I've been working for 6 years at a pretty good company, with what used to be a pretty good job for me. For a couple years it was great - a software development job where I could get my hands dirty, work on the things I enjoyed without having to manage other people, and make decent money doing it.
Of course, over time came the opportunity for a promotion. At first I thought "sure, why not?" So I took a lead developer job where I was responsible for a team - and found out that I mostly hated the new responsibilities. The pay was better (10% or so), but the new job left me mentally exhausted day in and day out. Managing and planning what others do was just something I didn't enjoy and leads to a lot of stress. The brain surgery I had and resulting memory problems certainly don't help either.
So after a while I asked to be put in my old position. However, I was informed that lead developer positions are my only option, as all the lower-level positions have been filled. I gave up trying to get my old job back and have managed to stick with the lead position for few years now.
I've grown so sick of the stress that it actually led me to find this forum. In a way this might be a good thing, since as a result I have been saving as much money as I possibly so I can retire as soon as possible. But I'm in my low 30s and realistically still have 10-15 years left if all goes well before I'll have enough to retire.
So that leads me to the question - would you stick with a well-paying job with good benefits and a pension that you hate in order to retire early, or would you try to find a more enjoyable job and risk pushing back retirement a few years?
Of course, over time came the opportunity for a promotion. At first I thought "sure, why not?" So I took a lead developer job where I was responsible for a team - and found out that I mostly hated the new responsibilities. The pay was better (10% or so), but the new job left me mentally exhausted day in and day out. Managing and planning what others do was just something I didn't enjoy and leads to a lot of stress. The brain surgery I had and resulting memory problems certainly don't help either.
So after a while I asked to be put in my old position. However, I was informed that lead developer positions are my only option, as all the lower-level positions have been filled. I gave up trying to get my old job back and have managed to stick with the lead position for few years now.
I've grown so sick of the stress that it actually led me to find this forum. In a way this might be a good thing, since as a result I have been saving as much money as I possibly so I can retire as soon as possible. But I'm in my low 30s and realistically still have 10-15 years left if all goes well before I'll have enough to retire.
So that leads me to the question - would you stick with a well-paying job with good benefits and a pension that you hate in order to retire early, or would you try to find a more enjoyable job and risk pushing back retirement a few years?