Career fulfillment

[plataoplombo]

The only job I ever really enjoyed was working at a movie theater, and that was only cause the people were fun. Now at my age it doesn't make sense. Otherwise, working for myself has been the only other job that made me happy.

 

[ThaiSexPills]

I got to the same point as you, basically but in the trades. I worked fly in/fly out on some very high pay jobs and maintained my contractors license to do some stuff on the side. I moved to management locally and although it was going well, they told me if I wanted to move up even further beyond middle management, I would have to ditch the side stuff. I didn’t like that answer and ended up deciding to go out on my own.

In less than 2 years, I have 8 full time employees and get to pick and choose my jobs. Things are off to a roaring start to the point where my main business concern is sustainable growth and keeping things steady over expansion. I underestimated the work that would be there for me on the electrical side of things as an industrial maintenance contractor with an electrical license.

It took a lot to set myself up financially to where I had all the things in place to take that risk but now that I did, I’m really glad I did. Some of my contacts and my local reputation helped for sure but I waited a bit and went all in on this and I’m glad I did.

Eventually, you’ll get to the point where you can go for it. I’d just make sure I was comfortable and set up for a year or two to cover bills and then go all in. I had enough to keep my finances in order for 2 years and that’s when I decided to pull the trigger. It’s a lot sometimes but I’m thinking this is much more fulfilling.

Good luck sherbro. There’s no better feeling than having your name on the truck and knowing you call the shots. The only thing I miss is being on the tools all the time. I try to be as much as possible but a lot of what I end up doing now is basically customer service, meetings and estimating.

 

[Adamant]

RACIST! Get her pic off there NOW!

 

[llperez22]

I don't look for fulfillment in work; I work so I can do fulfilling things.

in theory this sounds good, but in reality studies have shown how important job fulfillment and sense of purpose at work is to most people. The amount of time people spend at work is just too large to simply detach your brain and turn into a robot for most people.

 

[davidlemonparty]

I think I'm at a point in my career where money is getting less of an issue to join or stay in company, I am thinking the next step of my career should be more towards enjoying what I do.

I work in tech and started a new job three months ago. After years of working less than stellar pay, I managed to turn it around during the pandemic. Now, I am able to save and spend more which is great but if anything, it tells me that I need to consider getting a job out of tech, or at least something less corporate.

I kind of feel like the next step should be more of a freelance contractor, where I can take breaks when I want and enjoy long vacations or study a short course if I choose to, but that only solves one part of the problem. I'd like to maybe build a small business with a friend and scale it.

Anyone been where I'm at and how'd you go forward?

I think most, if not all, of working professionals (whether that be white collar, blue collar, or generic business type roles) come across this hurdle at some point in their career.

I have been dealing with it the last few years as well. By qualification and experience I am a mechanical engineer, specialising in a certain field. I have about 18 years experience so I am generally seen as relatively senior.
I went up the corporate ladder to management level, and I hated it. The issues and work didnt correspond to my interests, qualification, experience or skillset. I recognised this and I pulled back - I respectfully demoted myself, and went back down the ladder to the point where i added the most value to the business and to my life. When I had kids, I further retreated down the ladder for a few years so i could focus my priorities and my limited mental energy on my beautiful wife and kids.

What no-one tells you is that this contant pressure to climb and be better and advance is bullshit. Its a fallacy. Everytime i have looked at myself and decided to go "backwards" (quotations are deliberate) I've been met with corporate confusion and reluctance. But equally, every time, it has led to many more oppourtunities presenting themselves. Everytime i say iu feel i want to go back, i get offered a promotion. Illogical in the extreme.

Anyway following this path i ended up as a Principal Engineer, which is to say the lead technical engineer but with no operational responsibility and with no direct reports (previously had 30+ employees). Management level pay.
This is the dream. I have time and energy to offer the best of my skillset, without any distractions which remove it. I have absolute carte blanche to spend time with my family as i please as well and this makes me an overall better employee by far.

So sherbro, don't settle, objectively look at what you can best offer and put it out there.

 

[Phlog]

I work on fixing old walls that are about to fall down.

I sit on my own in the countryside, smoke a pipe and listen to podcasts or music. Sometimes I just listen to the birds.

I make something that I consider to be beautiful.

I don't charge a great deal, I do it by the hour rather than by the job, it takes how long it takes.

In the summer I wear shorts, in the winter I get some other gigs doing any kind of construction work, but I slow it down and do less hours.

I'm on the fence about a different job for when I'm retirement age (I never want to retire). Currently I can charge about £600 to build 1m² of wall. On my own if I really push it I can do one of those every day or two. I could hire a laborer and do one a day easy but that would be a lot of speeding about.

I prefer doing 1 or 2M² a week on my own, being relaxed and zen about it.

It's weird but people doing seem to go into what I'm doing, the only others I see doing it are grey as fuck. So I'll probably be able to charge what I wa t going forwards. All the rich country houses and estates are made of my type of wall around here.

 

[TheTickG]

I think I'm at a point in my career where money is getting less of an issue to join or stay in company, I am thinking the next step of my career should be more towards enjoying what I do.

I work in tech and started a new job three months ago. After years of working less than stellar pay, I managed to turn it around during the pandemic. Now, I am able to save and spend more which is great but if anything, it tells me that I need to consider getting a job out of tech, or at least something less corporate.

I kind of feel like the next step should be more of a freelance contractor, where I can take breaks when I want and enjoy long vacations or study a short course if I choose to, but that only solves one part of the problem. I'd like to maybe build a small business with a friend and scale it.

Anyone been where I'm at and how'd you go forward?

