Easy careers to last me to retirement?

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Gambler
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Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

single, 43, no kids

401k/Roth= $400k
after tax $ = 100k
expenses = $30k/yr ($2500/month)

I did IT. I also did project mgmt.
got laid off as a proj mgr and didn't want to go back to that field. don't want to go back to IT either.
unemployment ran out.

I currently work in construction as a grunt ($20/hr). don't want to do that anymore.

I just want to be able to cover my monthly expenses, or something close to it.
(I assume that I can live off my 401k/roth when I turn 60, and social security when I'm 67.)

Suggest some careers for me to try.
THX
"Always be thankful for what you have no matter how much or how little" -EternalOptimist
steve_14
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by steve_14 »

You seem to know what you don't like. What do you like?
maroon
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by maroon »

Gambling?

You'll probably need to tell us more before we can provide good suggestions. For example, do you prefer indoor/desk jobs or outdoor work?
Last edited by maroon on Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
dgdevil
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by dgdevil »

An Uber or Lyft driver? A dog walker? Clinical trials? Geek Squad?
Gecko10x
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gecko10x »

Have any skills or hobbies?
KlangFool
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by KlangFool »

Gambler wrote:
I did IT. I also did project mgmt.
got laid off as a proj mgr and didn't want to go back to that field. don't want to go back to IT either.
Gambler,

Project Management is one of the easiest job if you pick the right industry and right company. Most of our project managers work from home and organize conference call. They update action item spreadsheet and so on... They are responsible and accountable for nothing.

Frankly speaking, I cannot think of any easiest job than project management.

KlangFool
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Gambler
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

steve_14 wrote:You seem to know what you don't like. What do you like?
sitting in front of my computer reading Boggleheads.org :P

i have no more ambition. i think I'm burnt out.
all i want to do now is drift to Age 60.
Last edited by Gambler on Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Gambler
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

KlangFool wrote:
Gambler wrote:
I did IT. I also did project mgmt.
got laid off as a proj mgr and didn't want to go back to that field. don't want to go back to IT either.
Gambler,

Project Management is one of the easiest job if you pick the right industry and right company. Most of our project managers work from home and organize conference call. They update action item spreadsheet and so on... They are responsible and accountable for nothing.

Frankly speaking, I cannot think of any easiest job than project management.

KlangFool
they sound like secretaries??

i had Gantt charts, was responsible for meeting deadlines, and keeping things in budget.

hire me at your place?
"Always be thankful for what you have no matter how much or how little" -EternalOptimist
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zaboomafoozarg
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by zaboomafoozarg »

Gambler wrote:sitting in front of my computer reading Boggleheads.org :P

i have no more ambition. i think I'm burnt out.
all i want to do now is drift to Age 60.
Hey, that sounds like me, but I'm only 30. I just need to find a way to drift to 43! :D
amitb00
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by amitb00 »

Can you work at stores like Walmart or food places like McDonalds?
bb
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by bb »

I never got the impression there were a lot of drifters on this board.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Longtimelurker »

Gambler - aren't you the guy in the rebalancing thread mocking everyone for owning bonds and saying how you simply golf all day, and if the market crashes you can simply beat some local sports book's and make all the money you ever need. Seems to me thats a good plan.

Otherwise, Uber driver part time would be good for a tourist city like Vegas. Or perhaps shape up your legs and join a Rockets Troupe?
Stay the course. If you can't resist greed, and fear is proven to be 2x as strong, you are doomed as an investor.
island
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by island »

Gambler wrote:
steve_14 wrote:You seem to know what you don't like. What do you like?
sitting in front of my computer reading Boggleheads.org :P

i have no more ambition. i think I'm burnt out.
all i want to do now is drift to Age 60.
Yeah, who wouldn't. Wait on second thought not me.
Burned out an only 43? Sure it's only about work?
Too late to become a trust fund baby
lululu
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by lululu »

Gambler wrote:
KlangFool wrote:
Gambler wrote:
I did IT. I also did project mgmt.
got laid off as a proj mgr and didn't want to go back to that field. don't want to go back to IT either.
Gambler,

Project Management is one of the easiest job if you pick the right industry and right company. Most of our project managers work from home and organize conference call. They update action item spreadsheet and so on... They are responsible and accountable for nothing.

Frankly speaking, I cannot think of any easiest job than project management.

KlangFool
they sound like secretaries??

i had Gantt charts, was responsible for meeting deadlines, and keeping things in budget.

hire me at your place?
Really, I worked my behind off as a project manager, and it was my responsibility to get the design specs done, coordinate over different groups and see that the project came in on time and on budget.
Professor Emeritus
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Professor Emeritus »

I sympathize with burnt out Gambler. Even as an academic there were high pressure gut wrenching parts of the job (e.g. big research grant applications) that simply wore you down.

For many academics in their mid 50s the prospect for success were so low and the payoffs so far off that getting out of that particular funding rat race is very appealing. Many became administrators at less competitive schools. Some retired to just teaching. I made a deal that gave me a new lease on life with important but unfunded research and then a appointment to Emeritus status.

