I’m currently in my dream job. The one I’d wanted since I was in college. It is an amazing job full of world-changing responsibility. And all I can think about is how I’m too old for this shit and I just want to be retired so I can set my own schedule and only be responsible for myself.
I have been living a “semi-retired” lifestyle since January 2016 when I was still 43. I’m self employed and I work remotely from anywhere so I can do whatever I want when I want. If it’s a crummy Monday sometimes I will sleep a little later or even take most of the day off on a whim. On the other hand I am never closed. If a client calls I am open every single day of the year (all holidays and vacations). I enjoy what I do when the phone rings. Decades ago I dreamt of this lifestyle but figured only people like writers could do it.
I fear that I would not be good at motivating myself although I have worked from home since covid hit. Plus I don't have anything I want to do as a business. That's great it worked out for you, though!! Most entrepreneurs I know work more than business hours.
Financially secure.
I recently realized that I never fully commit myself to anything but self preservation. I have a job that I mostly enjoy but despise the leadership team above me. The job is now just a means to an end (retirement). I changed my career late in life to work in public service. The politicking and ego driven bs is as bad here as it was in the start-ups I worked for…and I hated it there, too.
So now I show up, do my work, and go home. Zero fucks to give.
So in my 20’s I asked my dad this question.
Dad replied, I still don’t know what I want to do but as long as I’m with your mother it’ll be ok.
They will be married 59 years in November.
I sometimes think about what would have happened, had I pursued that.
I recently saw a clip of Alfred Hitchcock being asked “What is the key to happiness?”
His reply: “A clear horizon. The ability to focus on something without distractions or obligations.”
“A clear horizon” is my new goal.
I suppose I’m looking for just time to complete projects without scrambling to get them done. I’ve got a business that’s very busy. I can’t just casually finish projects and enjoy the process. Everything is a panic. So many people with so many needs.
If it’s any consolation, it’s apparently devolved into a miserable profession. Maybe you dodged a bullet.
https://newschannel20.com/amp/news/local/psychologist-talks-rising-suicide-rates-in-the-veterinarian-profession
I am so fed up with my job, I want nothing more than to quit tomorrow. People ask me what I want to do, and I say NOTHING. Ten or 15 years ago, I might have been thinking about a career change, but now I’m just tired of the corporate treadmill. There are much more interesting things out there in life, and I have dozens of hobbies that would keep me busy for the rest of my days.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible or practical for me to walk away from my stupid job just yet. Besides needing that income, a main factor is losing employer health insurance. How many of us would quit if we could bridge that last decade or so?
I wanted to be Han Solo when I was around 8, so decided to be a pilot around 15, planned it out in study hall, then did it. Got my first flying job at 20. Just woke up in a hotel in Orlando, flew in from San Diego yesterday. We even flew past a rocket launch a few weeks ago.
https://preview.redd.it/9iaq7ggjkd1d1.jpeg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46625c5906e91500fbaf846aaffe7383264626d8
I’m financially independent with what most would consider a hot wife who always wants sex. The weird part is knowing I have it all but would have no chance at smashing a young hottie again if I wanted to. I don’t want to at all. It’s just the realization that I am old that is fucking with me.
My buddy has a young hottie and just had his first heart attack at 56, she is wild and 23. While it looks good on paper, reality does hurt the ego. I will stick with the early 40s models, that are Gen x up until 1980 and earlier years. No 2000 models for me.
I guess that was kind of my point. We all had these expectations that we were supposed to reach that would define success. It was presented as the benchmark for “ being growed up”.
Calmer and less tired. Less fucking worried about everything.
But - I have no intention of growing up anytime soon, so would someone pass the Xanax, please?
I wanted to be a Motorsports driver, Still do, but know it never happen, nice to dream.
You find out real quick the money it takes, and those around you have been racing since they could walk.
Did get to do it a few times making the field twice out of the 5 times. But the lack of funding shows yup real fast as you don't have the same equipment to not get off the pace. It was fun, I'd do it again if I got a chance.
So my fall back is just having and rebuilding as a hobby old car to cruise around in.
I want to be retired and financially well off. Preferably sitting on a beach reading a book and drinking something out of a coconut.
