part time or occassional work

[kramer]

Kramer, get married and have a kid. You'll forget all about those crazy w*rk ideas.

wab, I respect your opinion a lot, so please don't scare me! Actually, one reason that I am keeping work options open and also keeping a higher percentage in equities than I might otherwise, is because I know that getting married someday is a possibility. My savings could support a frugal marriage, but there are not many of those to be found

Kramer

 

[wabmester]

My savings could support a frugal marriage, but there are not many of those to be found

I seriously think there's a market for a frugal high-net-worth match-making service. Rare qualities in individuals, so must be rare^2 in couples. I'm constantly surprised that no couples have come together through this forum.

In any case, enjoy the adventure! I remember what that burn-out towards the end feels like. You're in for nothing but upside now!

 

[renferme]

I remember Bennevis is a greater at Pirates games, which sounded fascinating.

Still working for the Pirates, but now as an Event Supervisor.
And still a great part-time job.

 

[Kitty]

But something about doing what someone else wants/needs for their purely commercial reasons for my monetary compensation - that just sets me cold. I REALLY enjoy the independence aspect of financial independence so much that I don't really want to be at any one else's beck and call.

FWIW this strong bias only applies to me personally, capitalism is fine with me — I'm an investor after all! I just don't like demands on my time, my energy, or my soul.

Audrey

WOW, that hit the nail on the head. I shiver at the thought of being under someone's thumb, do this do that and get it done before close of business today! Why? Because they screwed up or the one above them screwed up and now the lowest one on the totem pole has to suffer. Grrrrr.

I don't want to work for anybody doing anything. I might if I found the right work/position/business work for myself, as long as the time and conditions were flexible. Somedays I don't feel like doing a damn thing, I have chores to do and that is enough to satisfy my puritan soul

Kitty

 

[ESRBob]

Great thread.
One thing that a few people pointed out that I think is important: for some people, working PT and getting a salary is a comfortable, convenient way to stay engaged -- it's as if there is a structure there you can fit into and it makes the whole thing easy to be part of -- e.g. Ben's role at the ballgames.

For others (I'm in this camp personally, and Audrey put it really poetically), working for an organization's imperatives just feels like a loss of freedom. In this case, you can be drawn either to no work or to something self-directed. Doesn't mean you'll never have to deal with anyone or get somebody to pay you, but it's much more on your own terms. Mine are writing and sculpture - but the possibilities are truly endless. LG4NB getting to hang out in clubs every night, my wife announcing this morning that she'd like to become a personal shopper. The thought that someone born to shop could start being paid to shop makes her positively giddy. Travelling on an ER budget is a sort of avocation in its own right, and being a gardener, fisherman or golfer are clearly callings of a high order!

The concept of semi-retirement should be really wide, I think. Paid or unpaid, self-directed or employed, volunteer or just deeply involved in something you think is interesting or important. The point is to steer clear of the dark-side, slipping into some sort of netherworld of hermit/couch potato/depressive/low-energy narcissist. With enough money you can shut yourself off from responsibility and other people, at which point bad things start to happen.

 

[Martha]

The concept of semi-retirement should be really wide, I think. Paid or unpaid, self-directed or employed, volunteer or just deeply involved in something you think is interesting or important. The point is to steer clear of the dark-side, slipping into some sort of netherworld of hermit/couch potato/depressive/low-energy narcissist. With enough money you can shut yourself off from responsibility and other people, at which point bad things start to happen.

Thank you. Nicely said.

 

[RE2Boys]

Interesting poll! And now I have the time to monitor this board again.

I retired in early 2000 (on the last day that the early retirement dowsizing offer was available), worked as a consultant for about 18 months for a government contractor but that got old....too much like my career job except a little more control of hours.

So....in the dog days of winter......I work doing tax returns on a seasonal basis. Worked for the green block for several years but now I'm seasonal help at a CPA firm. They've been great and generally allowed me to set my own schedule, but it's been overtime the last few weeks. It sure reminds me how much I like being retired the rest of the year. And they know I don't "need" to be there so they don't get pushy at all. I try and keep it a win-win arrangement and will bust my butt for a short time when they need the extra push in late March/early April.

My last day was Tuesday, so I'm home surfing, going to go out for a jog, and get on with all my spring chores.

Closer to "seasonal" work rather than part-time.

RE2Boys

 

[kramer]

I work doing tax returns on a seasonal basis. Worked for the green block for several years but now I'm seasonal help at a CPA firm. They've been great and generally allowed me to set my own schedule, but it's been overtime the last few weeks.

Hi RE2Boys, Do you mind if I ask how this career path worked? Did you have previous training in accounting? I have thought about eventually getting an Enrolled Agent status and doing taxes part time. But I really have no background in accounting. I thought of working for a chain tax firm before getting the EA, and then trying to get a seasonal job with an established local practice. I have heard that working for a chain tax firm (H&R, etc.) is really bad and the pay is horrible, though. So I have been skeptical about whether this whole path would be worth the effort.

Also, is your position 1099 or straight wages?

