Good morning all!

I write this post with a great deal of sincerity, but also a bit of tongue in cheek.
I've settled back into my desk, somewhere near Minneapolis/St.Paul, and I'm sorting my emails under the glow of the fluorescent lighting and waves of pumped-in white noise.
I'm 25. I've been in the working/business world since 21, changed jobs last year, but just moved from computer desk to computer desk (closer to a window this time). But, I don't know how I could do this for another 35+ years.

Since I feel that this board includes like-minded individuals, I thought it would be best to pose this question to you all. What's your profession? How many work in the monotonous cubicle farm world all while having a great passion for the wilderness? How many of you have found professions that allow you to connect with your passions? I understand a great deal of this boils down to money, but do we all feel that way? I'm just spit-ballin' now.

Have a good day!

ICU RN and rounding RN for cardiac surgeons here in Des Moines.

Training horses at home, large garden and bee keeping, chickens with eggs to sell and sometimes pigs pasture raised. Also do some sewing for hire for various different things.

I don't sit well in one area :)
The nursing brings in the brunt of the cash, but the rest keeps me sane!

Lawyer.
It took me several years to get to this stage of my career.
I have my own firm and can take off when I want to.
But I have to plan my time off a few weeks in advance because I have to schedule my court dates around any camping trip.
This summer has had a lot of family issues so I am staying home to help.
Next year I get to go north again....

My husband found a job where he could work from home on his computer. He can take a break when ever he needs and go work the bees or help on our homestead. He goes for long bike rides on his lunch break and his commute is up the stairs. So I suggested it see if it is possible to make it a long term goal is find a job you can still work on your computer making money but from home. You won't have to fight over the office window then ;)

Well at 25 you could still do a 180 on career options. Wife and kids would make it more difficult but still doable.

Tough call for sure. Reality has a way of impressing itself upon you, after all we live in an economic world and one needs money to exist.

My advice is to invest, sacrifice those dinners out, so eventually you will acquire more flexibility. Money brings freedom but poverty is under the curse.

The other advice I can give is to be VERY careful of your self talk. Quit telling yourself you dislike your job. That WILL become your reality. As a result you will become malcontented and all other areas of your life will suffer. Even if you don't feel like it say to yourself "I am blessed to have a job and I believe I will advance".

Easy for me to say? Not really, I worked from last Sept to May without a single day off often putting in 12 hour days including weekends. I also drive, a lot! I have to be very careful about my self talk. I used to complain but once I spent a week in the hospital hooked up to an IV wondering if I would leave. I started missing my shop and started realizing what a great life I had.

Ideally it is best to go through life doing something you are passionate about. Hey, you live in the greatest country in the world. Make a plan, learn your new profession at night and then switch. I will let you have my business motto.......

"There is always room at the top"

..............Be the best at what you do, strive for excellence in everything and you will succeed.

quote AmarilloJim: "Well at 25 you could still do a 180 on career options. Wife and kids would make it more difficult but still doable."

Amen to this. If you have no or minimal financial obligations the sky is the limit.

Sounds like you're young enough to have options open to you. I do software testing so spend my entire working day in front of a computer too. I work from home several days a week which is nice. The thing I love about it is that I get to work with incredibly smart people, the thing I hate is that I'm stuck to a computer all day long.

If I were to start over I'd look at two totally different careers. Nursing for the combo of hard but rewarding work and long shifts with multiple days off in row. Would also have loved to do something with HVAC, get to move from place to place during the day and get the satisfaction of taking a broken something and turning it into a working something. Neither one of those careers would make me rich, but both pay a very decent living wage.

I am 60 years old, I've been working in Education for 38 years. I've been in administration for the last 19 years. There are parts of my job I love, there are parts of my job I do not love. People always say well you have all summer off. Nope I do not! Summer is when I get all the things I needed to do all the other seasons completed. This summer, I have not had time to fish, paddle, or anything relaxing, other than sit on my front porch and watch the sun come up!
I am planning on retiring in two years. 40 years of education is enough! I may work part time at something else, I have not decided yet! But I said all of this to give you a price of advice which you have heard already.

You can be stuck in a job that you do not like and still enjoy life... You are young, 25! If you choose to make a change consider it very carefully, and make sure it is something you want to do and will enable you to live the life you want to live!

Good luck in your decision

Bruce

I will echo the points about watching the self talk. We can talk ourselves into some pretty deep holes and out of them, too.
At 70 I still work at my own pace as a self employed clinical social worker. I love my work and really plan on doing it for a long time. A great supplement to my social security and allows me to get neat gear and go to neat places. And I like to go to work, most days. I worked hard and long often on jobs I really did not enjoy, but the career is the right one for me.
Is it your job or your career? I see a lot of folks who feel stuck and encourage them to either use the internet to do some career planning or if they can afford it see a professional career counselor. Sometimes looking around we realize we are where we want to be, just at the beginning of a long trip that can seem pretty tough or on a job we will endure until things align for the move we want to make. Like tripping, once you get into the groove the heavy work seems not so bad. It is attitude.
Being undecided tends to trigger the bad self talk. Dwell on options, not problems. Then decide.
And be sure it is the job and not other important parts of life are not going so well either. The work/life balance is a critical thing, too.
I could go on, but I do this for a living....best to you.

I work in a cubicle farm like you do. As others have said, there are things I like, and things I don't. Considering I have been at the same company for more than 20 years, there has to be something bringing me back. My length of time here allows me a ton of flexibility in my schedule and I also have the ability to work from home. I still do not get the number of trips in that I would like (3 years and counting), but family and other obligations are more responsible for that than the job.

It's never too late to change paths, just be sure to have a well thought out plan with achievable goals.

DON'T LISTEN TO THE SELF TALK!! There is always a plus to be found if you are open to seeing it.

Skarc...
just remember that cubes can be modified!

Take an outdoor job and come back after you've been outside all day in January when it is 15 below with a 20mph wind and outside all day in late summer when it is 95 with a dew point over 70.

Cube farms aint so bad.

I have been a welder for over 30 years both in a factory and at job sites I have both loved and loathed my job but always kept a positive attitude. Now I'm a shop production supervisor sometimes longing for the old days of wearing a helmet and looking forward to retirement. As I tell my own boys as they are starting out in their chosen professions if you're truly unhappy with your job then change but be careful some times the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Life is too short to be stuck in a job that you truly don't like.

I'm 30, 2 kids and my wife is going back to school for HR. I am an electronics service technician. That means I fix broken electronics, maintain the testing equipment at the factory I work at, and answer the phone when dealers and end users have trouble with the equipment. I also am involved with the design and development of new products. The pay is alright but I like the work.

Cubicles are terrible. I work in a manufacturing factory but I have my own desk and work with my hands half the time. Try seeing if there are positions in your field that involve a bit more hands on activities or at least require you to get up from your desk and go do things multiple times a day. Being attached to a manufacturing floor is great because it is a lot of room to walk around without it just seeming like you are wandering aimlessly. Just going out and talking to someone for a few min can really brighten your day.

Travel can also help a career, but only if it is balanced enough. Once in a while going to visit a customer, supplier, or a different business unit can really help with a change of pace. A good balance is to travel for work a few times a year, maybe once a quarter or so. Many companies do have positions that travel too.

You do need to remember the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" too. You may love the outdoors, especially now when you are this young, but as you grow older the indoor job will be more comfortable and being outdoors all the time will get old. If you were to work an outdoor job then you might get sick of it fast and that could lead to you undervaluing your outdoor activities. Use this time you have while you are young to work hard and make some progress. Get promoted, create a firm foundation in your resume and save up some money. Don't forget your hobbies but try to spend your money on things that last more than just a one time experience (the exception is making memories that will last a lifetime). Accumulate tools and gear for your hobbies but don't be a pack rat. By the time you hit 30 like me you should be more stable than I am, with a better career and tools/strategies to help you live your life how you want. Your 20's (maybe more like 23-33) is an investment, in both making memories and providing a foundation for the rest of your life, use it wisely.

Retired now. Several years working for local grocery store and owner before HS graduation. Factory work from 1969 to 2013. Started out with the assumption work is work and a regular paycheck very important, not how satisfied I was with my job.
Kept it for 44 years. Yup not the best, but never laid off, and earned full pension and savings. Allowed stability while raising a family.
Keep work in it's place. It's only a fraction of your life, concentrate on the important stuff.

bhouse46-"I will echo the points about watching the self talk. We can talk ourselves into some pretty deep holes and out of them, too."

Excellent advise!

butthead

I'm a pensioner in my 60's but I did spend a good deal of my life in a cubicle.

In the 1980's my cubicle had 6 foot high burlap cloth walls that were burnt orange and brown. The chairs were cushy and royal blue. At a height of 5'4" I felt hidden and safe and if you talked quietly nobody could hear you. Everything smelled like smoke and cigarette ash because everyone smoked at their desk including pregnant women whether they wanted to or not. People used colored tacks to apply happy benign posters on the walls such as "I learned everything I needed to know in Kindergarten" or cute cat stuff. Live plants were everywhere and they were watered with leftover coffee. Muzak, piped in instrumental music of popular songs played half of every hour. You added the lyrics in your head. After Thanksgiving holiday music played and it was OK to bring in a little Christmas tree or Nativity set.

In the 1990's the cubicle walls remained at 6 feet but were steel blue in color with gull gray trim. The walls were still covered in a burlap like material with rigid styrofoam innards to allow the new long "t" shaped pins to be stuck into them. Nature lovers hung landscape photography or calendars of beautiful places to tide them over until vacation. People posted family photos, stupid reminders on Post-it notes or stuff that they thought was funny. Many things posted were funny but offensive to some and the line was drawn at nudity. The factory workers had to remove the calendars of naked women in the late 1960's so it carried over into the office.
You had to smoke in the breakroom by then.

By 2000 the walls had shrunk to 4 feet and were beige on beige nylon. I could stand up and see the whole maze. The chairs were now black and made of a rigid mesh material that allowed intestinal gas to pass right through. The new pumped in white noise replaced Muzak. The lower cubicles weren't as sound deadening so you could hear people's phone conversations. You knew whose kids were going to end up in prison and who had a yeast infection. There were a few high up windows and you knew if it the sun was out or if a thunderstorm was approaching. My cubicle was across from the Lactation Room and I chatted with all the new mothers as they entered the code to get in. There were now strict rules on what could be posted on the cubicle walls. One guy had to remove a poster entitled "The Perfect Women". It was a women's face without a mouth. I chose to only have a business calendar displayed so I could look at it and dream about using my 32 personal days off. I didn't want any part of my personality displayed in the cubicle so the decoration was Spartan and helped disassociate myself from it.

