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

I love what I do but hate working in an office and the routine of it and it's only been 2 years... Luckily where I work it's relaxed and I work with two people I did my MSc with and a few other fun people so it's like still being at uni much of the time.

I have the same issue, all school friends got boring, settled down, had kids and a mortgage and I can't be doing with that at the moment. The only thing that's keeping me in the hellhole that is London is my girlfriend and the promise of moving away somewhere more scenic in a years time. Otherwise I would have been gone by now doing what many of my other friends do, working abroad or just ambling around.

I'm still tempted to see if I can get back in to academia and do more field studies, or find the rare job that gets me onto the field more.
 
The problem is Facebook. It's easy to look at how others are living and imagine the grass is greener. But they're picking and choosing what they share. They're never going to share the boring and mundane aspects of their day to day life. Everybody grinds.
 
The key is having flexibility imo. if you can come and go as you like, as long as you work your weekly hours (and they must number <40 imo for it to be tolerable) then corporate office working is alright. Let's be honest - most of us sit around all day not doing much, thinking about other stuff, and probably get paid far too much to do it - to most people in the world it's the stuff of dreams :D
I had an 'on my feet' job when I left uni thinking I would prefer it to an office, and hated it.
I think most people go through a similar sort of thing when they leave academia - 'is this it?'
 
I love my job. Currently holidaying in a 5* resort in Italy and actually looking forward to going back to work on Monday. Hardly 9to5, more like 7 till 7 some days but I get to influence massive swings in government technology with mental budgets to spend.

Working in a bar in some warm country? I'd turn up and just feel sorry for you ;)
 
drakioned said:
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).
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Almost no one in the world has ever got to their death bed and gone, ohhh how i wish i hadn't experienced the world and instead saved more money for a mortgage and retirement. Ever!!!
 
Most people tolerate their jobs. It's rare that you will score wins on all three of the following: (i) work life balance, (ii) pay, (iii) enjoy-ability.

If you love your job and have a great work life balance, but don't get paid so well, you're doing great.

If you have a great work life balance and get paid well, but don't enjoy your job, you're doing great.

If you get paid very well and enjoy your job, but don't have much of a work life balance, then you're doing great.

And so on.

If you hit all three, you're pretty much living the dream.
 
drakioned said:
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).
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Wow you must be fun at parties...

There are plenty of people that don't do a 9-5, or have moved abroad and done something totally different.

TBH a lot of young people are going to have the "where will I live when I'm 70" question as they will have rented all their life, they're going to have to work to stay in rented accommodation unless the government pay for them...
 
My advice is simple.
Turn off the TV, don't get sucked in to any adverts for stuff you MUST HAVE BECAUSE SALE ENDS TOMORROW etc etc.
Don't buy a flash car, or a flash house or any other flash gadget, you really don't need them.
What you should do is SAVE SAVE SAVE and SELL SELL SELL anything and everything you can get away with.

Then retire at thirty and go live in a shack behind that bar on a beach, even if it doesn't make any profit you'll still have a wedge to live off.
Live happy..
 
Nitefly said:
Most people tolerate their jobs. It's rare that you will score wins on all three of the following: (i) work life balance, (ii) pay, (iii) enjoy-ability.

If you love your job and have a great work life balance, but don't get paid so well, you're doing great.

If you have a great work life balance and get paid well, but don't enjoy your job, you're doing great.

If you get paid very well and enjoy your job, but don't have much of a work life balance, then you're doing great.

And so on.

If you hit all three, you're pretty much living the dream.
Click to expand...

I would say I've hit all three with the job I have now, very lucky
 
Welcome to the real world, working for the man, for minimum wage (although I do get a salary) living for the weekends is what the majority of people do, unless you're self employed.

Not going **** off my job though, the pay isn't great but 90% of the day I spend talking about movies or other unimportant ****
 
Don't worry about timing of the travelling bit. Doing after uni is great but cash and perhaps a lack of travel experience can be an issue. I first went around Europe by myself in 1993 and that was before smart phones, the Euro, and the information super highway, as was being called then :). Backpacked everywhere, slept on beaches, complete dumps of hostels and nearly got squashed by a bull in Pampolona. But as you get older your standards go up and so cash is more important. These is where your career is important. You need to finance it.

I go away usually about 3 / 4 times a year. Went around Cambodia a few months ago, travelling all around china myself and I'm off to North Korea and South Korea next Saturday (north first obviously)

My point is, you can travel at any time. With the obvious exceptions of kids, marriage, finances etc travel is always great, (in my view). It actually gets easier as you get older and have more travel experience. Now I just usually get a visa and a flight and don't bother with hotels until I get there. Just get a local SIM and your done. Its so much easier these days with smart phones etc

One thing I will say is, as many posters have noted, you will never regret travelling (unless something bad happens) and I still have great memories of far flung places. I wouldn't exactly call them 'fun' times if your solo but its a lot more personally rewarding and changes you as a person, no question! I mean places like Russia, china etc USA is just EASY but great to see. For example I must have been in a pub 1000s of times now and two occasions that stick in my mind are (1) sitting in bar with these old Chinese boys drinking baijiu in yunnan (barman had broken English and I picked up the bill, was practically for nothing) and (2) getting ****ed on an overnight train in Russia with 3 hardcore Russians (who I thought were going to re-inact the scene from the movie Hostel with me)

Even if you never travel until you are in you are thirty its still great. You won't have missed the boat. What stops most blokes my age (40) from travelling is that they look for excuses not to go. They generally have the cash. Its just the lack of confidence and the fact that you are not as adventurous as when you were younger.

As for travelling short term for business, I hate it in my job, sounds exotic, but going around in a suit, talking b#lox.

PS: not meaning to sound like a kn#b dispensing advice, just more reflecting my thoughts on the topic, as your original post reminded me of myself a long time ago. :)
 
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