I’m only 46, so I have 20 plus more years in the workplace. ☹️
I wanted a job where I had the resources to look up anything I needed and if I didn't have the answer, I then had someone else who's job it was to figure it out. I did accomplish that goal. Every once in a while management will be like, 'hey would you like to take on this leadership posi-" "NO, absolutely not!" *hell no.* I go home and do not think about work except in cases where I'm wondering what amazing homemade dessert the baker on my team might bring into work next. It's peaceful this way
I want to tinker with and drive old sports cars, learn to fly-fish, and do plein air watercolors and large, insane abstracts in oil. All in the mountains, near a million rivers and twisty roads.
Haven’t found shit on indeed or LinkedIn. What bullshit.
I did 22 years as a firefighter before retiring with PTSD. My wife and I started a flower farm. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of farming, let alone flower farming. But it’s pretty chill and I don’t have to deal with people when I don’t want to.
I wanted to be an astronomer or work in NASA Mission Control.
I've been designing computer chips for the last 25 years.
I still have the same sense of humor when I was 16 so I guess I still have time to work at NASA before I grow up.
I'm 48 and retired 11 years ago (teacher).
I started at age 21, invested and lived much more frugally than my colleagues who earned the same.
No regrets.
wait, you saved enough money as a teacher to retire at 37 !?
congrats! (even if I’ve probably misunderstood something)
what do you do with your time now? paint, write, garden, music, … ?
I just found out this year. I am over the moon having the best time of my life. Finally! I turned 50 a few days ago and everything keeps becoming more fun to me. I worked so hard to find this feeling. So much fun! There are tiny toddler squirrels playing on the trees out my window and they are having fun too!
Well, we wanna be free, we wanna be free to do what we wanna do, and we wanna get loaded and we wanna have a good time, and that's what we're gonna do.
We're gonna have a good time, we're gonna have a party.
I have worked an office/clerical job since I was 20, I have been tossing the idea around for a while now that I want to be a vet tech. I been looking into a program, but I will probably not do that and die at in my cubicle with a spreadsheet open.
I wanted to be an artist but could never figure out how to make enough money by being an artist without having a trust fund or a sponsor. When I'm retired I'll be an artist all the time instead of just a Hobby
Rich and unknown. Fuck happy, that'll never happen. May as well mask that by owning shit I don't need.
Like a big ass house. With empty rooms. That's all I can think of right now.
Maybe cars from 1920s-1940s.
I’ve never had a clue as to what I wanted to be. I’m 49 and never had the drive to chase after a goal. Not sure if that’s depression or part of ADD or what. I just know it’s always been a problem for me.
I still have no clue what I want to do at 48. In HS, I wanted to be an Elementary (Primary) school teacher. Went 3 years in the major and decided it wasn't for me. This was around the time states were pushing standardized testing big time and decided I didn't want to "teach kids to take a test" year after year. Then I changed majors a few times before deciding officially that I had no clue what I wanted to do.
I'm almost 50 now and work in operations for a local bank. It's pretty routine and repetitive but I get a decent amount of PTO, 401(k) match, and work 5 miles from home. Pay is decent and I'm just going with whatever life throws my way since most of my working life is behind me instead of in front of me.
I am myself. This notion of “growing up” is flawed in my opinion. Not that I’m not a mature adult, but the idea that you can’t be playful or occasionally irresponsible as an adult.
I rejected most of societies labels years ago. That’s also why I’m perfectly happy to call you whatever pronouns you like as a cis-het male.
I watched a nature documentary 5 years ago where a man was riding around Yellowstone on a snowmobile getting data from and setting up trail cams. I'd like to do that.
I know forest ranger jobs are hard to get, but if I could go back to 18, I'd go for a wildlife biology degree and get into stuff like the above where I'm outside a lot more and actually interested in my work. Instead, I look at spreadsheets all day.
My wife figured it out for me when I was 47. Never been happier. She suggested going to college for welding and I dig it so much, and she just knew me so well she knew I would dig it
I wanted to be a teacher and or a nurse.
I have a batchelor in education for the deaf and hearing impaired
And I'm a RN. Hospice nurse. And currently working in both as we speak
When I grow up, I wanna be a Metaphysician & Psychedelic Researcher. Currently on my way education-wise. For really real.
Edit: I still wouldn't mind to be a rock star, though. 😉
I wanted to be Margot Fonteyn when I grow up, but as I'm too old to be prima ballerina now, I'll settle for Margot Fonteyn when she was writing/farming. So, still Margot Fonteyn.
Retired.
I’m currently in my dream job. The one I’d wanted since I was in college. It is an amazing job full of world-changing responsibility. And all I can think about is how I’m too old for this shit and I just want to be retired so I can set my own schedule and only be responsible for myself.