The trick is simply to figure out what you are good at that someone will pay for. Health care administrations seems to absorb a lot of talented folks who were burnt out in other areas
dgdevil
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by dgdevil »

Gambler wrote:
i have no more ambition. i think I'm burnt out.
all i want to do now is drift to Age 60.
Been there. Maybe I still am. That's what an emergency fund is for. Take a 6-month sabbatical, bore yourself silly, or not. And remember Jack London's credo that "the function of man is to live, not to exist." In the meantime, renting out a spare room via AirBnB will help cover some of your expenses.
jbreittling
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by jbreittling »

KlangFool wrote:
Gambler wrote:
I did IT. I also did project mgmt.
got laid off as a proj mgr and didn't want to go back to that field. don't want to go back to IT either.
Gambler,

Project Management is one of the easiest job if you pick the right industry and right company. Most of our project managers work from home and organize conference call. They update action item spreadsheet and so on... They are responsible and accountable for nothing.

Frankly speaking, I cannot think of any easiest job than project management.

KlangFool
I agree 1,000%. I work in IT and have found only 1, maybe 2 project managers in all my years who did more than set up meetings and then sit back and relax. And I've worked at megacorps and government so have seen it from both perspectives. They are, however, the first to go when it comes down to cuts.

I'd recommend a job at something that is a hobby of yours. If you gamble, maybe at a card club dealing...or a hunter or angler, perhaps a sporting goods shop like Dick's or Cabelas or Gander Mountain or something similar.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by cheese_breath »

Panhandler? Just be sure not to park your Lamborghini near your work site.
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Gambler
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

amitb00 wrote:Can you work at stores like Walmart or food places like McDonalds?
lol.. don't think I can make $30k/yr at those places being a peon.
even at more upscale places like starbucks
"Always be thankful for what you have no matter how much or how little" -EternalOptimist
KlangFool
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by KlangFool »

Gambler wrote: they sound like secretaries??

i had Gantt charts, was responsible for meeting deadlines, and keeping things in budget.

hire me at your place?
Gambler,

1) Project managers in my industry are not responsible for meeting deadlines and keeping things in budget. I am not the one that is hiring and there are plenty of project management jobs available. So, you probably should stay at PM but switch industry.

2) It is WEIRD for me to see any IT PM say that they meet the deadlines. That almost never happened. Ditto on keeping things on budgets.

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TheTimeLord
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by TheTimeLord »

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Gambler
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

Longtimelurker wrote:Gambler - aren't you the guy in the rebalancing thread mocking everyone for owning bonds and saying how you simply golf all day, and if the market crashes you can simply beat some local sports book's and make all the money you ever need. Seems to me thats a good plan.

Otherwise, Uber driver part time would be good for a tourist city like Vegas. Or perhaps shape up your legs and join a Rockets Troupe?
umm...no.
I don't play golf. I hate the stupid sport. have no idea why people even watch it on tv. I rather watch paint dry.

as for uber, I thinking HUGE libabily lawsuits, unless I incorporate.
and from what I read, most of the Uber/Lyft drivers are not. they are putting themselves at huge risk.

plus incorporating also involves insurance for my business car, which I assume will be higher than my $400/6months for my normal car (full coverage).
"Always be thankful for what you have no matter how much or how little" -EternalOptimist
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Gambler
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

dgdevil wrote:
Gambler wrote:
i have no more ambition. i think I'm burnt out.
all i want to do now is drift to Age 60.
Been there. Maybe I still am. That's what an emergency fund is for. Take a 6-month sabbatical, bore yourself silly, or not. And remember Jack London's credo that "the function of man is to live, not to exist." In the meantime, renting out a spare room via AirBnB will help cover some of your expenses.
that's what I did for the 6months of unemployment.
sat on my ass and played video games.

hm.. on AirBnB
Last edited by Gambler on Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by hicabob »

Long haul truck driver would beat construction grunt in both pay and job.
KlangFool
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by KlangFool »

TS and others,

I was a product line manager at an employer that laid off 80% of its employees over 5 1/2 years. We had quarterly 10% to 20% laid off. I was responsible for delivering 100+ millions annual revenue over those years and our division was the most profitable in the company.. I had to beg and plead people in many groups to get their job done while we know that our good work will not be rewarded. In the end, our location was shut down and outsourced to India. Everyone was laid off.

I was so burned out in the end that I took 1 year off from any work.

In summary, I no longer willing to be held accountable for others that I cannot fire. It is NOT MY JOB.

Do not be ACCOUNTABLE for stuff that you have NO AUTHORITY to fix. It is NOT YOUR JOB. If they want YOU to be accountable, let them give you THE AUTHORITY to hire and fire those people.

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TxAg
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by TxAg »

Sales. You have industry knowledge. You have the free time. Just need to find the right company.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by livesoft »

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DonDraper
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by DonDraper »

With $500k in assets only $2500 a month in expenses, you aren't that far away from being financially independent.

With a 4% withdrawal rate you only need $750,000 to cover your expenses. Suck it up and work an IT or project manager job until you hit 50 and then retire.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Tycoon »

KlangFool wrote:
In summary, I no longer willing to be held accountable for others that I cannot fire. It is NOT MY JOB.

