Apologies if this overlaps other 'what would you do if financially independent' threads, but this is focusing towards specifically long term pursuits, where there is some sort of mastery that you can work towards.
For me work was always a means to an end, and something to be tolerated. Make as much money as quickly as possible, so that you can do things you really want to. Secondly, I was always a but of a natural minimalist, so after almost a decade doing oil and gas engineering, saving 80%+ of my pay, without even really planning towards it I realized my investments will cover my day-to-day expenses, but it only really struck home after reading the spectacular book "Your Money or your Life".
As in other threads, I did what a lot of other people said they would do. Lots of trips, a few short personal interest courses, too much partying, more travel, and eventually settled into what on paper sounded like an interesting, low stress job with a chance for travel.
6 months in I realized the job is like others. You get pushed around by certain higher ups who think they're the only thing between you and the food bank, BS politics, and boring coworkers with pedestrian problems. While there are certain fringe benefits, no one is passionate about the work, money is the only reason they stay, and if they had $1m tomorrow, they would likely quit. I push back a bit, after all what's the good of fuck you money if you don't say fuck you once in a while, at the same time, regularly telling the world to fuck off generally doesn't make things better.
This leaves me at a loss. I could quit, but then what? I was thinking going back to school, perhaps get a trade like mechanic as I've always enjoyed hands on work and seems similar but lower stress than engineering, work towards mastery in that. Unfortunately friends in the trades say it's a similar attitude to above. Few are truly passionate about it, and they want to wire that house as quickly as possible with as few questions from new guys as possible so they can go home and get back to their TV and 6 pack.
Perhaps an academic endeavor, astronomy, archaeology and paleontology have always been things I was genuinely interested in, but the current university structure leaves much to be desired, and then short of following through to PhD level and then working for a university, I'd be in a similar spot as now in a few years. I think I'm leaning towards this, as additionally, the academic world gives you access to some pretty unique resources or field projects.
In short I want an activity where you're surrounded by people so passionate about what they're doing they'd happily do it for free, and who frequently get so enamored in what they're doing they forget to eat and before they know it, it's 4am. Does such a thing exist?
Some people never want to stop working and their view of money/lifestyle is simply one of more is better-different strokes. If however you had all your needs met to a satisfactory level, what would you spend the next 40 years pursuing?
For me work was always a means to an end, and something to be tolerated. Make as much money as quickly as possible, so that you can do things you really want to. Secondly, I was always a but of a natural minimalist, so after almost a decade doing oil and gas engineering, saving 80%+ of my pay, without even really planning towards it I realized my investments will cover my day-to-day expenses, but it only really struck home after reading the spectacular book "Your Money or your Life".
As in other threads, I did what a lot of other people said they would do. Lots of trips, a few short personal interest courses, too much partying, more travel, and eventually settled into what on paper sounded like an interesting, low stress job with a chance for travel.
6 months in I realized the job is like others. You get pushed around by certain higher ups who think they're the only thing between you and the food bank, BS politics, and boring coworkers with pedestrian problems. While there are certain fringe benefits, no one is passionate about the work, money is the only reason they stay, and if they had $1m tomorrow, they would likely quit. I push back a bit, after all what's the good of fuck you money if you don't say fuck you once in a while, at the same time, regularly telling the world to fuck off generally doesn't make things better.
This leaves me at a loss. I could quit, but then what? I was thinking going back to school, perhaps get a trade like mechanic as I've always enjoyed hands on work and seems similar but lower stress than engineering, work towards mastery in that. Unfortunately friends in the trades say it's a similar attitude to above. Few are truly passionate about it, and they want to wire that house as quickly as possible with as few questions from new guys as possible so they can go home and get back to their TV and 6 pack.
Perhaps an academic endeavor, astronomy, archaeology and paleontology have always been things I was genuinely interested in, but the current university structure leaves much to be desired, and then short of following through to PhD level and then working for a university, I'd be in a similar spot as now in a few years. I think I'm leaning towards this, as additionally, the academic world gives you access to some pretty unique resources or field projects.
In short I want an activity where you're surrounded by people so passionate about what they're doing they'd happily do it for free, and who frequently get so enamored in what they're doing they forget to eat and before they know it, it's 4am. Does such a thing exist?
Some people never want to stop working and their view of money/lifestyle is simply one of more is better-different strokes. If however you had all your needs met to a satisfactory level, what would you spend the next 40 years pursuing?