Time passed slow and the years went by. I stood up often to stretch and look at the wall clock. I coped by spending my lunch and breaks outside walking. My company is located right on the St. Croix River so on breaks there is a chance to escape and see some natural beauty.

All things come to an end so on a sunny bright June day I stood up, took out my desk cleaner for the last time and wiped the dust, food particles and dandruff from my desk and keyboard. I walked out the door without turning back and haven't thought about my cubicle until reading your post today.

If I was you I would take a sabbatical for a few years and hit the road in a van with a canoe on top. Short term work and free camping exists out there. When and if that gets old return to playing Monopoly and a cubicle. The 40 years until retirement may not be as bad.

25 you say. Buckle up its a long ride. I am an engineer and I wanted to be a hunting and fishing guide in Montana. Try it. It just might work. At 25 how much do you REALLY have to loose as long as there is no kids or significant other your letting down. my .02

Not seriously, there's a great future in plastics. Think about it.

Seriously, I'm 39 and in a tech support position that lacks any real mobility. A section of a building I work in is called 'the grid'. Like you, I see no one around me doing anything different than what they were doing when I started here 4 years ago. I feel completely silo-ed. I'd love to take a hard U turn and do something else. You gotta have a simple enough life or have your shit planned out to do that. 25 would be a good time to do that.

In the mean time, get a dog, throw yourself into your hobbies. Have plans, save money. Travel when you can, go see concerts worth seeing. These things will keep you sane.

Daniel

Interesting question and interesting answers. 31 years a large animal vet. There have been bumps and bruises along the way (and stitches and knee braces...) Never regretted it but there have been days that were not as "pleasant" as others. Long days followed by nights on call along with weekends and holidays. Hot summer days, mud, crap, flies.....cold winter days, ice, frozen mud, frozen supplies in my truck. It's shaped me.....resiliant, improvising, organized.....I don't get flustered by much. That said, it was easier 20 years ago. Typical case of "the mind is still willing but the body is getting wrecked". I don't think there is a perfect job, so don't look for it. Just find one that you have passion for and have passion for you other life interests also. Just existing sucks. All in all the time.

I work as a forensic psychologist. But it's been a long road to get where I am. I was aimless into my mid-20s, but met my wife who was on her career change trajectory, and I followed suit when she was done. I got my master's degree (in social work) at age 31. Many of my cohort was my age or older, many in mid-life career change. I thought I'd be a therapist or case manager or something like that. I supervised foster homes in New York City for a bit.

At age 32 I entered a doctoral program and eventually received my doctorate in clinical psych. I did not find social work rewarding (many do, though!), and it didn't fit well with who I am and my beliefs of how to help people. I wanted something more in line with the criminal justice system, so I specialized in forensics. Now I'm self-employed and have a busy assessment and evaluation practice. I work with the psychological aspects of crimes and criminals. I think it's pretty cool.

I think you're in a perfect position to make a change, and it's is a great time to do it. But you have to ask yourself honest questions, and answer yourself honestly... what are your priorities and passions? Do you want a job that pays a lot, or one that is rewarding, money being secondary? You can have both, like I do, and if that happens, consider yourself extremely fortunate. I knew always I wanted to be a private practitioner because I'm not a great employee (an honest assessment of myself.) It's taken me a long time, but now I work a lot, but can take days or weeks off at my leisure. But it took to age 41 for that to happen.

Like I said above, it is the perfect time to make a career change if you are so inclined. If you have a passion, but it will take a long time to get there (being a doctor or lawyer or getting a college or graduate degree), then start. Putting it off will only delay the acquisition of your dreams.

I know that it's not as easy as I portray.... money, obligations, geography, family all play a part in what you choose to do. Most of us don't live in a vacuum. But I envy your place because your whole career is in front of you..... when you choose it!

Best wishes

Mike

Love the reference, Daniel!

I'm a writer, so I'm home sometime, which I love, and travel sometime for gigs, which I also love. I also love being able to dial back my work as I age. I won't have a planned retirement day. Like an old soldier, I'll just fade away.

accountant here - can't wait to quit my job!

Learn STEM/Business skills, find a good employer that pays well, respects your personal time off, and offers a good 401k match. Max out the 401k, then a Roth IRA, then an HSA. If you have any money left over, a taxable brokerage account. At your age, you need to be 100% in equities. Low cost index funds that track the S&P/Dow. Learn about rebalancing as you get older. Stay away from anything 'actively managed'.

keep spending under control, treat your house and autos as expenses, NEVER think of either as "investments", but learn to take care of both. Buy your house and car used, after thoroughly checking them over.

Marry wisely - a divorce will set you back minimum of 10 years financially. Marry the right one and it will put you ahead exponentially. If your not sure - don't do it.

I can't speak to the kid thing - don't have them. I do know they are expensive, but shortchanging their education/upbringing in the younger years will make the later years MUCH more expensive. Don't sell your retirement fund short to fund their education - pay YOURSELF first.

Realize your either gonna give up all of your 20's, or your gonna give up your entire life to the man. Deal with it.

see Aaron Clarey's vids on youtube for a reiteration.

fwiw - my wife and I grew up dirt poor, and are worth upwards of a mil in our early 40's. Hang in there and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

OH to be 25 again. In one month I will be twice your age! I made a career change late in the game (thanks to a supportive husband) I work in a hospital dealing with the paperwork in a paperless world. :-)
I sometimes think about what I would have done different if given the chance. I would really like to be an editor, or a proof reader. If I really dream I would have excelled as a Paleontologist. I am VERY interested in that. :-)
If I could talk to my 25 year old self I would say, do what makes you happy. Stop worrying about stupid stuff you can't change. Treat everyone like they are hurting and in need of a friend. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE money.
Here is the advice I would give you (or my child if I had been blessed enough to have any) My husband and I read book years ago written by Dave Bach called The Automatic Millionaire and it uses the phrase "the latte factor". It changed our lives. We have paid off 3 homes in our marriage and continue to live debt free. We were not "monetary" rich, we were and continue to be smart decision makers which is not always easy in this "buy with one click" world.
Best wishes to you! Make it a great day!

~~

Whoa!
I really appreciate all the responses. There are a plethora of thoughtful, thorough and wisdom-filled replies; I'm still trying to unpack it all!

Zulu, I really enjoyed your synopsis of the cubicle through the years!

I'll try to address some of the major points I've seen so far:

I do own a home with my fiancé. In fact, we just built this year. I suppose the largest burden we have is our home.

I don't hate my job. In fact, I do have the ability to travel. Sometimes by air or other times just locally. But I spend on average 80% of my working days in my cube.
I struggle with the thought of becoming complacent and suddenly I'm trapped in the suburbs and I'm in too deep to make a major move. I find myself realizing that if it weren't for owning a home, I could be free as a bird.

I apologize for the nowhere rambling, I'm just taking an inventory of where I am, and where I would like to be in 5-10 years. And I'm coming to realize maybe a cube isn't in the cards.

Zulu
Love your writing.

I once heard that work is for people who do not know how to fish :)

There's always this:

http://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=986833&forumID=133&confID=1

I always knew I needed to have a career that allowed me to work in the outdoors. So I rolled the dice and went to school for wildlife biology. I am one of the very fortunate ones and actually landed a full time position (many people I went to school with worked seasonal gigs for a few years and ultimately ended up working at places like Wells Fargo it seems like). I'm 30 now and have been in my current position, in NW MN, since 2013. The job is awesome and I have some of the best hunting a person could ask for for a variety of species.

With all that said there is a trade-off. I'm single and wouldn't mind finding a nice gal with outdoor interests similar to mine. Part of the reason I have a full time job in the wildlife field is because I placed my career goals over everything else. Now I live in a fairly remote setting with no women around (they are either married or moved off the farm)! If I lived near a larger city there would certainly be options. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side and you ultimately have to do what will make you the happiest.

Whoa!
I really appreciate all the responses. There are a plethora of thoughtful, thorough and wisdom-filled replies; I'm still trying to unpack it all!

Zulu, I really enjoyed your synopsis of the cubicle through the years!

I'll try to address some of the major points I've seen so far:

I do own a home with my fiancé. In fact, we just built this year. I suppose the largest burden we have is our home.

I don't hate my job. In fact, I do have the ability to travel. Sometimes by air or other times just locally. But I spend on average 80% of my working days in my cube.
I struggle with the thought of becoming complacent and suddenly I'm trapped in the suburbs and I'm in too deep to make a major move. I find myself realizing that if it weren't for owning a home, I could be free as a bird.

I apologize for the nowhere rambling, I'm just taking an inventory of where I am, and where I would like to be in 5-10 years. And I'm coming to realize maybe a cube isn't in the cards.

I am an engineer. I also work in downtown Minneapolis. I love my work but not nearly as much as I used to. When I was 25 I had no idea how much the world would change. Being in a technical field it has been non stop learning. There are not many jobs these days where you can escape that. You can be certain that your job will change over the course of your career. My job now is to manage some really smart engineers. One thing I tell the younger guys is to not be in a hurry to get there, enjoy the journey. Also don't confuse your hobby and your work passions. For a few that works out really well but for many it can make a hobby you are passionate about turn into work. Balancing money, work, family, time off, hobbies and kids almost always involves some tradeoffs. If you are serious about change put the plusses and minuses on paper and be honest. Once you decide, don't look back.

I am 33 months (yes I am counting) away from retirement. Life is good.

I'm 30- have worked for the town Municipality for the last 10 years...first as a powerlineman, and just recently have switched to wastewater superintendent. It is nice as I can still help with linework, water issues, and gas issues.... at night on on the weekend my brother in law and I powerwash hog confinements....so you could say most of the time my life revolves around shit...haven't had much to complain about, and don't see myself doing anything else anywhere else. Wife and four kids, good money, life is good

Public School Teacher in Wisconsin. It's been a difficult 6 years since our government gutted anything and everything to do with public schools. All forgotten while tripping in the BWCA. The only perk left to teaching in this state is summer. This year will mark my 32nd consecutive trip - and my 18th consecutive trip with my son - who just turned 25. Can't wait for my first 3 generation trip...someday!