Do not be ACCOUNTABLE for stuff that you have NO AUTHORITY to fix. It is NOT YOUR JOB. If they want YOU to be accountable, let them give you THE AUTHORITY to hire and fire those people.

KlangFool
+1
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Watty
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Watty »

I know several people who have worked as school buss drivers to fill a gap, usually after being laid off, until they are ready to retire.

In addition to getting summers and school holidays off the get some benefits and have time off in the middle of the day. It doesn't pay a lot but in some situations it is enough.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by dgdevil »

Pity about the drug testing, though.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Sanitation! - pick up the trash, get paid pretty good money with benefits. Just need to invest in some more soap and deodorant for the end of day cleanup.
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YttriumNitrate
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by YttriumNitrate »

Instead of looking to increase income, have you thought about just decreasing expenses and retiring to some place in the world with a low cost of living?
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carorun
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by carorun »

Contract work maybe- like temp work but with higher pay? Do you know any subjects well enough to tutor students online? How about leveraging your IT PM and Excel skills by bidding on small, remote jobs on Elance, Fiverr, and other sites?

I also think Uber driver would be a great filler, but I see your point about liability.
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Gambler
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Gambler »

market timer wrote:Go back to school, take out loans to cover living expenses, sign up for PAYE.
speak of the devil... got my fall catalog from my local community college in the mail today.

I already have a BS but there's a section about job skill certifications.
low responsibility, no expectations since I'm new to the industry job sounds good right now.

what's PAYE?
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market timer
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by market timer »

Gambler wrote:
market timer wrote:Go back to school, take out loans to cover living expenses, sign up for PAYE.
speak of the devil... got my fall catalog from my local community college in the mail today.

I already have a BS but there's a section about job skill certifications.
low responsibility, no expectations since I'm new to the industry job sounds good right now.

what's PAYE?
PAYE = Pay As You Earn, a student loan repayment program that adjusts based on your income

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/ibr10.phtml
123
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by 123 »

How about selling whole life insurance and annuities? Takes a little bit of study to pass licensing exams but a lot of those kind of salesmen seem to get buy without knowing a lot about investing. They primarily need to talk a good game. Or become a financial advisor. Same drill. Memorize a couple of product pitches and repeat them endlessly.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by countmein »

Gambler

You've got 100K in taxable and your expenses are only 30K? What if you gave yourself a year to do/try some thing or things that really interested you that don't necessarily have any earning potential. Perhaps something would come of it or you'd meet the right people (getting hired is usually due to someone you know) and at the least you had a year of fun and freedom.
hudson
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by hudson »

Consider going to a community college and going through their new student process where they give you an occupational assessment. Or take one at a government agency.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1 ... 1745918470
novaboglehead
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by novaboglehead »

I had a similar burnt-out feeling after a lay-off about 10 years ago. I temped for 2 years. It was good to experience some workplaces that were not dysfunctional plus I had no emotional attachment to the work or office. After about 2 years, I was ready to go back to a full-time permanent job.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by ebv »

Forest Ranger. You can thank me later.
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by KlangFool »

StarbuxInvestor wrote:
First I would say yes #1 should be correct, a PM does not have people care responsibilities. As for #2 I assume you are in IT, but maybe I am incorrect.
StarbuxInvestor,

I am in telecom industry.

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Clearly_Irrational
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Clearly_Irrational »

If you just want to do something different for a while and have your expenses covered why not join the Peace Corps?
Nicolas
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Nicolas »

Have you considered the nautical life? You could work the barges on the Mississippi, or be a deck hand on a tramp steamer plying the Atlantic. It could be a low-stress change of pace. The sea (or river) air may do you good.

Some years ago — never mind how long precisely — having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. -- Herman Melville
Last edited by Nicolas on Mon Jul 07, 2014 4:10 pm, edited 3 times in total.
TareNeko
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by TareNeko »

Become a teacher. Give back to society.
Vortex
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Vortex »

You could go do cyber security for a nuke plant or electric utility. There's a big push in the industry to improve their cyber security and it's not much of a stretch from what you've done in the past.

https://www.roadtechs.com/search/search ... r+security
rixer
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by rixer »

You could start a window cleaning service for little money and set your rates and schedule to fit your lifestyle.
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Ged
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Ged »

PM in telecom is a pain. When I was a software engineer in that industry I really felt sorry for the PMs.

I think one bet might be a PM in a company in the defense industry, say like a contractor. From what I saw there it seemed me the government really didn't do a good job holding companies accountable for their results. There is a chance you'll need a security clearance. The good side of that is that security clearance jobs are pretty hard to outsource.
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Phineas J. Whoopee
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by Phineas J. Whoopee »

OP: In your life, is there any productive activity you've found is easier for you than for others?
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Re: Easy careers to last me to retirement?

Post by LadyGeek »

I removed a number of off-topic posts which discussed the duties of a Project Manager ("PM"), as well as a several off-topic comments. Some continuity is lost.

Please stay focused on the OP's request.
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