31 years with the same company, and it's always been my goal each year to make more then the previous year which I have except for one year I think. Stress is pretty much zero at this point because of the way the company is ran (poorly at best) which makes it easier on me and I'm fine with that. I have no plans on going to work at any other place. I just go in and do my thing and don't give it a second thought the moment I'm out the door everyday, which is seven days a week but I do that because I'm addicted to making money, I think it's called Crematomania if I remember? Anyways, no stress here.

John

Congrats, Panda!

I really, really want to say something, but I better not.

I’ve been working 80+ hours six days a week for 21 years now as a mechanic. My body is holding up very well but man am I tired all the time. 56 yo now and best shape of my life but stress is off the charts.

Figure I’ve got 2-5 more years then I’m retiring. A different career now would not improve my life.

I left an engineering job at a large, well known company I had been
at for 18 years. Management was horrible and stressing everyone on purpose.
Was commuting between the USA and Scotland on a project to help one
lady climb the ladder. Finally, after getting passed up for a raise basically
told them to stuff it. Had planned to take a year off to decompress and
just basically enjoy myself. Two weeks later another engineer I knew asked
if I'd help him with his consulting business, which in the course of a year
I took over. Didn't know it but he had cancer (melanoma).

Long story short, never worked more than 20 hrs/week and made as much
in 5 years as I did in 18 at the sweat shop. A happy ending! Now fully retired.

I was an auto mechanic for 25 years untill I had a wrist injury. I took other jobs and by the time I was ok to return to work doing heavier work I was far behind the auto tech curve as far as technology is concearned. I then went to work fixing electric motors, gear boxes and pumps in the AG industry. After doing that for 10 years I was 52 years old so I started looking into a career I could still be doing in 10 years. I went into trucking. It was the worst move I've ever made. I'm 53 now and have been repeatedly lied to by my employer. What was supposed to be 2 weeks of training with an experienced driver turned into 1 day and then I was turned loose hauling chassis's with 2 20 foot containers each. Additionally I'll have to start going to the Oakland ports and put up with BS there.

My daughter makes a higher hourly wage managing a McDonald's than I do trucking. Don't believe the 80k to 110k a year trucking stories. The only guys making that money are going OTR for 3 weeks at a time. I'd be fine with that but I've been with my wife for 36 years and my wife wouldn't handle it well. Also the guys I've talked to making the big money have plenty of money, and no time to spend it or appreciate it.

I’m sorry your exit strategy didn’t pan out amigo. Life will give you a break I’m sure of it.

I miss a month and I’d be so far behind it’d be a struggle catching up. Too many ‘clever’ engineers trying to improve the wheel.

Here’s to hoping. House paid off in 2020, no bills. Just trying to save up.

I’m a consultant, so I’m supposed to go wherever the company sends me to help build out their infrastructure in the cloud - typically Azure but also their whole M365 (online files, Teams, security, compliance, etc). Sometimes it’s Amazon but usually Microsoft.

Anyway I’ve had one customer for 14 years now and my company lost the contract last year to a severely underbid competitor (read: so cheap they cant actually fill positions because they can’t find anyone who will work for such low pay)

I made a deal with the low bid company to stay on as a “surge” (temp) resource for a few months at a more competitive rate. Old company comes back and says “we want you to stay and win new work for us ar these 3 customers.” I’ve always wanted to do that so I agree, but make sure I am made whole vs the other deal.

I have 0 involvement with the first customer bid. We think we are a shoo-in. We lose. I have minimal involvement with the 2nd, even though I’ve been there for 14 years. They ignore my recommendation on price (it’s not my area so I can’t really complaint). We lose. The third one is postponed to January. I’m done. None of this is what I expected, and I have a standing offer to go back to the other place, at a customer who really wants me badly. The past 3-5 months have been the most stressful of my career, not knowing if I’d have work , not really understanding the job market and my competition, and needing insurance , etc for the family.

My wife goes through with getting a full time job (we had worked together so she effectively only worked part time). Now that I’ve gotten my decisions made and re engaged, I’m feeling a whole lot less stress. I’ve got to make 2 deals on Monday but I’m confident in my positions with them(one to exit, one to join).

Now my WIFE’s job is the one that’s super stressful! Horrible communication from mgmt, unclear direction, wishy washy but unreasonable customers. I really want her to quit but she’s going to give it a year. Is my life less stressful?!