51 years old, and I coach gymnastics.
I coach the upper level team girls, and get to go to meets around the country throughout the winter months. I have also been on trips to China and Japan. I have been blessed to have ended up in the right gym, and have totally enjoyed the last 25 years coaching as a full time job. Prior job was a draftsman for an engineering firm. There are downsides...I work 6 days a week, and my longest day is on Saturday. I work when everyone else is off, and have time off while everyone else is at work. Many of my Sundays off are spent in camps, clinics, or competitions. Or stuck in the Atlanta airport....I hate that place! I have done all that I want to do in my field, and often think of what else I might do. But for 25 years I have never dreaded going to work. Often wished I was doing something else (fishing), but never dreaded the job.
I'm not sure about your area, but real estate is hot here. You may have equity in that house already! What I am saying is, it might not be the burden you think it is.
I know when I told people I was quitting my real job to coach full time, they all thought I was crazy. I had insurance, retirement, stability. My Dad totally supported me. Long story short, I have never been out of work, while all the people who thought I was crazy have been through business closing down, lay-offs, career changes, etc. And, for 20 years I was passionate about my job. Now I just really like it!
I say that if you need to go back to school to get a career you will love...now is the time. But please do your research. If it checks out, jump in with both feet, and don't look back.

i've been there. i love to play the piano, i've practiced chopin and beethoven for hours when i was a kid. i still love it. i probably will never be able to play, perfectly, the stuff i'm working on now. thats not the point. it's that knowledge, knowing everyday, no matter how stupid my job was, it wasn't who i am.

as for working in a cubicle everyday. i did it for a year and said nope. quit my job, i became a land surveyor, worked outside everyday in minnesota. i worked for a minnesota county and spent my days looking for section corners set in the 1860s. some of the time was awesome, i liked being paid (very little) , to spend my days trying to find forgotten landmarks from the past.

everyday outside in minnesota is tough. winter especially, summer even worse. i lived in alaska and a comment i often heard was how cold minnesota felt compared to alaska.

not sure where you live but a tough climate like minnesota makes outdoors work brutal.

R.N. House Manager (Supervisor). I'll be 57 in a few days and I've spent my entire adult life (since I was 20 years old) in healthcare. I'm pulling a rare night shift tonight, I usually work 12+ hour shifts on weekends.

My job is rarely "Routine," except when I teach a class. I spend much of my time putting out fires, answering questions and being a resource, and cleaning up problems. I refer to myself as the "Administrative janitor" (LOL)! I spent several years in various areas of the profession before I was encouraged to try this, and I've been doing it for about 15 years now. There are days in which the profession is very rewarding and I feel as if I wouldn't trade my job for the world. Then there are days that I wonder how much more abuse I can take?

In choosing this profession, I've given up many a holiday, church service, family gathering, etc. I'm the one in the family whom didn't make it for Christmas or came in for a "Cameo appearance." I've missed weddings and funerals and birthdays more often than not. But I've been compensated by things like the little old lady whom calls me once a month without fail to thank me for the compassion I showed her family when her father died 10 years ago. The 30 "Something" year old young man who seeks me out on occasion and thanks me for saving his life when his heart stopped when he was 15 years old. And the Lymphoma patient's family whom became an extension of my own after I befriended him and took him trout fishing two days before he left this world. I've received innumerable "Rewards" such as this in return. I have no doubt I am fulfilling my "Calling" and will probably do this until I'm called "Home" myself?

Although I may have to work weekends and holidays, that also affords me another "Reward" in that I can be on the water, in the barber shop, or at the movie theater when most of the world is working. Ahhh, beeper went off, time to get back to work!

Been in health since 1981. Bus boy in high school, Nursing assistant, Lpn for the last 32 years. Nursing home 26 years and the last 10 in a small Central Minnesota hospital. Hoping to make it 3 more years. Leather work started 20 years ago when I quit drinking. Might have saved my life. Get a hobbie and love what you do!

If I had my life to live over, I wouldn't live like those oft-envied millennials, who live leanly and on the road. I'd work hard and live like a Spartan from 15 through 40. Then I'd retire when I had enough youth to live largely. Sure, it's great to be windblown when you're young, but working when you're 65 because you must is no picnic.

Looking from the perspective of a long life now lived, if I had my career to plan over, I would have taken a completely different path in undergraduate education. But I was set upon music, and no one, even my professors, could dissuade me. And really, who knows if the path I was strongly encouraged to follow would have turned out to be successful anyway? We can't go back, can we? At least, at age 72, I am not thinking of starting over now.

But I KNEW with great certainty what I wanted to do with my life by the time I was 12 years old. I told everyone I came in contact with. And I never wavered. The only thing I wanted to do was be a private piano teacher in my home. I was a top academic student, and I had a full academic scholarship to MSU, but I worked diligently on my piano audition so that I could be admitted to the Applied Piano Pedagogy department at the University for that major. Not many universities even had that major. It was more rigorous in its piano training than music education, and I worked very, very hard to complete it. Preparing for my senior recital was excruciating. The hours of practice were grueling, especially since I was also required to have many hours of accompanying time for other students, and that took practice time as well. And it didn't seem to occur to me at the time that I wasn't really enjoying this at all. I was just going through the motions to get it done.

But I graduated with honors and I was a private piano teacher. By then I was married and we moved around quite a bit during the first few years of our marriage so I kept establishing a "studio" in my home, mainly with beginning piano students. It took me 12 years to realize that I didn't enjoy that at all. I won't go into all of the "whys", but it wasn't nearly as fulfilling as I had hoped. After 12 years of private piano teaching, I decided to quit.

Thankfully, by that time I had fallen into the great blessing of a part-time job which did enrich my soul and give me more joy--church choir directing. Whether this was by accident or the Lord's suggestion would depend upon whether or not you believe the quote from the church secretary who told me "God told me to call you" one day out of the blue after I put an ad in the newspaper for piano students. No matter--it was a position that led to a part-time career that earned me extra money and gave me great satisfaction, uncounted blessings, numerous friends as close as family, and a greater purpose to using my musical skills. I was good at it, and it became my ministry. For 35 years.

When I was approaching age 40, I again "fell into" what eventually became my next profession. My thirteen-year-old daughter volunteered me to be the music director for her 8th grade musical at school. Long story short, that led to directing the vocals and playing piano accompaniment for the high school production of "Annie" the following year, and my eventual decision to go back to college and get my certification in public school music education. A year of college, a miserable semester of student teaching, and I had a teaching certificate. I was hired to reinstate a music program K-12 at a small rural school district, and I worked very hard there for 13 years, teaching elementary music and building a choir program in the MS and HS from the ground up. It was challenging and fun, and successful. And I loved it! After the demands of the after-and-before-school time became too much, I switched to an elementary school for my last 6 years and finally retired after 19 years of teaching.

I retired from teaching in 2004, and from the church choir in 2010, when Spartan1 retired from his job. Now we travel.

So. A long story from a long life. Really three different careers, all in music. I was never an excellent musician, just average. But I did OK. Sometimes well. And I had fun, too. Don't sell that part short. If your vocation has to support you (and mine could have, although my husband always had a good job, so in my case my pay was supplemental) it helps immeasurably if it is enjoyable.

But when young people tell me they are bored with their job, or think they are in the wrong field, I often think, "Well, you can make changes. You can make them now, or you can make them later. I did." But loving your work does make life a lot more enjoyable.

quote missmolly: "If I had my life to live over, I wouldn't live like those oft-envied millennials, who live leanly and on the road. I'd work hard and live like a Spartan from 15 through 40. Then I'd retire when I had enough youth to live largely. Sure, it's great to be windblown when you're young, but working when you're 65 because you must is no picnic. "

Great advice.

Attorney.

Much like JCavenagh, it took years to get where I am at professionally. I am successful if measured by the number of Polo shirts and golf balls with your firm logo on them,...a very important measuring stick. The true points of assessment, that I care about, are whether my clients are happy and have we acted honorably in the process. I hope I am successful by those standards. Time will tell.

It is an interesting industry. It is not kind, it is not forgetful and it does little to nurture the soul. If you let it, over time, it will bleed you of all manner of goodness. If you stay true to yourself, believe the little things like in professionalism, the truth (it does exist) oh, and the rule of law, it can, be quite rewarding. But you have to manage IT, not the other way around.

I graduated from law school and passed two bars exams by the time I was 25 or so. My plan was to be a criminal defense attorney in the FL Keys during the winter (I'm licensed in FL too) and do real estate/estate planning/divorces,etc in Ely during the summer. I figured that pleading out the disorderly/dwi/public intoxication cases in Key West would be a good cash business and relatively routine every Monday morning between October-April. I figured that being close to the BWCA would be a good idea and Ely proper could help cover my summer expenses. That truly was my plan coming out of law school. It WAS.

The small firm I clerked for at the time, was made up of attorneys who practiced law in Florida but lived in MN (whole different story). One of the partners was a former owner of the Minneapolis Lakers. His son was hooked up with Roller Hockey when the NHL was out on strike and started the Chicago and MN teams. It was a fun time . I learned a lot about private placements, franchises, clubs, deal structuring, syndication, trademarks, banking, making a plan and carrying it out to fruition, all really cool stuff! I put off my move to Key West for a bit. It wasn't going anywhere, right?

A year or so later, the Sr. Partner walked into my office and tossed a set of keys on my desk. He said, " We are going back to Florida and rent is due on the first of the month". My parting gift was the office furniture, supplies, a few cases and some really cool stories. It actually happened that way! But what to do with the furniture and supplies? I was going to Key West, I can't store all this crap.

So, I put off Key West/Ely and hung my shingle out at age 26 in the middle of a deep recession for the legal practice. I made the commitment that if I was going to work hard (it's an hours worked, hours billed, hours collected game), I was going to do it for myself and not a large firm. Easy excuse at the time since nobody was hiring. Self-imposed hatred for the big firms because of that. In hindsight, I would not have hired me either...but don't tell them that. The most fun I had practicing law were the first three years. In part because of the deal making nature of the guys I clerked for but also, and more importantly, because I had no idea what I did not know. My ignorance was true bliss. I was not afraid of anyone or any issue. Probably didn't know most "issues" then so again, my ignorance was helpful. The girls seemed impressed that I had a job. I didn't tell them I didn't pay myself well.

