What is (or will be) your second career?

[Midpack]

For those who look forward to leaving your first (primary?) career after/near FI, but expect to continue work doing something you love, what is it?

Not for everyone, but I see FI as an opportunity to (move) live where I want to live and do (work) what I want to do --- even if it pays (much) less than what I've done for MegaCorp for the past 30+ years. Frankly, I am still having a tough time figuring out 'what I want to be when I grow up' - but I'm getting closer thanks to several books. For me FI has been the goal, not ready for the RE part yet...

[omni550]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack For those who look forward to leaving your first (primary?) career after/near FI, but expect to continue work doing something you love, what is it? Not for everyone, but I see FI as an opportunity to (move) live where I want to live and do (work) what I want to do --- even if it pays (much) less than what I've done for MegaCorp for the past 30+ years. Frankly, I am still having a tough time figuring out 'what I want to be when I grow up' - but I'm getting closer thanks to several books. For me FI has been the goal, not ready for the RE part yet...

I'd like to know which books you are finding to be the most helpful.

omni

[kcowan]

My second career enabled me to make much more money than I ever dreamed about. It enabled FI early (although a divorce added 5 years). We really had not achieved FI until 3 years after retiring. But we were confident that buoyant markets, active management and LBYM lifestyle would do it.

[Meadbh]

When I grow up I want to be a woman of leisure and a dilettante.

dilettante - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

[JDARNELL]

I think we will be able to fully retire in 5 yrs but as CINC House points out we have 11 more yrs of kids in school so we are captive part of the year.

I intend to teach at a local Jr college. I will start back as an adjunct in the fall and when I retire from AD military in 2-5 yrs I will eventually roll into the 5/4 2 semester a yr full time gig with the summers and breaks off. This will allow me to have time with the kids when they are out of school for their breaks. Plus it will allow me to feather the nest a little more. Once I get a total of 10 yrs time with the state system I will hang it up for good.

Tomcat98

[Orchidflower]

Selling something that has a high profit margin for the main business, but, for fun, I'd love to have a baked goods stall at a farmer's market. Those people always are smiling and talking to everyone. Think of the contacts you could make just on Saturday morning.

[Moemg]

I sell on ebay and amazon . It's more of a hobby but I really enjoy it . I especially enjoy the flexibility . I need to take care of my Mother for a few weeks so I'll just stop selling until I return . I tried working one day a week at Nursing . I was making excellent money but it was the same old grind . This is fun and the money is just a bonus .

[ChrisC]

I'm tired of sitting behind a desk, solving problems, dealing with people with whom I would never socialize, and communicating stupid stuff to others about insignificant matters in the grand scheme of life -- but I'm thinking I''l never survive in retirement without some type of time consuming activities such as a second job or substantial volunteer work.

Right now, I'm thinking I'd be a good doorman at a fancy apartment building in a major city, a great redcap guy at the airport, or a good personal fitness trainer. The best job I ever had in my life was the summers I spent as a NYC park attendant. I enjoyed picking up trash, chalking baseball fields, painting swimming pools, and watching and talking to people as I worked. Mike Rowe is my hero.

[Moemg]

My ideal job would to be a professional complainer . People who are too timid to raise h--- would hire me to do their dirty work . I am an excellent returner and am frequently given bonuses so I'll go away . One of my claims to fame is I got an Epson Photo Printer for absolutely free after complaining about the rebates . I also got a $750 Toshiba laptop for $425 . My SO calls it bringing out the Jersey .

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Frankly, I am still having a tough time figuring out 'what I want to be when I grow up'.

some people just know what they want to do but i have always had your problem. the only thing i wanted to be as a little kid was an airline pilot. at that time they were taking their pilots from the air force. i toured emery riddle in florida and spoke with afrotc. only i unfortunately came of age during peace when the air force only took student pilots with perfect vision. so instead i bounced around state schools for a while, focused on architecture for a few years, then wound up graduating with a worthless communication degree.

i kept getting disenchanted with so-called careers. at first i put architects on pedestals until i realized that only very few get to actually design from their heart. most really just reconfigure shoeboxes for a living. when i got interested in the fourth estate, i thought so highly of newspaper writers and the notion of objectivity but then i started working with them. not what i thought it was going to be.

i finally settled down in a corporate slacky job with a fortune five. i kind of think of a career as building a resume. i crumbled mine and tossed it out the day i quit.

now that waiting to start my next career as a lazygood4nothin vagabond which the housing bubble has put on hold, i find myself looking through the classifieds for something to do while i wait it out. i'm 51 years old and i still don't know what i want to be when i grow up either. i'm looking for something i can do in shorts, a tea shirt and that doesn't start too early in the morning. maybe a night warehouse job. maybe bag boy at the supermarket. i haven't noticed what they wear. do they wear shorts? i want to work but i don't want to have to shave every day or wear a tie.

one of the jobs i did as a teen was driving a forklift. low stress, i don't have to present myself to anyone. easy hours. maybe i'll see if my old job is still there. finally, a career.

