created by Background_Tiger21 on 13/11/2024 at 08:13 UTC
29 upvotes, 6 top-level comments (showing 6)
Comment by bees_cell_honey at 14/11/2024 at 04:37 UTC*
11 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Not 35, but a 33-ish, I moved from teaching to applying at a job at a financial institution. I knew nothing about banking / finance / etc at the time.
I did not get an interview for the job I applied for, but this was following the housing crisis, amidst companies paying more and more attention to bad things that could happen, and they asked if I'd like to interview for a job in Risk and Compliance -- a topic I knew even less about than banking & finance.
That was about a decade ago. I'm still in Risk & Compliance.
What's funny is that, at the time, my dad told me: "You know, when you get a job in the business world, it's different -- working over 40 hours per week is often a normal thing."
Ha!
I went from working 60 hour weeks teaching (including prepping/grading during the evenings), to an instant 50% pay raise and worked an average of 35-40 hrs/week the first 2 years. It's so insulting the low opinion people have of teachers.
I wanted to do more work in my new occupation, but quite honestly they weren't used to someone with the work ethic and determination of a teacher, and they couldn't give me enough stuff to make more than 40 hours worth of work in a week. I got promoted 3 times in the first 5 years and made ~3x my salary from just 5 years out.
This last year has been rough, though. Back to 50-60 hour work weeks lately -- hope to change that in 2025.
The people I work with are nice. Some ask me if I miss teaching. Here's what I miss:
• I used to have a vocation.
• Now I have a job.
Comment by VIJoe at 14/11/2024 at 00:57 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I quit my big-city lawyer job, sold my stuff and ran away to the Caribbean at 34. I'm not sure if life is better - but it sure is different and the person that I am today likes this one more.
Comment by to_glory_we_steer at 13/11/2024 at 17:42 UTC
7 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I moved from the UK to Poland. Much nicer country and a better standard of life, we're about to buy a large plot of land and build a home. 10/10 would recommend.
Comment by behemuthm at 14/11/2024 at 14:47 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I was a visual effects artist from the age of 18-35 and saw that the industry was leaving the US and decided to start my own business making chocolate. Started out of my apartment and grew until my landlord told me to get rid of all the equipment (it’s in my lease I can’t run a business from the apartment). Ended up moving into a shared kitchen which went up for sale a year later, so I bought it. Problem is, I still have to lease the building though I own the contents inside.
Things were going well and we renovated the retail area and opened to the public in 2019. We were doing tours and business was amazing. Started looking at bigger buildings and prepping to hire more staff.
Then the pandemic hit. Had to close the shop to the public for almost a year (Los Angeles was very strict about restaurants). All our regulars moved away. When we finally reopened, our sales were a fraction of what they were before.
Fast forward to now, we’re still 30% below where we were in 2019. Our costs have gone through the roof and our lease ends in a few months. Think we’re gonna shut it down.
Might relaunch somewhere cheaper later on but for now, gonna so something else.
Comment by 1singhnee at 13/11/2024 at 13:07 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I did! I went from adamantly “child free” to actually wanting a kid, which is weird, but it worked out pretty well. 😁 Also took a bunch of years off work to raise the kid. When I talk to the people I used to work with before I was a parent, a lot of them are now fairly high up the engineering food chain, and a lot of them make insane amounts of money. So while I did go back to work, and do enjoy what I’m doing, I do a lot of “what-if’ing”.
I don’t think I’m ever going to catch up with them. That’s cool though. Priorities and all that.
Comment by etniesen at 17/11/2024 at 12:23 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I did. Big pay cut but got more time back.
It’s exactly what I thought it would be so far