My office at the time was in a suite on the top floor of a landmark bldg in downtown Mpls. (whole different story). Timing is everything! The rent that was due the upcoming month after I was abandoned was manageable. From there, I Iet all opposing counsel teach me how to practice law. I picked up on the things that worked for the good attorneys and ignored the assholes. I had no mentor, remember he left for Florida. After about 10 years, I figured it out and have been polishing the edges ever since.

I have been fortunate to have bright, thoughtful attorneys who have been with the firm over the years. My former partners are now Judges, general counsel at major companies you would recognize or retired living the good life. We have been blessed with the best clients a guy could ask for. Honest, hardworking men and women who run good clean businesses, are true to their employees and provide valuable goods and services. An absolute pleasure to work with them and a motivating factor to work hard for them. The best advice I got as a young lawyer was to fire one client a year. Get rid of the one that causes you the most stress/headaches. They don't pay anymore than the polite clients. It is one of the few benefit of being the gate keeper. You may not have that ability throught your career, but if you do...it was good advice then, good advise now. I have not fired any client in a few years. The heard is looking pretty good right now.

Yes, I wonder what would have happened if I had carried out my original plan as intended. I suspect I would have enjoyed it very much...maybe more. There have been times, long periods of time, where I was convinced that I made the wrong life decisions. I went to law school on a dare. Seriously, I went on a dare, not because I wanted to be an attorney (whole other story). Heck, I didn't even want to go to college. I wanted to own and run a landscape company. I'm a farm kid. Sitting inside is not my style. I should be outside....right?

There were times, long periods of time, I was upset that I did not go to Key West/Ely as planned. What would life had been like if I would have made my own decisions rather than life putting opportunities at my feet. I am sure it would have been fun. No doubt about that. However, I would not have met my wife or have the three kids I have. I met my bride on a blind date via a client's suggestion. I know for sure that the other wife and the other kids would not have been as good as these. I way out punted my coverage with my bride. The kids are fantastic and in short order will outpace whatever successes my wife and I have. I picked right, not well, with my bride. There is a difference, you need to know that before you get hitched. (side note: as I write this, she just called and asked if I wanted a coffee. She stopped by the office with a fresh cup and had my baby girl (12) bring it up to say hi daddy). Day maker.

The 10,000 hour thing is accurate. It does take a long time to garner enough proficiency and competency before you are an expert at something. I certainly would not consider myself an expert. But I know now what I don't know and I am no for darn sure what I do know. I don't take on all comers any more. Let the young attorneys do that. I stay current on what I need to know to represent my clients well. Now, 25 years after I started, I am still not afraid of anyone. Though to be fare, it's because I now know what I know. Not because I don't know what I don't know. It's a much better state of being if you ant my opinion.

Those periods of self doubt coincided with not being satisfied with my work. Not upset with who I was working with; our employees and my partners have all been great. Not the work product either. We focus on good work product. There is some real crappy lawyering out there and I never want that label trust upon me.

Rather, it was during periods of apathy, I guess. No oomph, no motivation. Jcavenagh can attest to this. Every attorney has a big case. There is always one that your name will forever be associated with. You just don't know if it will be your first case or your last case. I suspect a lot of professions are like that as well. Best of all, you may be the only one who knows how important that case was. A nice quite well placed secret that warms the soul while sitting on a dock somewhere.

I had success early. I had cases and clients, I had no business having. Then I went through what felt like a dry spell. Not that we didn't win or were not successful, we did and were, by whatever measure you apply. No, it just felt ordinary, pedestrian, boring for long stretches of time. Get up, go to work, argue with someone, go home, go to bed...repeat. Annual trips to BWCA were one of the few enjoyments throughout each year.

I'm back in the having fun stage. My mood changed for the better when I moved my practice 4 years ago from Mpls to the suburb I live in. No more traffic!!! At 60,000 people, the suburb I live in is no small town, but I live a couple of blocks from the snowmobile trail, 5 minutes to the office and within 15 minutes of 4 gun ranges, and lots of golf courses to choose from. Not bad. My clients didn't care where I am as long as they can get a hold of me. I am active in the community (Chamber, Lions), I sit on a number of boards, can make it to my kids activities etc. Life is good. Clients are still fantastic and that one big case may still be out there.

So, all the advise in all the other posts...is good advise. Learned people from differing backgrounds and experiences. A plethora of life paths from which you should take notice. Everyone different but then again, all the same in some respect. Dreams, aspirations, goals met and still something left on the plate. A wealth of sound information. It, however, will always boil down to you.

When I would go to my dad with what I thought were really tough questions. Should I marry this girl, should I buy this house, should I...? He would generally come back after a long pause, with "Well you gotta know". It would piss me off. Still does, cause I still have questions. But, I think, his point was/is that the decision was/is mine to make. It was not a question so complicated that no one had ever been perplexed by that conundrum before. It was/is, I assume, his way of telling me not to go through life relying on others to make decisions that affect me. In short, do not willingly give up your sovereignty. Collect the intel, and make the best decision you can with the information you have available. But it's your decision.

So, IMHO, do what you want. Obviously it gets more complicate when you have a spouse, kids, business partner, debt etc. But those are but part of the intel you have at hand. Meeting my wife kept me from going to Florida as planned and delayed. She was aware of my plan and when we dated. When the time was right, it no longer was. By no means was it her fault, rather her life became more complicated. Her her dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her mom had died years earlier. There was no way she was going to leave her dad. She became his caregiver. A role both he and she (and I) were thankful she took on...for 10 years.

My life is what it is and so is everyone else's. Live your life. Sometimes decisions are made for you (father-in-law has Alzheimer's), sometime you call the shots (go to law school on a dare). PLEASE, Just don't be paralyzed to make a decision (bs. excuse of not going to FL/Ely because of furniture). Remember no decision is a decision in and of itself.

There is nothing wrong with gathering information as you did via your OP. Actually, IMHO, it's good to have all available facts. But when push comes to shove, make the call. Don't sit and ponder. Just make the call and live with the decision. It is part of the tapestry of your life. Because if you don't make the call, life will and then it is out of your control.

I am pleased with my cubicle, such as it is, with walls a door and windows, but your OP got me to assess. I am happy with what my wife and I have accomplished. A team effort that I hope you and your fiance are able to enjoy together in the coming years. Don't be afraid to rely on your significant other. They are stronger than you may think. The 6 mo in FL/Ely was a young man's dream. No way to raise kids and in hindsight, a single man's dream as well.

After this ramble, (way too much coffee) I will leave you with three thoughts:

1. Keith Nord, former Viking, spoke at my high-school senior athletic banquette 31 years ago. He told some story I have long forgot (not really, I remember it all) but he said "Adversity builds character". He is 100% correct. It does.

2. If you are looking for fulfillment..."Find your challenge".

3. Finally, if you bill by the hour, raise your rates every year so your income does not go down when you spend all morning on your favorite web forum.

I spent 33 years as a Law enforcement officer it gave me a great pension. I now do what I want when I want most of the time.
The job was ok I was working what I wanted to do for a job.

I decided work was for making money. If I could have found a job making as much money as I did in the place I lived. I could have done that also.

I have drove truck, logged, farmed worked in a factory helped build a couple of houses I decided I wasn't going to do any one of them for a life time.

School teacher, nurse, firefighter might have all been other professions I could have pursued.

But remember no matter how much you like doing something if you do for money it becomes a job.

Right now the medical field is hot, nurses make very good money one can get a job almost any where in the country.

With some time in the business and some specialize training you can go about any where.

Hey, JimmyJ -- Amen, Brother.
Who says lawyers are verbose? ;-o

I just retired in April from 40 years as a Diesel mechanic. I was fortunate that I was never laid off a day in my life. It was a very satisfying job to me, a piece of equipment was broken and then I would fix it. Instant job gratification. I also worked outside for about 20 years in field service. It was a change of scenery every day. I can understand your thoughts and concerns of your job. I was never cut out for a job in a cubicle or desk.

If a person can find a job they like and make a good living, it's a great thing. Not too sure everyone can say that. Too many things in life happen and you may be forced to stay at a job because of circumstances. Some just work at a job for the money and hate their jobs. If you can find a good paying job that you like, good benefits, vacation time then great.

One bit of advice I will give you is to plan for retirement Now. I was able to retire 6 years early because of my investments. I realize it's 35 years away for you as of today, but the years will tick away as your money works for you. When it would be contract time the young guy's at my work always wanted the money in their pocket, and the older guys wanted it in the pension. Do yourself a huge favor and start some kind of a retirement plan. Then put all the money you can afford into it. Trust me on this one, someday you will be thankful you did.

I'm a Creative Project Manager, basically I manage anything creative within a marketing team.

The job has me locked in an office or conference room the vast majority of the time but for the most part I still enjoy it. Its not that I have a passion for the work I do, most days I don't care all that much about some of the work. However, I've been with the company for 7 years now and worked my way up and feel invested in the companies success. A lot of that has to do with the culture of the company. Even though I'm not a senior member of management yet nor at the director level yet I still have a lot of input on the direction of the company in areas relating to what I do. We are also a fairly close knit team and all really wants to succeed as a team. All of that builds investment into the what we are doing even when it might not be our lifes passion.

So what I will say is that its not always critical to chase your passion and make a job out of it. You can be locked up in a cube or an office and still find yourself invested in the work.

I will say at 25 I probably felt the same as you, I think its pretty common. At that age you're still probably working an entry level or slightly above type job which are generally boring and hard to get a sense of worth or purpose out of them. Sometimes you need to play the long game and pay your dues in those unsatisfying jobs in order to get to the more senior positions where your ideas and your work have a larger impact on the direction of the company. The other bonus is those senior level jobs come with higher pay, bigger bonuses, and more vacation time, all of which allow you more time and money to chase down some of your other passions. Who knows it may also allow for an earlier retirement if you make that a priority early on in your career and plan for it.

At the end of the day you need to make a decision about what kind of life you want to live. Do you want the comfort of a 9-5 job with decent money and benefits that allow you to plan for retirement? It comes with perks and makes having a family a lot easier. Or do you want a less structured life where perhaps you pursue a passion of the outdoors or something else finding work in that field despite it likely paying less with less of the security of a 9-5 job.

One thing to keep in mind is that you may chase a passion and find that its not all that you hoped it would be once you get there.