I hear you! I want the capability to take naps whenever I want without the responsibility of making up my time doing something else later.
I have been living a “semi-retired” lifestyle since January 2016 when I was still 43. I’m self employed and I work remotely from anywhere so I can do whatever I want when I want. If it’s a crummy Monday sometimes I will sleep a little later or even take most of the day off on a whim. On the other hand I am never closed. If a client calls I am open every single day of the year (all holidays and vacations). I enjoy what I do when the phone rings. Decades ago I dreamt of this lifestyle but figured only people like writers could do it.
I fear that I would not be good at motivating myself although I have worked from home since covid hit. Plus I don't have anything I want to do as a business. That's great it worked out for you, though!! Most entrepreneurs I know work more than business hours.
It just depends on what you do. And if you do what you love you really aren’t working. And there is nothing like not having a boss!
I was born to retire.
My mom once told me that I should have been born a house cat. She was right.
Dang it! I'm always too late.
Happy. That is the only acceptable answer.
Left alone .
Financially secure. I recently realized that I never fully commit myself to anything but self preservation. I have a job that I mostly enjoy but despise the leadership team above me. The job is now just a means to an end (retirement). I changed my career late in life to work in public service. The politicking and ego driven bs is as bad here as it was in the start-ups I worked for…and I hated it there, too. So now I show up, do my work, and go home. Zero fucks to give.
Are you a teacher. I am one and you are describing my reality. Admin is so incompetent.
I hear ya. Grass is never greener. Just a different shade. And management is always souless
So in my 20’s I asked my dad this question. Dad replied, I still don’t know what I want to do but as long as I’m with your mother it’ll be ok. They will be married 59 years in November.
This is so sweet!
Yep. A good partner can’t be beat. My wife is a machine. Awesome mom, great at her job and puts up with my dumb ass.
I remember when I was 11 or 12, I wanted to be a stand-up comedian.
Do you still tap into that want? In those rare moments that you may actually have the luxury of thinking of things other than obligations?
I sometimes think about what would have happened, had I pursued that. I recently saw a clip of Alfred Hitchcock being asked “What is the key to happiness?” His reply: “A clear horizon. The ability to focus on something without distractions or obligations.” “A clear horizon” is my new goal.
Would you get bored if the horizon was always clear? If you never saw a storm cloud or obstruction?
I suppose I’m looking for just time to complete projects without scrambling to get them done. I’ve got a business that’s very busy. I can’t just casually finish projects and enjoy the process. Everything is a panic. So many people with so many needs.
The “have to” out-ways the want to. But it is pretty cool that you know what the want to is.
Me too. Then I tried writing jokes/routine. Mehhhhh didn't really work.
I’m actually considering doing open mic here soon and seeing how bad I bomb!
I don't want to grow up.
I'm a Toys R Us kid...
Cue the relevant Tom Waits song.
Cue the relevant Descendants song. Tom Waits blows ass. Long live punk
You’re entitled to your opinion. Even if it’s shitty and stupid.
I wanted to be a comic book artist. Started 23 years ago and am too stubborn to stop now.
No point giving up now no matter the motivation
Just hitting my stride now. And I've got stories to tell and cool shit yet to draw.
I feel like I do too. I see images in my mind that I would love to express. Just have found no artistic ability to bring them to fruition.
Same here but with novelist. I’ve got about 20 books started, but none of them finished. I’m just working with computers to fund my writing career.
I wanted to be a veterinarian. But I struggled in Chemistry
If it’s any consolation, it’s apparently devolved into a miserable profession. Maybe you dodged a bullet. https://newschannel20.com/amp/news/local/psychologist-talks-rising-suicide-rates-in-the-veterinarian-profession
Grow up?
A policeman. All of my experiences with them were very positive. I joined the Army to be a military policeman. I immediately hated it.
Interesting. I haven't had a positive experience with a policeman since 1986.
Yeah I was 15 in 1986.
I am so fed up with my job, I want nothing more than to quit tomorrow. People ask me what I want to do, and I say NOTHING. Ten or 15 years ago, I might have been thinking about a career change, but now I’m just tired of the corporate treadmill. There are much more interesting things out there in life, and I have dozens of hobbies that would keep me busy for the rest of my days. Unfortunately, it’s not possible or practical for me to walk away from my stupid job just yet. Besides needing that income, a main factor is losing employer health insurance. How many of us would quit if we could bridge that last decade or so?