Other than building my own business, I've found most of those things in tech, in the corp world.

 

[RogerB08]

in theory this sounds good, but in reality studies have shown how important job fulfillment and sense of purpose at work is to most people. The amount of time people spend at work is just too large to simply detach your brain and turn into a robot for most people.

I don't need to love my job; but I do need to not hate it.

 

[FyrFytr998]

I think I'm at a point in my career where money is getting less of an issue to join or stay in company, I am thinking the next step of my career should be more towards enjoying what I do.

I work in tech and started a new job three months ago. After years of working less than stellar pay, I managed to turn it around during the pandemic. Now, I am able to save and spend more which is great but if anything, it tells me that I need to consider getting a job out of tech, or at least something less corporate.

I kind of feel like the next step should be more of a freelance contractor, where I can take breaks when I want and enjoy long vacations or study a short course if I choose to, but that only solves one part of the problem. I'd like to maybe build a small business with a friend and scale it.

Anyone been where I'm at and how'd you go forward?

I made it a point early on in my FD career that I wanted to make sure it didn't become a job, and that path kept me on the line instead of taking an officers position. I have yet to see an officer that was before or came after me that wasn't frustrated with what doing officer work entailed. Sure I'm not gonna retire with a pension as large as a Chiefs, but it's not gonna be that much smaller than a line Lt.'s. I also have yet to see an officer that didn't wish he was back on the line as a senior private like myself. All I do is drive fire engines and boss younger Lt's around, ( j/k, but only sorta, lol.)

Edit: For full transparency, at 22 years on, my zeal has waned a bit, but that's more due to age and health more than the job itself. I'd be considered "in my window" if I was going at 25. Since I need to stay until 30, I got a few more grin and bear it years.

 

[cincymma79]

I think I'm at a point in my career where money is getting less of an issue to join or stay in company, I am thinking the next step of my career should be more towards enjoying what I do.

I work in tech and started a new job three months ago. After years of working less than stellar pay, I managed to turn it around during the pandemic. Now, I am able to save and spend more which is great but if anything, it tells me that I need to consider getting a job out of tech, or at least something less corporate.

I kind of feel like the next step should be more of a freelance contractor, where I can take breaks when I want and enjoy long vacations or study a short course if I choose to, but that only solves one part of the problem. I'd like to maybe build a small business with a friend and scale it.

Anyone been where I'm at and how'd you go forward?

1 Get out of debt

After that you can pick your shots with no consequences. I jettisoned all my shit last year. If I didn’t have four crotch goblins I’d retire in five years

 

[Fedorgasm]

I feel like a troll when I talk about my job, I work part time, this month I made approx $60k before tax

What do you do and how do I get started?

 

[HeffDoesWant]

I changed careers at 35, which required doing a uni course I started at 29.

I should have moved quicker but was in a cushy job I didn't hate but had no love for.

It turned out great. Really like my new job and has more upside in pay too.

Attending work 38 hours a week is always going to be drag, just because it's so much time.

 

[SSgt Dickweed]

Even if I'm a newbie in this gig, I'm dreading parts of my job. I am already thinking of leaving - I always do this for new jobs and I've had four in the past three years lol.

I've picked up some new skills in the short while I've been here and I'll probably get more in the next few months (assuming I don't get fired) . Hopefully when I leave I'll have be in another plateau career wise, but really I'm in this job for the cash.

 

[boingyman]

I enjoy what I do and have been in my career for almost 20 years. With that being said I'm not necessarily looking for more career fulfillment, but more so how I can bring in more money passively. I've been seeing more and more colleagues in my profession do things much more unconventionally, however that also includes some that sell out which is something I refuse to do. One thing I'm highly considering is creating courses/webinars in what I have strong expertise in for those in my field. Great way to make passive income and have fulfillment of teaching other professionals to increase their clinical skills and be better practitioners because I find a lot of the newer generation are just not too bright....

 

[rckoltrane]

Yeah I enjoy what I do, I’ll do it for the rest of my career. At this point I’m focusing on making investments for retirement. Life’s good Jah bless.

 

[method115]

job fullfillment is something everyone seeks. Money is HUGE part of fulfillment. But if people arent happy with their job, Ive never understood the just settle attitude some people have. Im not saying quit and be risky, but one should always be looking for how to grow until they reach a spot where they are happy.

Working is a huge part of most peoples lives. No one should be doing something they don't enjoy for most of it. Your basically living your life doing something you don't enjoy for a huge part of your life. That sounds horrible.

 

[chardog]

IMO, when you build stuff, or work towards a goal with a finish line, your job itself will be fulfilling. Pay is related, but somewhat independent. Construction jobs are hugely fulfilling IMO, but the pay is crap..... if it paid handsomely, I would probably do it more.

 

[chardog]

I don't really care about work fulfillment anymore. I just care about socking away as much money as possible so I can retire in the next 8 or 9 years.

if you have kids, this aint happening <Lmaoo>

 

[SSgt Dickweed]

I'm curious, are there jobs where you can go 3 months on (with weekends off), 1 month off? Contractors of all types have this schedule maybe, but what about "stable jobs"?

 

[rckoltrane]

I'm curious, are there jobs where you can go 3 months on (with weekends off), 1 month off? Contractors of all types have this schedule maybe, but what about "stable jobs"?

Education. I taught high school for 10 years, now a high school counselor for the last 2 years. I know, not an attractive career choice for many. It was tough in the beginning but people sleep on the fact we’re on a salary schedule that goes up every year or year and a half.

Summers off though, bro, every year. I stop counting the days. I’m just floating through space and time right now. It’s great Jah bless.