[SteveR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum ... i want to work but i don't want to have to shave every day or wear a tie. one of the jobs i did as a teen was driving a forklift. low stress, i don't have to present myself to anyone. easy hours. maybe i'll see if my old job is still there. finally, a career.

There are lots of j*bs out there where you can work limited hours and without a tie. Check your local Jobs website or even Kelly Services etc. If you truly miss w*rk then by all means find something that you WANT to do and enjoy it. If I were to find said j*b I might consider doing it but only on a very limited basis. I still have way too much I want to do to be tied down to any j*b at this point.

[playaman]

I've been a journalist, a lawyer, a PR executive, a speechwriter, a professional services marketer and a professor. In fewer than 90 days, I retire (for real this time, I hope). I'm working on a television documentary and a book, but am ambivalent whether I continue or not. I have my heart set on being a volunteer at a major nature preserve ... the next career? for free? And, the funny thing is I feel totally open to it. Retirement will be sweet.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Sleeping late.

[Khan]

Squirrel watching.

[torres9]

Coach soccer.

I don't think I want to/will make money doing it. But would love to do it at say the high school level. I hope to pick up some coaching certificates in the next few yrs.

I am passionate about soccer, love to watch, play and coach. But then one might know that from my screen name!

torres9

"his arm band proved he was a red... torres! torres!..."

[UncleHoney]

Let's see, if I had to have a second career.

How about a lighthouse keeper, I think I could handle that, keep the light working and have a nice big workshop to keep me occupied during the day.

Or maybe a locomotive engineer, but it would have to be a steam locomotive.

Or a barge pilot on the Mississippi. Or a lock operator on the Panama Canal.

[Rambler]

I think I would really enjoy being a campground host in the summertime. I like the idea of being able to walk thru the campground meeting and greeting. There are downsides though. We were camping a few years ago and our neighbors in the camp had their music up real loud and were drinking and carrying on until around 3am. My BIL and I confronted them because the hosts were too far and we were afraid to leave the women-folk alone. The other thing I would not enjoy about it would be cleaning the toilets.

R

[mathjak107]

im going to be the guy at the local strip club who cleans up all the empty beer bottles. i just hope they dont charge me to much!

[flipstress]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack ...but expect to continue work doing something you love, what is it?

Ah, for me THAT is the question--well, in addition to the question of finances. These days, I am getting discouraged and feel that ER is all a big fantasy for me.

But to continue the fantasies, these things have popped into my mind from time to time, but they require so much time and energy with most likely little probability that anyone would hire a 50+ year-old grad:
- Go back to university and study to become an architect
- Go back to university and study to become a doctor
- Go back to university and get a master's in library science
After all the studying related to any of the above, I might be so burnt out that I wouldn't even want to work using the new degree.

More doable ones, which I could start on now and not wait until I retire:
- Get a master's degree in Computer Science and then teach at the local community college
- Take drafting and graphic design classes at local community college and work in some firm using these
- Have my own business doing web pages or database applications for small firms or non-profit local firms

Out-there ideas:
- Like another poster, get a food booth at a downtown corner and sell noodles, fried rice, and egg rolls during the nice-weather months
- Back up my BF as a rhythm guitarist during his gigs
- Get certification to be a masseuse and yoga instructor

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Frankly, I am still having a tough time figuring out 'what I want to be when I grow up'...

As you can see, I share that problem with you. There are so many things to do and learn, but I only have one body and one life. I am 45 years old and work as a computer programmer basically. Things are going OK at work but I forget how old I am and getting older--I keep thinking there's enough time to do other things. But as one gets older, options close off with hireability, age discrimination and stuff in most fields. And as I get older, my energy levels have waned, too.

It seems to me serial careers were not much tolerated by big employers. They want continuity in one profession and concentration in one field. Maybe that's changing because of the necessity of surviving with a job (even any job) in the face of massive layoffs. But even then, if one's career path zigs and zags in different areas, one doesn't command as much salary as someone who has been an "expert" or "pro" in one field.

When one is FI, though, careers and resumes are things of the past, hopefully, and one has more freedom to explore doing what one loves, which is your question anyway: working doing what we love.

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleHoney Let's see, if I had to have a second career. How about a lighthouse keeper, I think I could handle that, keep the light working and have a nice big workshop to keep me occupied during the day.

Might be a tad lonely......but you could always hope for some fun......

snopes.com: Lighthouse and Aircraft Carrier