Thanks,
Kramer

 

[joesxm3]

One thing I noticed when I used to do contract programming assignments was that if I had a four or five week gap between assignments and happened to stop back in for a visit at the last one, the total absurdity of the work environment was laid out in crystal clarity. Everyone was rushing around focused on completely unimportant things, yet convinced that the fate of the world hung in the balance.

The sick thing is that once I was back on the next assignment I was one of them again.

I think that a part-time job after ER will run the same risk of falling back into the drink the koolaid line - or the total absurdity of it all will drive you nuts.

I have worked primarily in the insurance industry related IT world, so it may be different elsewhere, but I have a really hard time rationalizing doing large amounts of pointless work that in the end the cost of which is just passed along to society by a heartless evil corporate infrastructure that has evolved into a self perpetuating ecosystem where people delude themselvesw into thinking that thay are accomplishing something.

Dont' get me wrong - the individual people are probably ok, but the net result of the collective is not.

If it was not for the joy of "payday glorious payday" and watching th 65% of my takehome pay adding to the nestegg I would go nuts

 

[renferme]

For others (I'm in this camp personally, and Audrey put it really poetically), working for an organization's imperatives just feels like a loss of freedom. In this case, you can be drawn either to no work or to something self-directed.

T

In my case, I can select the days that I want to work - I'm not obligated to work
every ballgame. So, no real loss of freedom.

 

[ESRBob]

Ben,
I can imagine that working for a sports franchise or stadium would be a whole lot easier to stay attuned to than an organization like the back office of an insurance IT department. 8) Still, you need flexibility no matter what -- nice to know you have that and can pick games/dates you can be available.

 

[Martha]

I ran into an interesting "occassional" job that I wouldn't mind doing if I needed to do some work. Prepare students to take the LSAT, GRE, GMAT, etc. The ad I saw only had one requirement, that you tested at the 99th percentile. Though if I had to take any of the tests again I probably wouldn't qualify to get into grad school.

 

[Dreamer]

I just found out over the weekend that I did not get the part-time job. I was on a trip to Lancaster PA to see the play, In The Beginning, and called home to talk to DH and he told me. I am leaving Wednesday, to go with my sister to her house in VA for a week. I really do not have time at this stage of my life for even a part-time job. I am relieved that I did not get the job!

 

[Nords]

I just found out over the weekend that I did not get the part-time job.
I really do not have time at this stage of my life for even a part-time job. I am relieved that I did not get the job!

So now you can send them a thank-you card and really mean it!

I wonder if your name is on a callback list for the next vacancy...

 

[Dreamer]

So now you can send them a thank-you card and really mean it!

I wonder if your name is on a callback list for the next vacancy...

I hope not and now I could say no and not feel bad, since I was not selected for the first job. I hope that the person that was selected, really needed the job and wanted to work and will be happy working there!

 

[kramer]

I ran into an interesting "occassional" job that I wouldn't mind doing if I needed to do some work. Prepare students to take the LSAT, GRE, GMAT, etc. The ad I saw only had one requirement, that you tested at the 99th percentile. Though if I had to take any of the tests again I probably wouldn't qualify to get into grad school.

Martha, I have thought of doing this, too. It seems like if you get in with a tutoring company, you can start adding more things that you cover over time. I got the sense that a lot of the work is short hours, though -- two hours in the afternoon today, three hours in the afternoon tomorrow, etc.

As I researched teaching overseas, it turns out that there is a market for teaching some of these tests in English overseas, too (often as a subset of your classes).

Kramer

 

[OKLibrarian]

Dh picked up some extra pocket money as a math/physics tutor for a little bit when we first got married--I think you would have trouble getting more than 15-20 hours a week--maybe more if you were willing to put in an 8 hour weekend day (and had enough clients to get those hours), but in your case that wouldn't be a drawback. The going rate seems to be between $10-15/hr if you're working for someone (Sylvan, etc.), but you can easily charge $35-$40 or so if you're freelance.

 

[BarbaraAnne]

Dh picked up some extra pocket money as a math/physics tutor for a little bit when we first got married--I think you would have trouble getting more than 15-20 hours a week--maybe more if you were willing to put in an 8 hour weekend day (and had enough clients to get those hours), but in your case that wouldn't be a drawback. The going rate seems to be between $10-15/hr if you're working for someone (Sylvan, etc.), but you can easily charge $35-$40 or so if you're freelance.

Our son had a few sessionsof calculus tutoring a couple of years ago and it was $60 per hour! This was not a company but a local guy who did it part-time. That was the going rate here for math tutors. It could be even higher now.

 

[Nords]

Our son had a few sessionsof calculus tutoring a couple of years ago and it was $60 per hour!

Whether or not you think you'll need a tutor someday, I highly recommend Kumon or its equivalent in your area. We pay $88.54/month for four hours/week at Kumon and all the calculus worksheets she can handle. It's the equivalent of Suziki musical tutoring for math & reading with the kids doing far more than one would expect them to be able to accomodate.