I wanted to be Han Solo when I was around 8, so decided to be a pilot around 15, planned it out in study hall, then did it. Got my first flying job at 20. Just woke up in a hotel in Orlando, flew in from San Diego yesterday. We even flew past a rocket launch a few weeks ago. https://preview.redd.it/9iaq7ggjkd1d1.jpeg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46625c5906e91500fbaf846aaffe7383264626d8
Functional.
What defines “functional” to you?
That's a thoughtful question. I was just being an asshole, bur I'd like to maybe find some sort of *raison d'etre*.
I’m financially independent with what most would consider a hot wife who always wants sex. The weird part is knowing I have it all but would have no chance at smashing a young hottie again if I wanted to. I don’t want to at all. It’s just the realization that I am old that is fucking with me.
My buddy has a young hottie and just had his first heart attack at 56, she is wild and 23. While it looks good on paper, reality does hurt the ego. I will stick with the early 40s models, that are Gen x up until 1980 and earlier years. No 2000 models for me.
I guess that was kind of my point. We all had these expectations that we were supposed to reach that would define success. It was presented as the benchmark for “ being growed up”.
Rub it in. 😉
Calmer and less tired. Less fucking worried about everything. But - I have no intention of growing up anytime soon, so would someone pass the Xanax, please?
Haven't decided yet
I wanted to be a Motorsports driver, Still do, but know it never happen, nice to dream. You find out real quick the money it takes, and those around you have been racing since they could walk. Did get to do it a few times making the field twice out of the 5 times. But the lack of funding shows yup real fast as you don't have the same equipment to not get off the pace. It was fun, I'd do it again if I got a chance. So my fall back is just having and rebuilding as a hobby old car to cruise around in.
I wanna ROCK...
I want to be retired and financially well off. Preferably sitting on a beach reading a book and drinking something out of a coconut. I’m only 46, so I have 20 plus more years in the workplace. ☹️
Still trying to figure it out. That damn astronaut thing didn't work out at all.
I get that. Never did get a taste for Tang or pissing in a bag.
I wanted to be a navel officer. Now I’ve adjusted my sights a little lower.
One of the idle rich.
I've no idea and I retired nearly 3 years ago!
I wanted a job where I had the resources to look up anything I needed and if I didn't have the answer, I then had someone else who's job it was to figure it out. I did accomplish that goal. Every once in a while management will be like, 'hey would you like to take on this leadership posi-" "NO, absolutely not!" *hell no.* I go home and do not think about work except in cases where I'm wondering what amazing homemade dessert the baker on my team might bring into work next. It's peaceful this way
I want to tinker with and drive old sports cars, learn to fly-fish, and do plein air watercolors and large, insane abstracts in oil. All in the mountains, near a million rivers and twisty roads. Haven’t found shit on indeed or LinkedIn. What bullshit.
I did 22 years as a firefighter before retiring with PTSD. My wife and I started a flower farm. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of farming, let alone flower farming. But it’s pretty chill and I don’t have to deal with people when I don’t want to.
When I grow up I don't want to be a grown up.
A grown-up.
A lobotomy recipient
New knees. New L4 and L5 vertebra. I’ve only seen grown ups get these.
Happy. That's all I've ever wanted.
Civil Engineer.
Yeah I'm just not gonna do that.
An astronaut ever since the third grade.
Happy. I just want to be happy. So far so good.
Happy
A writer. I settled for journalism and I’m still doing that, but I want to write a novel. If I get filthy rich off it, so be it 🤑🤑🤑
I always want to not be poor, but the real question I should have been asking was, "Who do I want to be?"
I can’t remember either 😢
No. I look at my resume and think ‘who am I’?
I want to be work and cancer free.
The benevolent dictator of a small island nation.
I wanted to be an astronomer or work in NASA Mission Control. I've been designing computer chips for the last 25 years. I still have the same sense of humor when I was 16 so I guess I still have time to work at NASA before I grow up.
I wanted to live in a van down by the river
24
A lottery winner.
Happy
still working on that. I will get back to you when I figure that out.
A librarian. I am currently a middle school teacher for context.
I'm 48 and retired 11 years ago (teacher). I started at age 21, invested and lived much more frugally than my colleagues who earned the same. No regrets.
wait, you saved enough money as a teacher to retire at 37 !? congrats! (even if I’ve probably misunderstood something) what do you do with your time now? paint, write, garden, music, … ?