My wife has been a manager for a handful of years with provincial health region with WAYYYYY too many staffx, way too many departments. Her boss comes up to her a few months ago and says. “Uhhh, you’ve been flagged, for having too many staff” she handles way, way too much that she’s isn’t supposed to do. I’ve been on her for ages to get a new job. I said you don’t need to be responsible for all this shit.

Well a new job came up. She got it, and now will have 14 staff (from 65-70, all women, fuckin hens).

A director called her last week and said she’ll be able to do this new job in her absolute sleep. I’m excited. Less stress her=better for me for sure!

I was an accounting supervisor making decent money, hating my office space Job.
always a night owl hating waking up so early. Became a longshoreman working nights and so much happier. It took awhile, but Money is better, less stress.

I've never been miserable in any job I've had. There have been places/people I've worked with that were less than enjoyable. When the scamdemic hit in 2020, I got "laid off" even though my job was "essential". I immediately began doing carpentry work, for myself, right in the one square mile town I live in. I now have one guy that's been with me since June of 2020, and I have enough work lined up, all within a mile of my house, to keep us busy for the next year/year and a half. I generally do not work past 2pm, and if we do work on Fridays, we knock off at noon. I'm working half the hours I used to, and make close to the same money. No stress, No worries. Life is good.....

I completely understand your reasoning, but consider this: What if you "quit tomorrow" and immediately started doing something you enjoyed, with less stress, and when you stopped working for the day still had energy? IF you have enough assets today to retire in 2-5 more years, then you probably have enough assets to make a change today making less money and working 4-7 years doing something you'd really enjoy. Once you're this close, your assets are likely doing the heavy lifting at this point.

Another way to look at it: If you knew you could quit tomorrow and be comfortable doing it, the work you're doing today might feel a lot more enjoyable. Fishing is fun when you want to - not so much when you have to.

My dad got bile duct cancer at 63, died a few weeks after diagnosis in 2007.

My brother in law got glioblastoma at 54, died a few weeks after diagnosis last September.

My spouse was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at 58 last August, doing well on chemo for the time being.

My point: Don’t ever work a job that you hate if you have an alternative that works out financially. You may not live long enough to enjoy whatever fruit you think you’ll be harvesting in the far future.

Sorry for all the bad beats man. Got to be just hard on person/family. Good luck to you

Oh I’ve looked at it that way. For years. I’m listening Reverand, trust me.

It’s never been about me. It’s always been about family. Son is in Navy for next 6 years, daughter grown up. Now it’s time I’m working for my wife and I. Just us. She deserves it.

You’re awesome. Worlds better place with you with us. Soldier on!

I left a job making six figures almost twenty years ago to focus on HEP full time. Six figure incomes were extremely uncommon and were absolute dream jobs in my profession at that time.
The first years were exciting as I could justify the struggles and lean times in that I was trying to build something from the ground up.
The middle years were probably a little bit more of a cruise control.
Now at 50 having dedicated everything to it the last twenty years I realize it wasn’t the windfall I had envisioned in the beginning. I honestly was making more money twenty years ago without the headaches and all the “red tape “ that comes with running a business. This one in particular.
The one thing I have enjoyed that I could have never achieved without it though is my true freedom and independence. I saw my boys off to school every morning,I ate three meals a day with my wife,if I felt like a nap I took one. If I wanted to drink a beer at 3PM on a Wednesday I did it. If I wanted to work at 7PM on a Sunday night I did that too. There were no rules only tasks that needed to be completed. Taking the forced structure out of a job was what I needed.
I don’t think there is ever a completely stress free job but if you are happy or at the very least satisfied then that is sustainable regardless of income.
If every move you make or don’t is in the name of money then you are falling into a trap that will really limit your happiness.
So many people are all about the long game but the only thing you can truly count on is here and now .Find the best way you can to enjoy it!

Nice take on it.

I could have moved up the ladder a few times now. I don’t want to. And a very close friend that has, told me not to, and just enjoy life/work balance. I have a low stress job, I enjoy to enough. I have 26 fridays off a year. Six weeks vacation (starting Jan 1) and I only have about 11-14 years of work left in a fairly low impact job. I have a boss that doesn’t know what my job is. I have freedom to have a loose work schedule if I need it for other activities. I’ll ride this one for sure until retirement.

Same boat. I have been a manager in the past. But I’m not at my company now. They have asked me more than once to transition into management. My answer is a polite “not interested”. I have already reached the top as I define it.

Stress is devastating to your body, especially as you get older. Believe it.

Reduce stress any way you can.