I can't believe all of y'all need to work during the week. WTF?

[Prudii]

I would never ridicule anyone here. And honestly if I could do it over I wouldn't have worked so hard and enjoyed life more. I missed the whole thing by doing 80+ hours a week from 21 to 52. I blew it. And for what - a shit ton of toys? Suddenly at 55 you get wisdom and realize "oh fuck I blew it".

I'm a 24 year old college drop out working a 45k a year job, I work four, ten hour days a week in a climate controlled shop. I've got full benefits, production cost discount on a catalog that has literally every part needed to build a race car. And I'm turning in my two week notice Monday. Why? Because I want to move south and go back to school.

So yea I'll have some free time in a few weeks if you want to go shooting then.

 

[Snappo]

Not sure you will love the South; but I guess it depends where. Georgia has something called the HOPE scholarship. You might have to live there for a bit before being eligible. My kids used HOPE and their undergrad was paid for 100% including fees and books.

There will always be the Dave Thomas' of the world that make billions with less than high school; but they are the exception and not the rule. I worked for a company for almost 20 years that expected 40 hours at the client site, 20 hours to/from client site, and8 hours of remote availability to the client. Then I added a decade of part time working on my Masters and Doctorate, one weekend a month and two in the summer for the CT ANG, and 30 hours a week on my own with a friend working on wireless patents and trying to build a small side business. And for every dollar I made I put 25 cents or more in the bank and lived on the rest. Loaded my IRA every year, loaded my 401K every year, invested in annuities and whole life products, and bought my first home when I was in my late 20's because renting just makes someone else rich. Down side is I saw my wife and kids maybe 1-2 days a week at the most, and even when I was with them I was doing work on the weekends.

Everything in this world has a cost and a value. Just sometimes our view of the cost changes over time and what we saw as a good idea 20 years ago seems like a horrible idea in our later life. Everyone I work with is that kind of work-to-death type A person. I'm sure many will regret the time they spent on things outside of family and friends too someday. Until last year, my definition of a friend was someone you sent a Christmas card to, and the definition of a child was someone you loaded a 529 plan for.

 

[Snappo]

See post #7 above.

That is true though - it is good to be king. LOL

 

[Cleck]

I would never ridicule anyone here. And honestly if I could do it over I wouldn't have worked so hard and enjoyed life more. I missed the whole thing by doing 80+ hours a week from 21 to 52. I blew it. And for what - a shit ton of toys? Suddenly at 55 you get wisdom and realize "oh fuck I blew it".

I know, I was just giving you shit based on the thread title After reading your first and second post though, I like toys and I like working, but I am not a "work to death" type of person. I enjoy what I can get from my 40 hours of work, but I also enjoy my home life, my wife and kids, and everything else. I was affected by the bank fallout in 2008/09, I was left with a lot of instability. Now that I have a good job again/finally, I am starting to enjoy the perks again. Rebuilt my deck railing this summer and am finally taking that hunting/camping trip with NF that we've been talking about for years because I'm able to. I enjoy toys and want more, but I'll acquire them at my own rate, I enjoy life now, as you said you wish you did. I'll retire eventually. I'll play a little more golf and go shooting more.

Thanks for that insight though, I know toys and stuff comes with a price, but it wasn't ever laid out like that before. Basically, the way I see it, it's some fun now and then maybe some later once I'm older, or no fun now, and then have it all later. Since I hate waiting for things, I guess I like how I'm doing it now

 

[Snappo]

I know, I was just giving you shit based on the thread title After reading your first and second post though, I like toys and I like working, but I am not a "work to death" type of person. I enjoy what I can get from my 40 hours of work, but I also enjoy my home life, my wife and kids, and everything else. I was affected by the bank fallout in 2008/09, I was left with a lot of instability. Now that I have a good job again/finally, I am starting to enjoy the perks again. Rebuilt my deck railing this summer and am finally taking that hunting/camping trip with NF that we've been talking about for years because I'm able to. I enjoy toys and want more, but I'll acquire them at my own rate, I enjoy life now, as you said you wish you did. I'll retire eventually. I'll play a little more golf and go shooting more.

Thanks for that insight though, I know toys and stuff comes with a price, but it wasn't ever laid out like that before. Basically, the way I see it, it's some fun now and then maybe some later once I'm older, or no fun now, and then have it all later. Since I hate waiting for things, I guess I like how I'm doing it now

I shouldn't pass the buck, but I was kind of lured into that Type-A direction. My mom worked 6AM to 8PM my entire life because I had no father and she needed to provide. So she went from CT to Wall St. every day like clockwork until her lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. That gave me a solid work ethic, but I still understood the value of family and friends. After my first wife died and left me with a pair of daughters in diapers, my second wife came from a LOT of money. I felt like I had to compete with her stories of expensive toys and famous friends. I should have kept a level head, but I just felt like I came up short and had to re-evaluate my work-life balance and I picked 100% work. I'm enjoying the toys now, but when the kids talk about growing up and tell their stories I feel sad that I wasn't a part of like 90% of those stories. In the final outcome; I fucked up plain and simple. A friend of mine (ex Navy) told me "If if's were skiffs we'd all take a boat ride". I think a skiff is like a dingy. He was a very smart guy, and sadly passed recently. He knew that second guessing was worthless.

 

[Cleck]

Yeah, you kind of do what you grow up around. Both of my parents were hard workers, but it was my dad who taught me never to settle, always be the best you can be at what you do. It's created a challenge in some of my jobs, but I enjoy those and I know I never left anything out there. On the flip, I've enjoyed my time with family. When I was laid off for a year and half when the banks shit the bed, I had a lot of time to watch my newborn daughter grow up. I guess I wouldn't trade those memories and experiences for any money, even if I did need it. Like you said or alluded to, I can always make money, but those years with her when she was younger can't be recreated.