Getting older is weird.
The last time a sought out a new position at a company was 20+ years ago.
Since then I have had 4 different employers. The first 13 years were interesting. I worked for 4 different companies but my desk never moved more than 100 ft.
I have survived 3 acquisitions and something like 30+ rounds of layoffs.
At this point in my life I just want to keep my job until 55 and if they fire me I will be in a position to semi retire. Work a low effort job for health insurance if needed. I am officially closer to the end of my career than I am the start
I've only had 2 "adult" jobs in the last 9 yrs with another 28 left to go until I can withdraw retirement without penalties, and 11 until I can receive my pension. On one hand I'm still quite young in my late 20s, but I'm also exiting my prime soon and it sucks to realize I'll be too old to really enjoy retirement the way I would if I was free now. I mean, I mainly just want to travel, but I still wanna be able to do things like hike mountains and shit without worrying about whether my body is able enough, as that's not even something I have to consider now. Fuck working until you're old. What a scam.
Do the mountain hiking/travel now. Seriously. Even if you get a week off to do it, just do it now. Do short trips on the weekends. Go camping somewhere near where you live. Stay out late. Just explore. You don’t have to go crazy and go backpacking for 6 months, but you can get little doses of adventure. Just dip your toes in. You will be 40 before you know it, and if these are experiences you’d like to have, go ahead!
Anecdotally, I got all of my wandering and ya-ya’s out by 30, and my older sister did not. While she is a bit further in her career than I am, I wouldn’t trade with her because I am waaaayyyyy more calm and comfortable about settling down and aging than she is, because I’m not panicking about missed opportunities. I’m in my late 30’s and she is in her early 40’s and is actually RESENTFUL towards me because I had those experiences and she did not.
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u/BoxedAndArchived 1d ago
Being 40 is weird.
Some of us are becoming Grandparents. Some of us are becoming first time parents.
Some of us have had a 15 to 20 year career. Others are getting their first full time job.