I would be careful with the doing your hobby for work idea. I love canoeing, hunting, backpacking, and camping so much I got a MS degree in Fisheries Science (my passion) back in the early 2000’s and most of the fisheries jobs I wanted to do really didn’t pay that well. Most were less than entry level IT at the time.
I ended up jumping ship and going into IT engineering stuff and while I can’t say I am passionate about it at all, it is nice to have sizable paycheck and not struggle with things like having a decent vehicle, house, travel money (for fun), nice toys to play in the outdoors with, and a decent chance of a comfortable retirement by 60 outlook.

My advice, be realistic and talk to lots of people who are doing the careers you are thinking of. My experience is that people really have no idea how poorly some careers pay and how lucrative/in demand other careers are.

PS Yes I work in a cube LOL

This: "I realize it's 35 years away for you as of today, but the years will tick away as your money works for you. When it would be contract time the young guy's at my work always wanted the money in their pocket, and the older guys wanted it in the pension. Do yourself a huge favor and start some kind of a retirement plan. Then put all the money you can afford into it. Trust me on this one, someday you will be thankful you did."

I'll be 50 this year. Grew up on a farm and was always outside. I've worked in outside sales in the tech industry since I graduated from college. I hate being cooped up in an office. Sales gave me the opportunity to travel and see the country and a little bit of Europe on somebody else's dime while providing a good living for my family. I was introvert as a kid and still have those tendencies at times, but I've enjoyed my career and plan on doing until I decide to do something else.

Finding something you enjoy doing is better than half the battle. If you're unhappy in the cube farm, now is the time to start something different.

I'm 31 and am what I like to call a "pond jockey." I'm in lake/pond management--algae and invasive species control, aeration, fountains...basically (very basically) I keep aquatic systems as healthy as possible and lookin good. I also used to do lots of prairie/savanna/forest work as well as prescribed firing (aka controlled burns). The work is nice and fulfilling most of the time, and I love restoring/maintaining quality natural areas and educating others about the ecology, but it can be incredibly physically difficult (quite the toll on me even at 31 already), and the pay is utterly terrible with just about zero room for advancement/growth. Unfortunately I'm just about stuck in this rut with a BS in biology and having graduated right in the middle of the "Great Recession," the rest of my professional life will likely be an uphill struggle.

To be as on-topic as I can, don't wish for a job like mine. Yes, I get to do some cool stuff and be outside all of the time, but among the downsides mentioned, I'm basically not allowed to take vacation during late spring to early fall. It is August 8th as I've typed this and I've only gotten to go on one 4-day weekend camping trip all year, and I had to fight with my boss just to go on that one (he told me at my job interview that I could go because it was already on my calendar and later tried to forbid it). That was also the only time all year I've been able to even go paddling. I'd rather be in an office for work if it meant that I could actually get out and DO my hobbies once in awhile. I know a lot of the issues are due to who I'm working for specifically, but I also know that most of these downsides are inherent to this industry.

I am currently making a very strong push to escape the rut by starting my own mobile auto detailing business since I love doing it, am very good at it, and have been doing it as a side hustle off and on since I was 15. I'm investing quite a bit in making sure it gets off to the right start, and waver back and forth between excited and terrified, but until a better opportunity presents itself, I gotta try because I can't spend the rest of my life on low wages and no benefits.

quote riverrunner: "
Right now the medical field is hot, nurses make very good money one can get a job almost any where in the country. "

Warning, in the last decade or so, I've seen a plethora whom went to school because the internet urged them in this direction or they received an education as compensation when their company headed for greener pastures. They didn't think about the bodily fluids, the long hours, the time away from family, missed holidays, assault by patients, families, and sometimes physicians, etc. They think they can start out on day shift, no holidays, not getting their hands dirty and be "Grooming" for a management position in a year or two? They change their attitude quickly or drop out of the profession. You may not HAVE to have the proverbial "Calling" or a "Passion" for it, but, if you don't, you will be miserable!

I've been working in the 911 services for the last 18 years. I'm two years away from retirement eligibility (at the age of 50.) It's a decent career in terms of stability and benefits, and variety. Depending on where you are, it could pay ok. But it's very high stress, can take a heavy emotional toll, and involves working all shifts (24 hour operation,) weekends, holidays, and such. It's definitely not boring or monotonous. It's something different just about every day.

Before that, I spent 11 years working in various roles (my favorites were steam train engineer and fire prevention/safety specialist) at Six Flags Over Texas. If I could have made a decent living working there, I would still be there today.

When I hit retirement eligibility next June, I will definitely be retiring, but I won't be done working since I won't be able to draw my retirement benefits until the age of 65. I'm planning on finding something that is close (ish... I live a good 45 minutes away from just about everything but the nearest lake) and is something I enjoy that doesn't add any stress to my life. After 20 years in the emergency services field, most anything else will be easy by comparison. I'm thinking REI or another outdoor type shop. If I wasn't married, I'd move from TX to CO or MN and try to get a job at an outfitter or be a freelance trip guide. Maybe I'll go to culinary school and be a cook at a low key restaurant.

I started working when I was 14, and the only reason I waited that long was because my mother wasn't legally allowed to force me to get a job at the age of 13. The only time I haven't had a job during the last 33 years was the 9 months of my freshman year of college. Since May of 1989, the longest I have gone without reporting to work has been 14 days. I will definitely be taking a few months off after my retirement before moving on to the next gig. One of the things I plan to do is take a LONG trip in the BWCA, by myself. I can't wait.

More than what to do or where to do it, the best advice I can give you is this:

My job is not my life. My job finances my life. Don't let your occupation define who or what you are. Very few people truly do what they absolutely love and can't think of anything else they'd rather do. Those are the people who truly are what they do. The vast majority of us can think of about 100 things in 4 seconds that they'd rather be doing than working. But don't let that bog you down. My job has allowed me to live a comfortable life (though I'm not wealthy) and go on spectacular outdoor adventures in Canada, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, Arkansas and others. It's allowed me to have a couple goofy hobbies that can be kind of expensive. That's who I am.

I am not a 911 Dispatch Services Emergency Medical Dispatch Quality Analyst. That's what I do for a living, but it's not what I am.

Technical Architect for large insurance firm. Database Administration is my primary focus. I've been around for a few years, and have seen a whole lot of change, and have worked on most aspects of the Hospital and then Insurance side of the fence, with regards to data collection, management and administration.

I went from an office, to big cubicles with large walls and spaces, to smaller cubicles with shorter walls and no privacy, to 4 plex cubicles with a central collaboration space and office in the "corners" of the cube.

Like Others, smoking was commonplace up through the 1990s and the 2000's. Hey it took us a while to catch on ( Louisville KY ). In the last 10 years, smoking was banned in the building, and then a couple years ago, it was banned on the premises.

My final destination.....WFH, which I LOVE. I've been doing that for 3 years now.

I work on and build large, extremely large data management systems, using some creative tools. It has always been interesting, and I've been involved in quite a bit of interesting components of data in the Health Care industry.

Along the way I've built a skill set that is extremely marketable. I know it , my company knows it, and most the industry knows it. I'm quite comfortable in my position, having been there for 28 years. Just turned 51, and hope to be done early, but awaiting changes to Health Care that will certainly change my near term goals with being "done".

Also along the way, I've saved as much as possible, investing in my 401k and what ever tools I could. I will eventually retire, and only plan on SSI as "gravy" to what I've saved for my retirement.

I still have anywhere from 5 to 10 - 15 years left, and will continue to work for my current employer, as I am reasonably respected in my field, and my field is in high demand, AND it is still fun and challenging.

Finally.......Find something you love, and something that is challenging. Once you find those aspects, find a company that will REWARD you for your skills, and ability, and your contributions.

Walt Whitman wrote the poem "The Untold Want" in the 1800's and it seems to describe your feeling and what to do about it. He must have been a cubicle guy too.

The untold want, by life and land ne’er granted,
Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.

quote Zulu: "
In the 1990's the cubicle walls remained at 6 feet but were steel blue in color with gull gray trim. The walls were still covered in a burlap like material with rigid styrofoam innards to allow the new long "t" shaped pins to be stuck into them. ."

Oh... like my current cube? (6 feet tall, then stepped down to a 3 foot section 5 feet tall, then another 3 foot section 4 feet tall.)

I do work for a municipal government, so our office equipment is typically 10-20 years behind the standard.

I am reminded of the the most recent news article where the professor wants to not stress the kids out......they can email him to change their grade.

Stop whining and get back to work! Sounds to me like you haven't got it so bad. Imagine the "greatest generation" who had to run off to war at 20 years old.

That alligator like clip holding up the chart is current though.

Carpenter 35. I enjoy my job most days. I build homes and little commercial. I did't pay any student loans and I'm outside everyday and some where new every week. I'd rather be doing this even on 100+ degree days and -10 degree days than be in a cubicle. I make a great wage for only a high school grad... I couldn't imagine paying 60,000 to 100,000 on a degree I might not use. It seems so silly.

quote missmolly: "If I had my life to live over, I wouldn't live like those oft-envied millennials, who live leanly and on the road. I'd work hard and live like a Spartan from 15 through 40. Then I'd retire when I had enough youth to live largely. Sure, it's great to be windblown when you're young, but working when you're 65 because you must is no picnic. "

Plus 1 through 100...
At 61, I learned today my cancer is now past the "we'll just watch it stage". My first thought was... boy, I still need to work, how's this going to affect that?...
I also liked what hobbydog said. Stick to it... I don't know your resume, but keep your options open too. Probably just good to hear your not alone. Keep your canoeing a hobby, many of us have found it is the best get away from the crazy world we live in if only for a few days. I wish you and your fiance many happy years together. Sounds like you have it together pretty well.

I'm 35 and have been a firefighter/paramedic for the past 15 years. It's a rewarding job that I look forward to every morning when I go in. I work with people that have a great sense of humor and make the day go by. 24 hour shifts can seem long, but they are normally a breeze. Two years worth of education (less if you already have a degree in anything) will get you eligible. If you spend some time volunteering on a department they will usually pay for your education 100%. I work rotating shifts and can trade days with anyone on another shift. This means I can be off any days I want, I just have to payback the hours to the other firefighter. I also get vacation time. This makes trip planning easy. I did a 6 day BWCA trip this June and two northern Wisconsin week long trips this summer with no problems. I also am off to watch my kids during the week a lot. I started doing the firefighting thing because a friend of mine did, best choice I ever made. I have never worked in a cubicle by the way :)

Tom

Blew up my tv
Moved to the country
Planted me a garden
Built me a home


Gave up the city life (Uptown MPLS) to move back up north 10 years ago. Make diddly squat as far as money goes. Happiest I've ever been in my life. Work at a small town hardware store. Cut about 50 cord of firewood in the winter time. I'll probably never see Paris or get rich. I drive a $700 truck. I'm OK with that.