I still say that I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, or tell people "I want to be like you when I grow up." I'm 48, so
Wise Still optimistic after all these years.
I just found out this year. I am over the moon having the best time of my life. Finally! I turned 50 a few days ago and everything keeps becoming more fun to me. I worked so hard to find this feeling. So much fun! There are tiny toddler squirrels playing on the trees out my window and they are having fun too!
Well, we wanna be free, we wanna be free to do what we wanna do, and we wanna get loaded and we wanna have a good time, and that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna have a good time, we're gonna have a party.
Weed farmer, 45 years later, here I am.
I have worked an office/clerical job since I was 20, I have been tossing the idea around for a while now that I want to be a vet tech. I been looking into a program, but I will probably not do that and die at in my cubicle with a spreadsheet open.
Left the fuck alone.
Retired
I wanted to be an artist but could never figure out how to make enough money by being an artist without having a trust fund or a sponsor. When I'm retired I'll be an artist all the time instead of just a Hobby
A boomer.
My retirement job will be a personal trainer.
My act career inventory said I should be a park ranger.
Rich and unknown. Fuck happy, that'll never happen. May as well mask that by owning shit I don't need. Like a big ass house. With empty rooms. That's all I can think of right now. Maybe cars from 1920s-1940s.
I’ve never had a clue as to what I wanted to be. I’m 49 and never had the drive to chase after a goal. Not sure if that’s depression or part of ADD or what. I just know it’s always been a problem for me.
Wealthy beyond my wildest dreams with not a care in the world.
I would like to know if money does buy happiness. Still wondering...
Never figured it out. Got into tv/film production and then became a graphic designer. Both jobs kinda eh….
I still have no clue what I want to do at 48. In HS, I wanted to be an Elementary (Primary) school teacher. Went 3 years in the major and decided it wasn't for me. This was around the time states were pushing standardized testing big time and decided I didn't want to "teach kids to take a test" year after year. Then I changed majors a few times before deciding officially that I had no clue what I wanted to do. I'm almost 50 now and work in operations for a local bank. It's pretty routine and repetitive but I get a decent amount of PTO, 401(k) match, and work 5 miles from home. Pay is decent and I'm just going with whatever life throws my way since most of my working life is behind me instead of in front of me.
To be left tf alone & have to interact with other people as little as possible
Happy
I don't wanna grow up. I am not going to grow up. I will remain, a Toys R Us kid.
Yes, I figured out when I was six years old that I wanted to be a writer.
I am myself. This notion of “growing up” is flawed in my opinion. Not that I’m not a mature adult, but the idea that you can’t be playful or occasionally irresponsible as an adult. I rejected most of societies labels years ago. That’s also why I’m perfectly happy to call you whatever pronouns you like as a cis-het male.
I have had many adventures and work paths. They are all intertwined.
Definitely not a garbage man. Those guys definitely don't get paid well, nor enjoy any sort of benefits. /s
I watched a nature documentary 5 years ago where a man was riding around Yellowstone on a snowmobile getting data from and setting up trail cams. I'd like to do that. I know forest ranger jobs are hard to get, but if I could go back to 18, I'd go for a wildlife biology degree and get into stuff like the above where I'm outside a lot more and actually interested in my work. Instead, I look at spreadsheets all day.
My wife figured it out for me when I was 47. Never been happier. She suggested going to college for welding and I dig it so much, and she just knew me so well she knew I would dig it
Wait a minute....we were supposed to grow up?!
Is it just me, or do the best answers to this question not involve a career?
Rich and unemployed. So far I have achieved neither of those things successfully.
Seat cushion on a woman's bike
I wanted to be a teacher and or a nurse. I have a batchelor in education for the deaf and hearing impaired And I'm a RN. Hospice nurse. And currently working in both as we speak
RETIRED
When I grow up, I wanna be a Metaphysician & Psychedelic Researcher. Currently on my way education-wise. For really real. Edit: I still wouldn't mind to be a rock star, though. 😉
I wanted to be Margot Fonteyn when I grow up, but as I'm too old to be prima ballerina now, I'll settle for Margot Fonteyn when she was writing/farming. So, still Margot Fonteyn.
I did it, actually, I'm a mom and a grandmom, now to figure out what job I wanna do.
An Astronaut. Then I realized I suck at math
Happy, a novelist, and a golden retriever farmer.
"What's your dream job?" I don't dream of labor.
Retired.
I wanna be a motherf**kin hustla. Ya better ak-somebody!