 2015 and then I'll see where I stand...if things go well I could be very close to FI at that point.

trombonedadio: Yes, exactly how I feel. I have definitely looked at life with tunnel vision since...uhmm...High School. I was always a high achiever and have been working very hard to get to where I am. But of course in that process some things go missing. I think part of the reason why I am suddenly asking myself all these questions now is because I started my new position a few months ago...and while still being in a relatively high stress job, I am working A LOT fewer hours than I had to in my previous position (for the same money). So suddenly I can get 7-8 hours of sleep and don't have to work from dawn till dusk. Which leaves time to think and ask myself what the heck I am doing with my life. It's probably a good thing that I am figuring this out now. I see a lot of people around me who make 7 figures but are slaves to their jobs because of their lifestyles and never spend time with their families or on other things that they would actually enjoy ...I am sure these people will have big regrets at some point.

[Emg03063]

Please consider the points in the following link:

http://80000hours.org/earning-to-give

[market timer]

Some ideas:
1. Stick with your job, but use the downtime to learn new things, go to the gym, think about your true passion, etc.  Realize that excess capacity is to be expected in a corporation.
2. Have a kid.

I don't think you should leave with only $500K without something else lined up.  Does your partner expect you to continue earning a high salary?  Late 20s is a good time to settle down and have a family.  Should do some soul searching with partner to see how and where you want to live.

[CopperTex]

Please consider the points in the following link:

http://80000hours.org/earning-to-give

Thank you for this.  This is an idea that is not discussed enough on here.  So much is about me, me, me.  I love the idea of being financially free and then working solely for charity.

[berrysteevan]

In general terms, Work towards life with a never say die attitude no matter what. And ya, you need to travel which will refresh you and your mind so that you can decide things much clearly for yourself.