It's all about what makes you happy.

Money isn't everything. I decided about 2 days before moving back that time is the only true currency in life. Spend it well.

Worked as an aero engineer for 19 years, company bought out and let go. Put in another 18 in IT. Retired 5 years ago. Getting laid off opened my eyes and a number of opportunities. Traumatic the first year, but the best thing that happened in my career.

If I think of the 10 happiest people I know with the most free time to spend outdoors, the common demonimator isn't career, hours worked, weeks of vacation, or income. It's spouse.

Being frugal - living below your means - is important at any age or income level if you want personal freedom. But, my experience is that frugality is as much an outcome/result of who you surround yourself with in life, as it is a conscious lifestyle choice. Which of course brings you back to spouse.

I wonder how much happier we'd be if we thought as much about how to be a good spouse, vs our careers? Easier said than done.

quote NotLight: "If I think of the 10 happiest people I know with the most free time to spend outdoors, the common demonimator isn't career, hours worked, weeks of vacation, or income. It's spouse.


Being frugal - living below your means - is important at any age or income level if you want personal freedom. But, my experience is that frugality is as much an outcome/result of who you surround yourself with in life, as it is a conscious lifestyle choice. Which of course brings you back to spouse.


I wonder how much happier we'd be if we thought as much about how to be a good spouse, vs our careers? Easier said than done.


"

These words truly resonate with me. Perhaps because I was blessed, 50 years ago, to find the best one of all. You are very wise, NotLight. :-)

quote mastertangler: "I am reminded of the the most recent news article where the professor wants to not stress the kids out......they can email him to change their grade.


Stop whining and get back to work! Sounds to me like you haven't got it so bad. Imagine the "greatest generation" who had to run off to war at 20 years old.


"

... I'm assuming you walked to school in the rain/snow up-hill both ways as well? Your insecurity is showing.

It was a pretty harmless question; as I have a passion for the outdoors, I wanted to see what other like-minded people are doing for work. I've received a ton of great feedback here, and I appreciate it!

quote nctry: "

quote missmolly: "If I had my life to live over, I wouldn't live like those oft-envied millennials, who live leanly and on the road. I'd work hard and live like a Spartan from 15 through 40. Then I'd retire when I had enough youth to live largely. Sure, it's great to be windblown when you're young, but working when you're 65 because you must is no picnic. "

Plus 1 through 100...
At 61, I learned today my cancer is now past the "we'll just watch it stage". My first thought was... boy, I still need to work, how's this going to affect that?...
I also liked what hobbydog said. Stick to it... I don't know your resume, but keep your options open too. Probably just good to hear your not alone. Keep your canoeing a hobby, many of us have found it is the best get away from the crazy world we live in if only for a few days. I wish you and your fiance many happy years together. Sounds like you have it together pretty well.
"

You take care.

I am 35 and I have struggled with similar thoughts about happiness/career/balance/finances. I really think it's great that you are thinking about this now before you become a grumpy old man stuck in a cube hating on life and everyone around you. In all reality, I really think it is important to self reflect on exactly what you value and how important certain things are to you. Is it financial stability? Becoming rich? Freedom of work schedule? Personal fulfillment of work? Combination of many things? Once you define lines around things that you are willing to accept, what is most important, and things you need to change in order to go where you want to, it becomes easier to make a long term plan of where you want to go career wise and personally. Be patient. Sometimes it helps to write down what your goals are to help see the direction you want to go. You can also go in reverse and work backwards from retirement age and build a plan that way. It makes no sense to spend 40-60hrs/week doing something you don't like. I think there are really two ways to address it, either change your job or your outlook.

In our world of social media capturing snapshots of only the perfect moments and posting them online to brag about how awesome someone's life I think it is more important than ever to ignore that crap and don't let those small fake realities influence your daily life and decisions. I think it is always important to remember that income does not necessarily equal financial wealth. Be disciplined about saving for retirement NOW regardless of your income level. Many of my friends let their ego get in the way of building wealth because they want the fancy car or huge house and it is hard to out earn a spending problem. While I'm just some young millennial also, I really do think you are smart for thinking about this stuff. We live in a lot different world than our parents did at our age.

Real Estate Broker... 31 years now and a bit bored with it! If picking a new career, make sure you can get away from it for a few weeks a year. I mean it. Decompression doesn't happen when tied to your phone, no matter where you are.

I'm working on my book this year in Quetico. Writing and photography are my passions.

Good luck!

Skarc- I'm certainly not qualified to give career advice but here's the best advice I can give to someone who is passionate about being outdoors and has outdoor hobbies. Decide where you want to live, and make it happen from there.

Great responses.
I am not sure your question is necessarily tied to either money or connecting your job to a passion for the outdoors. Those issues might be married to each other, but they do not have to be.
What I have always felt is most important is simply making choices to make you happy. Some of it is simply choosing to be happy, regardless of the circumstance. Part of it is certainly making decisions, choices and acting on them to make yourself happy. They are two separate paths.
If your job is not making you at all happy, regardless of money or fueling your passion for the outdoors, it is likely time for a change. Just be sure that when you do change you manage to leave your negative view of work with your old job when you walk out the door. Work is a great thing in most respects.
Don't give up hope. I took years (8.5) to get a college degree, fell into a couple of jobs and was lucky I always liked what I did. I wound up with multiple promotions and ended up having time for 3-4 canoe trips a year, made a good salary, liked my job and had a ton of responsibility that I liked. Work was good to me.
You, too, will find your way. You are taking the right steps simply by thinking about options, seeking outside perspective and getting your priorities in place.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Sorry to read that, Ben.

MT, I was interviewing a Fortune 200 CEO and he volunteered that his generation had it easier than today's generation. I agreed and agree.

What's your book about, mapsguy? My sister is a realtor and I vacation with her often and she's forever on the phone.

quote NotLight: "If I think of the 10 happiest people I know with the most free time to spend outdoors, the common demonimator isn't career, hours worked, weeks of vacation, or income. It's spouse.


Being frugal - living below your means - is important at any age or income level if you want personal freedom. But, my experience is that frugality is as much an outcome/result of who you surround yourself with in life, as it is a conscious lifestyle choice. Which of course brings you back to spouse.


I wonder how much happier we'd be if we thought as much about how to be a good spouse, vs our careers? Easier said than done.


"

Man, that is SO, SO true..........

quote mastertangler: "I am reminded of the the most recent news article where the professor wants to not stress the kids out......they can email him to change their grade.


Stop whining and get back to work! Sounds to me like you haven't got it so bad. Imagine the "greatest generation" who had to run off to war at 20 years old.


"

Seriously? Get over yourself.

It was a sincere question about resolving the dichotomy of loving the outdoors and spending most of your waking hours in a cube farm, not whining. Yes, we all have it better than folks who were drafted to fight a war, for the most part. That doesn't mean everything is always rosy and perfect. Pretending it is doesn't help anything.

I'm a sales rep.

That in a nut shell is a salesman for hire within a certain industry.

It pays decent with the amount of effort you put in, involves a lot of weekends and evenings and nights on the road, but I've done the cubical thing early in life and couldn't handle being in one place all the time, so I made the choice to get out.

I've been fortunate to go on some hunting, canoe, and fishing trips, as well as kids team sporting trips, over the years, get my kids through private school and college, and drive used but nice vehicles, an old boat, old canoes, and a house that isn't as big or new as my piers. My 401K is full and my wife has never had to work if she chose not to, she had a good management job when we started having kids but quit. (We decided early on, one of us would always be home for the kids, in school, sports etc.). Although I get to all the events, my wife did the class trips, sick days, uniform runs, doctor visits, volunteering at school, etc...

My brother and I have kept track on our trips who is there: Here is how it boils down, (mind you these are hunting, fishing camp type trips, not canoe trips). It ends up being people who for the most part work for themselves, own their own businesses, the trades, firemen, and teachers. (I know the teachers don't like to hear that, half of my family are teachers). The above tend to be the ones with the time and/or financial resources to go on these type of trips. My brother who goes on these trips is in upper fortune 500 management, my brother who works in a factory isn't able to go on these trips, due to financial or time constraints.

side note: Last year on a Canadian fishing camp trip, we were seated at a different table each morning and evening for our meals and my coworker and I kept track of who was there, it was interesting:
Father and son: son owned a wedding banquet facility,
two buddies, painting contractor and builder who flipped houses
6 Russian guys, not sure what they did, but looked awfully tough!
a fairly accomplished writer, mainly famous auto-biography's, I fished with him one extra evening, very interesting guy! (spent 7 weeks up there)
Guy and his brother in-law, owned 27 small town dairy supply/hardware stores
Two brothers and their two, drone flying, grade school aged boys. Owned accounting businesses.
Group of 4 guys, two high school teachers, one insurance agency owner and a dental sales rep
Group of 4 guys from Toronto area, all firefighters.
Group of 3 guys who did some kind of contracting with Nuclear facilities for months at a time.

There has been a lot of good advice here, mine is find something you like that doesn't hold you back, don't be afraid to be your own boss, prioritize your family, fill your retirement fund, don't invest in depreciable assets, (like cars, etc.), long term car loans are the enemy! You don't need the biggest house amongst your friends, a big down payment and a short mortgage is a good thing, making meals at home is great, sandwiches pack nicely, you don't need the $200 cable package, guard your monthly expenditures, they are more dangerous than a mortgage, you don't need the newest canoe, boat or gun, and camo is a fashion statement that the deer don't care about.

Plan to make your outings happen, don't miss opportunities they don't need to be long ones, those weekends spent watching Netflix could have been spent paddling the local lakes, marsh, or river. Just pack a sandwich, put the old canoe on top of the used car, and smile!

Nomad

Well, my name is Milton, and I am still ticked off about my red stapler being burned at Initech in the fire, and being stuck with the desk in the basement. I hate my boss, Lumbergh. When I get things figured out, I'll "fix" this company and move to the Bahamas. Also, really don't like having to put the cover sheet on my TPS report.

