I can't work in an office for the next 50 years...

Good luck to you if you can do that, but it's not quite as easy as it sounds.
It could take a few months to find a contract, so you can quite easily spend lots of time searching for work rather than chilling on your Mediterranean island.

Also you have to think why people would hire someone who only spends a quarter of the year doing the job and may potentially have let skills lapse, not be up to speed on the latest technologies etc.
Not saying you would be like that, but that's how it can come across.

No, indeed, I stated it simply. There's a lot of keeping your skill set up to date etc but so long as you have suitable calibre on paper (even if your certification is a little out of date) you can usually do well enough.
 
I currently work for a big American firm in the UK and have been verbally offered the opportunity of a transfer to the HQ in southern California. I know that my all-expenses-paid trips to southern California are quite different from actual life there but I'm still relatively young, single with no mortgage or financial commitments so I'm thinking... why not? :D Beautiful, southern Californian weather (and girls) and a lot higher salaries (even with a slightly increased cost of living). :D
 
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my brother was in the situation of hating his job, he then decided to take an 8k pay cut and work for the princes trust on tiny money. he's the happiest he has ever been.
too many people focus so hard on money when really its just they have got use to X amount going into their bank.

you say you have no money to do this adventure yet you have countless hobbies? thinking about it doesn't make money appear in your savings. quit some hobbies and put the money aside don't go out as much.
I Use to have loads of hobbies and moan I'm not seeing the world. stopped a few and I now go on mini breaks every 2-3 months certainly breaks up the working life and makes It all worth while
 
In the last few weeks I've pretty much decided on starting my own business in a few years - once I've built up a bit of capital and worked out a good business case.
I realised just how long I'll be low-mid ladder, effectively powerless on what I think are mediocore salaries, I just thought screw that. I've got a few ideas that I'm mulling over/researching atm
 
You dont necessarily have to leave your job, you could take a sebattical( long term unpaid leave) for like a year and then come back to your old post.

That is if your employer allows a sebattical ofcourse.

Yea that would be great, unfortunately the company I work for is very small, only 10 people (after 3 recently got let go :(), so cover is difficult even for short breaks, there would be no way I could take a year off!
 
A friend of mine didn't like the 9-5 life, so he started working part time as a croupier. Ended up doing the same on a few cruise ships, then moved to Monte Carlo, now back on cruise ships. He has no worries, no ties, and not much money, but he's happy.
 
I'm in the same position, got fed up of working 9-5 and thought moving abroad would help, did that for a while and got bored, thought a stupidly well paid job with a bank would fix it. Did that for a while got bored, moved back home. Thought starting my own company would fix it, done that for a while and realised I just hate working in office 9-5.
So me and my Mrs are buying a B&B, can't wait for it to complete. No more offices, no more routines, no more suits, freedom!
 
We've thrown around ideas of doing a summer season in a bar in Greece or the likes, then perhaps a ski season off the back. Longer term we'd like to own a bar but we're just throwing around ideas at the moment.

I'd suggest a couple of seasons of each if you can help it. Will give you all a lot of exposure to it, see what seems to work/what doesn't, get an idea for what's popular at the bar, that kinda thing. You'll likely make at least a couple of useful contacts too.
 
My 2 cents:

So, the point of the "boring" 9-5 is that it provides easy answers to a few basic questions.

1. Where/what will I sleep/eat tonight?
2. Where/what will I sleep/eat when I'm 70?
3. Where/what will my wife/husband/children sleep/eat tonight?
with 3 being applicable if you want kids or to be able to support a partner.

The "9-5" gives you an obvious answers to all of these, in the form of a salary and a pension, and with some financial planning, a house and savings.

It's very easy when you're in your 20s to think that you can backpack around the world picking up the odd jobs here and there... and I know some people who did that. What you're missing out on during that time is being able to save for a deposit or pay toward a pension. If you have middle class parents and going to inherit a future anyway (i.e. your parents are going to leave you a debt-free house), then sure, go travelling, your safety net is there already. If you don't, then you'll probably find that the fun you're having in your 20s will cost you when you retire (which might be a completely reasonable trade in your opinion).
 
The way i look at it is that I work now so that by the time i am 50 i can move somewhere with a beach and sell tshirts and surf all day. Rather than thinking that i will be doing exactly the same thing that i am doing at the moment for next 20 years. It can be depressing when you think like that.

I used to know a guy that worked in IT and had the same problems with working in an office and ended up starting a landscaping business and spends all day out in the garden now and driving around, he said it is much better for him.

I would like to open a business in a nice sunny place and live that holiday lifestyle, loads of people do it. It just takes some balls and a bit of money and preparedness to take some risks and leave everything behind.

It also helps to move house and job every 5 years as it can change your commute. If the commute annoys you then you can always look at different options.
 
I like office 9-5, but it does all hinge on enjoying your role, having great colleagues, and working for a good company. Getting that trifecta is pretty difficult.
 
Sounds like you need to move job/change career. Love my job, mostly office based but I started on site. Got to travel (and still do) all around, every day is different.
 
I would like to open a business in a nice sunny place and live that holiday lifestyle, loads of people do it. It just takes some balls and a bit of money and preparedness to take some risks and leave everything behind.

You generally only hear about the success stories though. You will see your someone posting about his/her life in Thailand or Angola or something that sounds exciting. You won't see pictures on Facebook from people who tried to set up a bar in Malaysia and left a year later £20k in debt. It's very easy to think it's easy to go abroad and set up any business and people will flock to be customers.
 
You generally only hear about the success stories though. You will see your someone posting about his/her life in Thailand or Angola or something that sounds exciting. You won't see pictures on Facebook from people who tried to set up a bar in Malaysia and left a year later £20k in debt. It's very easy to think it's easy to go abroad and set up any business and people will flock to be customers.

Nothing Ventured. Nothing Gained.
 
OP I quit my IT job and moved to Egypt to teach English a few years ago, did my CELTA there. Best thing I did but had to go when the revolution started :(
 
I also do not like office work. I only did a 9-5 once and it made me unstable. I could not cope with the boredom, or the fact we didnt even have windows.

I managed to get into a line of work where every day is different even if the core work is the same. I travel the UK as needed, and have pretty much worked everywhere over the last 10 years.

I get to meet interesting people and work on sites that I find interesting. I also get to see behind the scenes in the retail sector, as well as power generation, healthcare, highways, airports........etc etc.

I like the variety. Like you, I couldn't hack a 9-5 office job, but then I don't think moving abroad to set up a bar is the right answer either. Perhaps escaping the monotony into a different area of work is a first step?

Then take it from there.

However, I do know people who do nothing but travel and work part time bar jobs. They go all over the world. It can be done, but it can also be a very lonely lifestyle. They also have mum and dad to come home to at the end, which is not really mature or responsible.
 
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