Mid career switch? What options would you consider?

[TheNutman]

So I have this friend and he's got a nice little nest egg saved invested in real estate and stocks generating monthly income, nothing too crazy, but decent. This friend also makes a decent income, again nothing crazy, but probably what a good dentist or lawyer might make. The problem is this friend highly dislikes the "corporate dental grind" and would be willing to take a significant pay cut for a more enjoyable role with less stress, less hours, less time behind a computer and more focus on family, health, golf, and enjoying life overall. Any relevant advice for this friend? Thx!

[TiScape]

Are you “the friend”? Or did your friend ask you and you said “IDK, I’ll ask the guys on my golf website”? 
 

🤣

 

*sorry Nutman, I tried and couldn’t resist. 

Edited February 2 by TiScape

[TheNutman]

40 minutes ago, TiScape said:

Are you “the friend”? Or did your friend ask you and you said “IDK, I’ll ask the guys on my golf website”? 
 

🤣

 

*sorry Nutman, I tied and couldn’t resist. 

I think you know the answer 

[aenemated]

Have you ever considered being the drummer in a punk rock band?

 

Quote

 enjoyable role with less stress, less hours, less time behind a computer and more focus on family, health, golf, and enjoying life overall.

 

Oh. Never mind. 

[kmbean]

I majored in finance and got my CPA a few years ago.  Been working 25 years in corporate finance and think about this issue a lot.  I am not somebody who deals with corporate politics, pettiness and phoniness well.  Just kind of dealt with daily anxiety for 20+ years which was triggered just by walking into the office in the morning 😂 
 

I feel like if i had to do it all over again I would have went into the trades, being an electrician was always something that was interesting to me.

 

Sorry to not directly answer your question but you (your friend) are not alone.  I’m starting to think of finding a lower level job with less responsibilities/pay but still has good heath insurance/benefits.  Basically use my knowledge and experience to land a staff accountant/credit analyst/financial analyst position.  I’m a global controller now and have been for a few years and it can just be too much in terms of time commitment and stress level.

Edited February 2 by kmbean

[596]

At the age of 42 I quit my LEO job and moved to Florida with no job.  Taught high school for a few years. Then my wife and I both quit our jobs at 49 and bought a B&B.  Started flipping B&Bs. 3 times in 8 years. Then retired!   

Don't regret any decisions. We had a blast moving around the country and owning our own business. Turned 40k into 1m in 4 years flipping B&Bs. 

[TheNutman]

5 hours ago, kmbean said:

I majored in finance and got my CPA a few years ago.  Been working 25 years in corporate finance and think about this issue a lot.  I am not somebody who deals with corporate politics, pettiness and phoniness well.  Just kind of dealt with daily anxiety for 20+ years which was triggered just by walking into the office in the morning 😂 
 

I feel like if i had to do it all over again I would have went into the trades, being an electrician was always something that was interesting to me.

 

Sorry to not directly answer your question but you (your friend) are not alone.  I’m starting to think of finding a lower level job with less responsibilities/pay but still has good heath insurance/benefits.  Basically use my knowledge and experience to land a staff accountant/credit analyst/financial analyst position.  I’m a global controller now and have been for a few years and it can just be too much in terms of time commitment and stress level.

Yeah, I can relate...Funny how things turn around, when we were younger it was go to college and not trade-school was the path, but I sometimes wish I was skilled trades with my own business doing tangible work creating real value

[Mrgreen36]

3 hours ago, TheNutman said:

Yeah, I can relate...Funny how things turn around, when we were younger it was go to college and not trade-school was the path, but I sometimes wish I was skilled trades with my own business doing tangible work creating real value

 

 

Meh, it's just a job too. Eventually one gets tired of it.  

[bladehunter]

21 hours ago, TheNutman said:

Yeah, I can relate...Funny how things turn around, when we were younger it was go to college and not trade-school was the path, but I sometimes wish I was skilled trades with my own business doing tangible work creating real value

As a person who opened his own business 23 year ago that’s considered “ in the trades “ I can tell you. The  grass ain’t greener post 2020.  It’s eaten down to the dirt.   You want less responsibility, sure. You’ll get a lot less pay too.  So you’ll work twice the hours to make the nut. And you’ll play much less golf.  
 

I don’t think I’d trade for a desk job simply because I hate being trapped at a single place.  But .  It’s not better down here as far as free time , golf or pay.  

[TheNutman]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

As a person who opened his own business 23 year ago that’s considered “ in the trades “ I can tell you. The  grass ain’t greener post 2020.  It’s eaten down to the dirt.   You want less responsibility, sure. You’ll get a lot less pay too.  So you’ll work twice the hours to make the nut. And you’ll play much less golf.  
 

I don’t think I’d trade for a desk job simply because I hate being trapped at a single place.  But .  It’s not better down here as far as free time , golf or pay.  

most jobs are just that jobs....No better example than the pros we watch that play more golf with lots more money and still complain about everything! 

[deadsolid...shank]

6 hours ago, bladehunter said:

As a person who opened his own business 23 year ago that’s considered “ in the trades “ I can tell you. The  grass ain’t greener post 2020.  It’s eaten down to the dirt.   You want less responsibility, sure. You’ll get a lot less pay too.  So you’ll work twice the hours to make the nut. And you’ll play much less golf.  
 

I don’t think I’d trade for a desk job simply because I hate being trapped at a single place.  But .  It’s not better down here as far as free time , golf or pay.  

When I had the car lot I had a friend who owned a lawn car franchise. 
 

He told me once, “all we’ve done is buy ourselves a job”. 

[TiScape]

20 hours ago, TheNutman said:

most jobs are just that jobs....No better example than the pros we watch that play more golf with lots more money and still complain about everything! 

It’s apparent that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and that a lot of ppl will find something to complain about regardless of the job/situation. Nice to keep perspective in mind. Next time ya wanna complain about your job just think. It beats hanging and finishing dry wall or being a roofer. 
 

*just examples. No offense meant 

[aenemated]

3 hours ago, TiScape said:

It beats hanging and finishing dry wall or being a roofer. 

 

Did both of these during NC summers when I was in high school.

 

Not once in 25 years of sitting in a comfy air conditioned room and typing esoteric phrases have I missed that gig 😂

[Mrgreen36]

I like roofing.  Fast money.  

[PedronNiall]

On 2/1/2024 at 9:04 PM, TheNutman said:

So I have this friend and he's got a nice little nest egg saved invested in real estate and stocks generating monthly income, nothing too crazy, but decent. This friend also makes a decent income, again nothing crazy, but probably what a good dentist or lawyer might make. The problem is this friend highly dislikes the "corporate dental grind" and would be willing to take a significant pay cut for a more enjoyable role with less stress, less hours, less time behind a computer and more focus on family, health, golf, and enjoying life overall. Any relevant advice for this friend? Thx!

Have you tried just being rich? I believe it will fix many of these issues.

 

But seriously, why lose out on all that experience & insight you have just because you are tired of the grind? One of the smartest things I've seen some family & family friends decide on is retiring early and then doing consulting in their former fields. Advise on projects, help new and stagnant practices grow, help spread better methods that most don't know about, and so on, while getting paid for it. Help people avoid costly mistakes and get paid for it. Advise in a way that keeps you out of the protracted headaches that come from being there from start to finish and get paid for it.

 

You can always dive into something new if that doesn't work out, but I'd at least consider it while you know your knowledge is relevant to your field and you have the contacts in place to make it happen.

 

My last suggestion is winning the lottery, absolute minimal time requirement for making the big bucks going that route.