In all seriousness, I have been 50% owner in a company that sells industrial products. Made good money, and not so good money. Learned one very big thing. Never be a 50.00000% partner in a business when your partner is a total slouch. You do all the work and get to work at 6:30 am, and he shows up for work at 11 am (maybe).

Tomster

I've been an Intensive Care RN for 25 years. The profession has given me lots of pleasure and not a little pain along the way, but is a job that means something every day. I've been fortunate to love my work and enjoy the flexible hours and lots of off time to pursue my hobbies. Nursing surely isn't for everyone, but has been good to me. Good luck figuring out where you want to go.

Whatever you choose your still very young and have a lot of time to try something else. You have shown you are very employable. But maybe you want a career change in teaching or nursing. They will be and our wide open fields now.
One thing while your young if you want to try some outdoor adventure or something,go for it while maybe you can and have just yourself for responsibility. To many of us put it off all are life than it may be too late for whatever reason.
Maybe plan a little bit and don't burn all your bridges if you decide a career change. It is nice to have people and a job type you can fall back on. Figure out different scenario's and if you switch careers leave your present job on good terms.

I had and have a good life but there is many things now at my age it would be harder to do now. Also most everyone will give you a opinion on what to do. But it is your choice in what to do and only you.

quote quark2222: "Well, my name is Milton, and I am still ticked off about my red stapler being burned at Initech in the fire, and being stuck with the desk in the basement. I hate my boss, Lumbergh. When I get things figured out, I'll "fix" this company and move to the Bahamas. Also, really don't like having to put the cover sheet on my TPS report.

In all seriousness, I have been 50% owner in a company that sells industrial products. Made good money, and not so good money. Learned one very big thing. Never be a 50.00000% partner in a business when your partner is a total slouch. You do all the work and get to work at 6:30 am, and he shows up for work at 11 am (maybe).


Tomster"

Milton, don' cha wanna be a gangster? If you do, the Bobs will have your back.

Skarc75,
My two kids, age 31 and 28 have each changed jobs recently to much better situations. One is an architect waiting for licensure and the other an engineer. Both saw warning signs along the way and jumped ship before the tsunami took them under.
I was a Medical Lab Scientist before I retired. I loved my job and the noble calling of the work I did. But I knew that the standing on hard surfaces more or less in one place for 6 to 7 hours every day was going to get me, and it did. My knees have more or less given out and I retired early at age 59 two years ago. Even though I miss the work I did, I despised the callous, malignant attitudes that some individuals in upper health care administration have toward their employees. I am grateful I saw it all coming and my wife and I lived below our means. Like others on this thread, doing this enabled me retire early.

My advice to you is to be nimble in your profession or be willing to radically change career paths. There is nothing wrong with acting out of your own self interest. I admire the millennials for their unwillingness to stay stuck in bad work situations. By doing so they are sending a loud and clear message that they won't be taken advantage of. Their message is, hey, either play fair or we're outta here.

Skarc75,
My two kids, age 31 and 28 have each changed jobs recently to much better situations. One is an architect waiting for licensure and the other an engineer. Both saw warning signs along the way and jumped ship before the tsunami took them under.
I was a Medical Lab Scientist before I retired. I loved my job and the noble calling of the work I did. But I knew that the standing on hard surfaces more or less in one place for 6 to 7 hours every day was going to get me, and it did. My knees have more or less given out and I retired early at age 59 two years ago. Even though I miss the work I did, I despised the callous, malignant attitudes that some individuals in upper health care administration have toward their employees. I am grateful I saw it all coming and my wife and I lived below our means. Like others on this thread, doing this enabled me retire early.

My advice to you is to be nimble in your profession or be willing to radically change career paths. There is nothing wrong with acting out of your own self interest. I admire the millennials for their unwillingness to stay stuck in bad work situations. By doing so they are sending a loud and clear message that they won't be taken advantage of. Their message is, hey, either play fair or we're outta here.

I was a welder up to age 25 and hated it.
I bought a 1958 Ford school bus that was converted into a motorhome, I was sacred to leave the security of freinds and a steady job, but I was not happy with my life at that age and knew I had to make a change.
I drove that bus to Northern MN and squatted on my dad's land on the White Earth Reservation.
I drove to the Detroit Lakes MN library, checked out books on how to build a log home.
Cut the trees down and finished my log home that summer.
I did odd jobs the first few years, (taped Syrup, drove truck, trapped leeches, sold firewood). Then I accidentely started wildland fighting for the MN DNR out of Bemidji.
Went to college, got a degree in Natural Resources from U of M Crookstoon.

Now 28 years later my firefighting career is almost over, I retire in 5 weeks.

I followed my heart, and my heart showed me the path to a good life.

This is turning into a pretty thoughtful thread. Some great stuff indeed and where were you all when I was 25? The OP has taped into a wellspring here and stirred some thinking about some of my life decisions. In the end we learn from the school of hard knocks, or in some cases don't seem to learn.

quote mastertangler: "...Imagine the "greatest generation" who had to run off to war at 20 years old. "

Ehhh, so did I and a few of my friends a few years later, but then we probably ain't all that great...

I got in the wrong business and married the wrong woman. One would be enough to break your heart, both together could break your spirit. Just when I came to the point of overcoming some near disasters and making a commitment to get a different gig this year no matter what it takes, I got cancer. Now dealing with that and doing my same stupid job, selling lumber to a bunch of disorganized idiots. I was telling a nurse the other day that my two major job activities are getting yelled at and apologizing. Was trying to figure out how I can put that on a business card. I'm 55 and have been doing this for almost 30 years, built big houses, had a carpentry contracting business for a bit and have figured every kind of job there is. And I still get yelled at on a daily basis. Who needs this crap? What need is Dr. Kevorkian's phone number. I can't seem to find it in the yellow pages... Cheers.

quote bhouse46: "This is turning into a pretty thoughtful thread. Some great stuff indeed and where were you all when I was 25? The OP has taped into a wellspring here and stirred some thinking about some of my life decisions. In the end we learn from the school of hard knocks, or in some cases don't seem to learn. "

One thing nobody mentioned, at least not directly is luck in finding the dream job. On the road to my dream job I had a lot of luck. Just one example. In the interview when it came time for me to ask questions, I asked why I was selected for an interview over others. At the time Control Data had gone under and unemployment was at about 9%. Competition for tech jobs was high and interviews were hard to come by. He opened a file cabinet drawer that had over a hundred unopened pieces of mail. He said he opened resumes until he had 5 good candidates to interview. I basically won the lottery. Of course I still had to interview with the other 4 and convince him I was the right person but it was just one example many that got me to where I am today.

I honestly enjoy my current job as a program manager for an aerospace company but I wouldn't ever say that I've connected with my passion.

My passions are my family and my away from work activities. Work brings in the money that enables my family and I to enjoy our passions.

But still, it is nice to have a job I don't dread going to everyday. It's also nice once you reach the point in life when you could retire if you wanted to and only work because you still want to.

Wishing you the very best with your battle with cancer. I haven't been in your shoes there. We are pulling for you. There are a lot of good hearted people on this board that wish you the same. Some days life is like a bad portage in the muck. Eventually you get out, assess the damage, dry out, clean up, and put the boots out on the rock to dry in the warm sun.
I got yelled at a lot in my job. Nothing was ever good enough. You know when you were doing an excellent job if all there was were crickets sounds from management. And these bozos were always running off to the latest seminars in management, spending all the continuing ed money, learning nothing in how to be good managers because they had the disease of not being able to look at themselves. It's no wonder today's young people are giving workplaces the middle finger salute on the way out the door.

quote hobbydog: "

quote bhouse46: "This is turning into a pretty thoughtful thread. Some great stuff indeed and where were you all when I was 25? The OP has taped into a wellspring here and stirred some thinking about some of my life decisions. In the end we learn from the school of hard knocks, or in some cases don't seem to learn. "

One thing nobody mentioned, at least not directly is luck in finding the dream job. On the road to my dream job I had a lot of luck. Just one example. In the interview when it came time for me to ask questions, I asked why I was selected for an interview over others. At the time Control Data had gone under and unemployment was at about 9%. Competition for tech jobs was high and interviews were hard to come by. He opened a file cabinet drawer that had over a hundred unopened pieces of mail. He said he opened resumes until he had 5 good candidates to interview. I basically won the lottery. Of course I still had to interview with the other 4 and convince him I was the right person but it was just one example many that got me to where I am today. "

There is certainly an element of luck involved. You can do everything right and put yourself in the best position to be hired into your dream job but then you may come to realize that 500 other people have done the same thing and you're all applying for the same job. I've interviewed and gotten jobs where I found out that I was one of 100+ applicants. My resume is good and I've got good experience but was I truly the best out of those 100, probably not. I was talking to one hiring manager at an interview and he only interviewed me because a design piece I had done and included in my portfolio happened to have been done for someone with the same first name as him. It wasn't common name so he thought it was kind of a funny coincidence so he called me up for an interview, ended up getting offered the job. Looking back my portfolio at the time wasn't great and I was young without a ton of experience. I just got lucky to have some random meaningless coincidence earn me an interview.

After working in the elements - roofing in the hot sun, pouring concrete for 14 hours straight sometimes in the rain, breaking ice and pumping holes out in -20 weather at 3:00 a.m., driving haul trucks in 90* weather with no ac, etc. I've learned to appreciate a little ac and artificial light. When you do all those things first, you actually feel guilty about being in a climate controlled environment. Of course the pay isn't usually near as good.

quote BigTim: "Public School Teacher in Wisconsin. It's been a difficult 6 years since our government gutted anything and everything to do with public schools. All forgotten while tripping in the BWCA. The only perk left to teaching in this state is summer. This year will mark my 32nd consecutive trip - and my 18th consecutive trip with my son - who just turned 25. Can't wait for my first 3 generation trip...someday!"

