WORK TO LIVE or LIVE TO WORK

I work in a job and an industry that I ‘don’t hate’ and as such, I consider that as being successful. Which is sad.
 
Billy69_uk said:
everything used to revolve around work, including long hours, foreign travel, working away etc etc. I was driven to push my career forward

But not for the last couple of years. Whilst I feel valued by my current employer of 25 years, I am under no illusion that if business conditions dictated, they would cut me and other workers in a heartbeat. Thats not to say my employer isnt good, I wouldn't have stayed as long as i have if they weren't, but companies are there to make money for their shareholders, and most of the time its in their best interests to keep the employees on side, but they will not hesitate to cut jobs and close factories and outsource if it makes sense on a balance sheet. There is no loyalty at the end of the day.

I realised that I have a job and not a career.
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Too right, was made redundant last November by a large multi national company as they were restructuring operations with two businesses, change of management structure and market approach. "consultaion" was your job as is, is no longer in the structure as another person will be covering his and your region. We have to advise you might be made redundant, absolutely no options of alternate roles given, discussion on the restructuring etc. Paid minimum legal requirement for redundancy where the weeks wage value is capped so effectively half of what i was paid weekly.
Major company with a turnover of billions $, the business i worked in high margin generating $50m profit a year.

most employees are just a number in the business structure, and legally companies quoted on stock exchange have to be run for the benefit of the shareholders which is why some individuals have bought their comanies back as they could see the implications for employees in the long term.

A new job with a privately run company with a different approach, money is not as good but everything seems very positive so far. As i am 5 years from retirement I am working to live well after retirement.
 
Wiseman_Vaughn said:
I think a lot of people are driven by the "Fear of Missing Out" - ie, having enough cash for retirement. We build up this mental image of how retirement will be - it might be on th e golf course, endless cruises, classic cars etc etc. In reality, retirement could last either 1 day or 30+ years. We do this instead of living for the day and doing things we enjoy right now.

I once heard a story about someone that worked in industry from 16-65, the same company, hard graft all of his working life. On his first day of retirement he went on a day trip and dropped down dead.
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Not uncommon -he would have been better going at 60 and getting 5 retired years in doing a few cruises and some golf and forgeting about the classic car. Most people also tend to develop health problems in the age range 55-65 that means they can't do what they could when they were younger. We keep hearing about peole living longer, but obesity is a big problem and most of us have ben eating some form of processed food for 50 years now and it will have a negative impact compared with people in the say in the 1940s and 50s had more healthy diets and are in their 80s now.

Most people say they enjoy their job, I do take this with a pinch of salt. The test is would you do the job for free, if you were provided with the same alternative income. Over 90% would not. There will be aspects of their job that they genuinely enjoy.
 
Get an automatic then a caravan and then you die. Just bought an automatic but definitely no shed to drag on the cards.
 
I spent 20 odd years chasing the dollar but never really enjoyed any of my career. It's been a means to an end in so far as I've been more than comfortable but I'll aim to retire in about 15 years max, ideally 10 when Mrs Fufkin hangs up her shovel. Since being made redundant last August I've found a role I genuinely love which is reasonably well remunerated so that goal to knock off early may change, it's really rewarding to do something you love and I don't mean financially rewarding, I wish I'd had the opportunity much earlier, but such is life, and now I have it, I won't waste it

Answer to the question: work to live 100%
 
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