Yes, she's in ninth grade and she's doing Kumon calculus (along with her high school geometry homework). Because she asked, the high school has agreed that she can skip next year's Algebra II course and go straight to Trig. She'll do calc in 11th grade (the school won't allow validation) and cap it off with senior AP Statistics. By then she'll also be doing Kumon's differential equations. I joke about adding in partial diffeqs & other engineering math but I'm not sure that they're joking. "Helping" her with Kumon problems has been quite a challenge to our perishable math skills, too.

The owner of her Kumon franchise has also employed her-- six hours/week at $7.25/hour. There've been many educational moments around that lifestyle change, too.

She's been doing Kumon since 2nd grade. It seemed like a lot of money at first but the progress and the testing confidence (to say nothing of the GPA and the college savings) have been phenomenal. We never would have started Kumon but it's what a significant minority of kids do here (both for math and reading) and she wanted to be with her friends. Most of them have dropped out of the program now but she's really blossomed with it.

 

[wabmester]

The owner of her Kumon franchise has also employed her-- six hours/week at $7.25/hour. There've been many educational moments around that lifestyle change, too.

I used to do math tutoring when I was in high school. It's much harder explaining math to kids who don't get it than it is learning the stuff on your own. It should benefit her on several levels.

I've considered doing it again. Even if I did it for free, it should be a great workout for my stiff brain cells....

 

[BarbaraAnne]

Whether or not you think you'll need a tutor someday, I highly recommend Kumon or its equivalent in your area. We pay $88.54/month for four hours/week at Kumon and all the calculus worksheets she can handle. It's the equivalent of Suziki musical tutoring for math & reading with the kids doing far more than one would expect them to be able to accomodate.

Yes, she's in ninth grade and she's doing Kumon calculus (along with her high school geometry homework). Because she asked, the high school has agreed that she can skip next year's Algebra II course and go straight to Trig. She'll do calc in 11th grade (the school won't allow validation) and cap it off with senior AP Statistics. By then she'll also be doing Kumon's differential equations. I joke about adding in partial diffeqs & other engineering math but I'm not sure that they're joking. "Helping" her with Kumon problems has been quite a challenge to our perishable math skills, too.

The owner of her Kumon franchise has also employed her-- six hours/week at $7.25/hour. There've been many educational moments around that lifestyle change, too.

She's been doing Kumon since 2nd grade. It seemed like a lot of money at first but the progress and the testing confidence (to say nothing of the GPA and the college savings) have been phenomenal. We never would have started Kumon but it's what a significant minority of kids do here (both for math and reading) and she wanted to be with her friends. Most of them have dropped out of the program now but she's really blossomed with it.

Thanks, Nords! I really appreciate the great suggestion.

This would be great for our younger kid who will be in 9th grade honors geometry next year. It probably helps get them ready for the SAT's as well.

 

[Martha]

I used to do math tutoring when I was in high school. It's much harder explaining math to kids who don't get it than it is learning the stuff on your own. It should benefit her on several levels.

I've considered doing it again. Even if I did it for free, it should be a great workout for my stiff brain cells....

I was a teaching assistant in statistics (Psche major) and I really began to understand statistics when I had to help struggling students. When I worked with new lawyers I would always tell them that if they could explain something in plain English so that a client could understand, then I would know that they understood as well.

 

[sgeeeee]

Kurt Vonnegut says he worked with a Nobel prize winner -- Irving Langmuir, I think -- and he credits him with saying something to his colleagues like, "Anyone who can't explain what they are doing to a 13 year old is a charlatan."

 

[ESRBob]

Nords,
Bravo (brava?) that your daughter is still doing Kumon. Mine p**sed and moaned so much that we let them stop. Now they need personal math tutors to keep their grades above B+. Success with Kumon does depend a lot on the teacher/tutors there. It is a lot of drills, but if the kids don't get the drills, they need someone good to turn to (ours wasn't that good or was over-extended, so it was probably not an option)

So get this: one of the high school math teachers charges $100 an hour or $80 per kid (if you want to have a couple friends together) on Saturdays, and has a totally booked schedule. The kids think he's cool and they do learn from him, but a little back-of-the-envelope puts him earning an extra 30k or so a year. I'm glad, since he could easily get a job in private industry earning more.

One more Kumon story -- our friend's son did it and like your daughter, stuck with it for 7 years or so, and just got accepted to Andover as a freshman after taking AP Physics as an 8th grader....

 

[genghis]

At the risk of further de-railing this thread, I wanted to chime in on Kumon. It's not cheap - it costs us $100/month per child (currently have two enrolled), but it has helped our kids alot.

As with ESRBob - we get alot of complaining about the daily work - but it has helped both of our daughters immensely. It seems the schools (at least around here) are so busy trying to teach math topics that are closely related to the required standardized tests, they neglect the need for drilling in the basic essentials. I was appalled when I would ask my 4th grader what is 8 times 9 and she had no idea. She "aced" her times tables, but she had stored all the answers in her short term memory - just long enough to get to the next level.

Due to the constant, every day grind of doing Kumon (it really only takes about 15 mins a day), my 6th grade daughter who was floundering 3 years ago is now at the point she actually helps other kids with difficult math problems (maybe she should charge the $80/hr tutor rate!).

Needless to say, even though they are quite aware of the improvements they have made, they still continually p*ss and moan about doing it everday......