Lol, Doh K. Another Scott Walker hater lol

Well I spent 28 yrs in prison...........
But it was only 8 hour shifts...bahaha state of Illinois prison guard.... made a good living out of it.seen some wild s***.
Walked out 5 days after my 50th bday.
A injury helped with my decision .maybe.......in all likelihood I was gone as soon as I could..
Did some lawn work.
Then got hired by Springfield armory making guns.
To much standing for my injury..
Now I'm working at a local golf course 5 minutes from my house. Sign people up to play golf and park some carts....one day a week
And I get free golf.....
LOVIN IT

quote yogi59weedr: "Well I spent 28 yrs in prison...........
But it was only 8 hour shifts...bahaha state of Illinois prison guard.... made a good living out of it.seen some wild s***.
Walked out 5 days after my 50th bday.
A injury helped with my decision .maybe.......in all likelihood I was gone as soon as I could..
Did some lawn work.
Then got hired by Springfield armory making guns.
To much standing for my injury..
Now I'm working at a local golf course 5 minutes from my house. Sign people up to play golf and park some carts....one day a week
And I get free golf.....
LOVIN IT
"

I have various friends who have retired and mowing grass at a golf coarse and getting a little extra cash and of coarse free golf.

Well played, Yogi!

@NotLight,

I loved your insight. I think it is very true, a good spouse will make trips that your passionate about be much easier to accomplish. I would agree with your insight.

Nomad

Funny story.
Had to take a guy up to Chicago so he could testify at a murder trial.
The judge got us back in the chambers and told us he didn't want us in the court room. His guys would handle security from there. He told us to wait in his chambers until the guy was finished. And his last words were MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME.
We could hear everything that went on in court via intercom..
Well you can only read so many newspapers,So I got the bright idea to hit a few putts with the judges putter... and ball return.....

Bad idea...
When he came back in. He went ballistic.
Turns out Ben Crenshaw gave him the putter
When I got back there was a message the warden wanted me in his office.
Turns out the judge called and bitched to the warden. When I told him the story he was laughing so hard he forgot to bitch me out.

quote mastertangler: "Tough call for sure. Reality has a way of impressing itself upon you, after all we live in an economic world and one needs money to exist.


My advice is to invest, sacrifice those dinners out, so eventually you will acquire more flexibility. Money brings freedom but poverty is under the curse.


The other advice I can give is to be VERY careful of your self talk. Quit telling yourself you dislike your job. That WILL become your reality. As a result you will become malcontented and all other areas of your life will suffer. Even if you don't feel like it say to yourself "I am blessed to have a job and I believe I will advance".


Easy for me to say? Not really, I worked from last Sept to May without a single day off often putting in 12 hour days including weekends. I also drive, a lot! I have to be very careful about my self talk. I used to complain but once I spent a week in the hospital hooked up to an IV wondering if I would leave. I started missing my shop and started realizing what a great life I had.


Ideally it is best to go through life doing something you are passionate about. Hey, you live in the greatest country in the world. Make a plan, learn your new profession at night and then switch. I will let you have my business motto.......

"There is always room at the top"

..............Be the best at what you do, strive for excellence in everything and you will succeed. "

Thanks for that. Well said

quote yogi59weedr: "Well I spent 28 yrs in prison...........
But it was only 8 hour shifts...bahaha state of Illinois prison guard.... made a good living out of it.seen some wild s***.
Walked out 5 days after my 50th bday.
A injury helped with my decision .maybe.......in all likelihood I was gone as soon as I could..
Did some lawn work.
Then got hired by Springfield armory making guns.
To much standing for my injury..
Now I'm working at a local golf course 5 minutes from my house. Sign people up to play golf and park some carts....one day a week
And I get free golf.....
LOVIN IT
"

Yeah, but have you ever caddied for the Dalai Lama? ;)

1) NotLight's thoughts on frugality and spouse are right-on.

2) My wife and I were people who needed a secure income and future. A couple of friends from the 1960s were people who could get along without that security. A biologist got MY dream job with California Fish and Game then quit it after a couple of years in order to go back to school to get his PhD. On a trip to South America, he formed a partnership with a miner of precious gems and became the wholesaler back in California. Meanwhile he used his expertise in fisheries to consult on fisheries projects in California, Mexico and Canada. He took up beer brewing and became part owner of a brewery. His precious gem partner died a few years ago so he took up selling real estate to fill that gap. He owns his own trout stream.
The other fellow had a degree in psychology which he never used. He has made a shoestring living on short term salaried jobs and for much of his life didn't even own a car. However, he is one of the most widely traveled people I know. His favorite destination is India and I know he has been there at least 19 times. He is very out-going and stays at the homes of friends of people he meets while traveling.
Both guys eschewed the more secure life of a long-term salaried jobs and managed to live very interesting lives. It's not for everyone but some people manage it and thrive on it.

3) From a song of my youth: Que Sera Sera

Geohydrologist. I am retired now, but my profession has allowed me to work in the office or get out into the field whenever I want. I have also been to some beautiful areas of many countries. It has also allowed me to travel all over the world: South Africa, Botswana, India, Singapore, Maylasia, Germany, Canada. I also was able to work to the U.S. Forest Service and the EPA. The salary is darn good too. The only down side was the time it took to obtaining the three degrees (eight years to be exact).

I am a firm believer that you should try to work in a job that is also your passion. I can't imagine working for 35 years in a profession/vocation that you don't like a lot. You are young enough to change careers if you can afford it.

I've done just about everything a person can do to put food on the table; with minimal pride and a strong work ethic...some has been fun, some not so much...but the one thing I can tell you is if you stay off the internet at work, and actually do what you're paid to do, you could probably shave 10-15 years off that 35 more years you say ya gotta work! Every minute you spend online could be invested in building a nest egg and escaping the rat race that much sooner.

I haven't had time to write in this thread yet but still feel like writing out some ideas, even if some have already been covered.

It seems like there are a few ways to spend more time in the wilderness.

As an end member, be so great at being in the wilderness that people will pay you just to do your own trips. See, for instance, rock climbing great Alex Honnold.

Lower your living expenses so you need less money to spend time in the wilderness. For instance, be willing to live in a van. See, for instance, rock climbing great Alex Honnold.

If you are not going to be Alex Honnold, and really not many people are in that sort of league, either for greatness or low living expenses (while enjoying life) then you need to make compromises.

You can work in the outdoors field such as an outfitter and/or guide. You may not spend as much time in the wilderness as you think or doing the trips you really want to but you are connected to the wilderness by sharing it with others. But let's be honest, there are a limited number of these jobs.

So, that gets down to having a job that you love. Some may get you in the outdoors more than others. Geologists and forestry people can wind up doing a lot of field work, sometimes in true wilderness, (I'm a geophysicist and only get to do a little but enjoy it a lot when I can) but as misqua said, these jobs take a lot of training. But you are young. If you like those subjects then think about going back to school. Most graduate students these days are starting later than just finishing their undergrad. Or start the undergrad if you haven't done that. Or people mentioned other jobs that are outdoors but maybe not wilderness. There are also science technician jobs and some of those can get you outdoors. We have electronics techs that travel all over California servicing seismic stations and some of those are in the wild (although generally accessible by a jeep trail).

Or get a job that you love and see if you can find one with more flexibility. As people mentioned, nursing pays pretty well and the schedules can be flexible at some facilities. There are also traveling nurses who do a couple of months at a place and then move on. I've spent a lot of time on the receiving end of nursing and met some that used that to explore different areas. And it may be possible to take a couple of months off now and then. Also as mentioned, that has to be one of the toughest jobs on earth. Huge amounts of responsibility plus vomit and worse. I've contributed some of the vomit. Sorry about that my wonderful nurses. Please no one become a nurse without absolutely loving the idea of just being a nurse.

But there are other jobs with more flexibility. If you are in tech, maybe freelance. If you are good enough, you may have enough dedicated clients to take time off or live near the wilderness and work remotely. The key here is being good enough. No matter what you do, the better you do it the more freedom you can generate. And also the less you are willing to live on, the more freedom from work you can allow yourself. One of my friends, at about your age, spent only summers working in Alaska running field crews for mining companies and then spent the rest of the year climbing and running rivers. He did that for about 7 years before he decided it was time to go back to grad school and change the balance between work and wilderness.

Look for jobs with more leave. The federal government gives more vacation than most. You start with 4 hours per two weeks and move to 6 hours after about 6-8 years, and then 8 hours at 15 years (if I remember correctly). We also get sick leave but you have to actually be sick to use it. And not just homesick for the BW. I've been in the federal government for almost 30 years. 8 hours off every two weeks comes out to about 5 weeks per year. That's pretty good.

A job with a lot of leave (but almost 0 flexibility except for the summer) is being a teacher. Of course, they don't get paid well and you better love it to do it. But you can get summers off and if you keep your expenses low, then you may not need a second job and can get in some long trips.

But mostly our society is just not set up for people to have a ton of time off and have many assets. We're all expected to be contributing to society. So, find something you love to do because you are going to spend a lot of time doing it.

I definitely love my research. There are parts of my job that aren't as much fun (just spent a lot of the last couple of weeks dealing with contracting bureaucracy) but that's true of most jobs. I am lucky that I live in an area with a lot of easy time outdoors. This weekend we're going to a park with our niece and her family to do some hiking and beach time one day and then I'm teaching sailing the other day. There's really nothing stopping me from taking hikes, or at least a walk on the blufftops over the ocean, or taking a sail or paddle in the harbor on many days. Although it doesn't happen as often as it should. Life can get busy. So, if you can combine your work with living in a place with easy access to the outdoors that is pretty good too. But I do admit that I feel a big difference between outdoor experiences near civilization and truly getting away into the wilderness.

Overall, it is good to think about this stuff and find a way to build a life you are going to love. Good luck.

JimmyJustice, we actually have a friend who managed the 6 months in the Florida Keys and 6 months up north (NY in his case) lifestyle. But he's a musician, plays a lot of bars and restaurants. Seems like a fun life, lots of friends and good times. And as his wife once said, "it puts food on the table..... most nights." Think he had to adjust his schedule while their kid was in school.

andym,

You made it through my long ramble. Kudos. Everyone has a path. Glad your friends found one that works for them.

I have no interest in starting life over. But one thing I'd do different is work in medical emergency at a deeper level and much earlier in life. Ems or als would be pretty cool. The best part is working with people in the field and together making a difference. The only downfall is these calls always come when you have things going on. But it always works out.

After tech school, I worked as a printer for 30 years. When I turned 50 I decided if I was going to do anything besides that I better get on it right away. Not many places looking for oldish guys. I was lucky enough to get a job at the local brewery and worked myself into the head brewer job. I plan on retiring from that job someday.