Young, new grad, no debt, no family: do I really need a 9-5?

[RockmaninoffParticipant 1641]

Greetings, gentlemen,

I’m twenty-two years old, fresh out of school with a degree in computer engineering, no debt, no experience, and I recently landed a 9-5 job.

As far as 9-5 jobs go, it’s pretty cushy, and, for me, as of this moment, I can’t imagine something better for a mindless office drone: It’s super easy to sneak in late, super easy to sneak out late, I get paid good money (relatively speaking, for an entry level position) to pretty much do nothing all day, office is air conditioned, I have my own cube, and the company pays for lunch—plus no women in my department!

Yet on Tuesday, during the bus ride (my commute is, at best, 75 minutes one way) I had a breakdown, so much so that I almost quit my job on the spot: I was thinking about how this work is meaningless, has nothing to do with my degree (I’m an engineer by education but I’m doing menial customer service work), how I’m spending so much time at this job, that I’d rather be doing fulfilling things, thinking even that it’d be better to die than to spend my life and youth working.

Yes, we all have to work for our substance. But work ought to serve life; not the other way around. How can my work be serving my life when I’m, right now, spending most of my life at work?

So the question is: do I really need a 9-5 to have freedom for myself, however little it may be on the weekends and evenings (and evenings just barely, because the commute is so long, and I’m one of those people who are tired all day with anything less than a solid, undisturbed nine hours of sleep, so pretty much it’s a few hours to myself and then bed)? I was thinking that 9-5 is suited for men with families who really need the extra money to feed their kids, wives, and mortgages, and whose lives depend on the stability.

I was thinking of asking my employer to let me go part-time; my excuse will be to study for my engineering accreditation exam (not enough to make me an accredited engineer, but it’s a start in the accreditation direction).

Men who have found the secret to freedom for themselves and 9-5 jobs, tell your stories! Any suggestions for a young grad?

". . . elle, suivant l’usage des femmes et des chats qui ne viennent pas quand on les appelle et qui viennent quand on ne les appelle pas, s’arrêta devant moi et m’adressa la parole"—Prosper Mérimée

[Blue SkiesParticipant 15665]

if you can live a frugal livestyle and manage your money effectively, ask for a part time job.

you’ll also get a lower income tax rate with a part time job.
more importantly, you’ll have much more free time.

MGTOW is not a movement, it is a way of life.

[RennieParticipant]

If you get a low enough part time job, you don’t have to pay any income tax and therefore are not feeding the monster.

Try to get something above minimum wage if you can.

[HitmanParticipant]

Whatever you do,
Enjoy it!

[FrankOneParticipant 1417]

Can you move closer to the work so that you have a 10 min commute? 75 min x 2 = 150 min per day or 2.5 hours! I’d rather rent a basement from a work colleague that lives close, and stay there during the week, and go home to your other posh place on weekends. You may be plenty happy with a modest place for weekdays.

I’m not sure where you reside, it sounds like its outside the USA? Where I live, though, you lose a LOT of benefits when you go part time so do consider that. Will you employer pay for further study, such as accreditations?

Can you work your way up to a position where you use your computer engineering skills at this place?

[StargazerParticipant 12505]

This is the time of your life when you are the most capable of taking risks and absorbing failures. You should use this time to plan and execute your strategy for the future, not waste it at a dead-end job.

[KeymasterKeymaster]

I’ve heard it said your 20s are for making LOTSA mistakes, your 30s are to pay for them, and your 40s are for finally buying yourself the car you always wanted. But you’re a smart guy so don’t listen to dumb sayings others parrot.

Rockmaninoff wrote:

I was thinking that 9-5 is suited for men with families who really need the extra money to feed their kids, wives, and mortgages, and whose lives depend on the stability.

That’s a great justification, and its true. You don’t NEED to work like bastard. But what if you did for a couple of years and socked that difference away for yourself?

NOW you have a nice next egg.
I call it a “f~~~ you fund”.

A “f~~~ you fund” is a GOOD chunk of change that you have….. so if you HATE your job, or if you’re treated like s~~~, you can afford to say “F~~~ YOU!” to the boss (or just walk out politely) and take your time to get a better one. It also gives you a psychological boost and more confidence and ownership of SELF.

You now go to work with more of a feeling that you WANT to…. instead of going to work thinking “gosh I really need this s~~~ty job to pay my bills or I’m screwed.”. That’s a terrible place to be. It erodes you psychologically over time too.

But a “f~~~ you fund” is a good thing to have.

My best friend had a GREAT opportunity when he was just 28 to make GREAT money doing something he didn’t like. He thought it would make him stale. He decline the offer to do something “more fulfilling” for peanuts and I told him he was nuts. Just one or two years would give him a GREAT f~~~ you fund and then he could afford to make some CHOICES —- AFTER.

Took him a few years, but he eventually kicked himself hard and admitted I was right. Because the “more fulfilling” gig didn’t pay, and two years later he was in the same position — without the great opportunity waiting for him.

Something to think about.

I wouldn’t be content to lay back and worked like a bastard until I had a f~~~ you fund.

ASSET ACQUISITION

Do not waste your youth.

Right.

Get it in there, and get it in there EARLY.

Hyperdrive man. Work hard when young. When older you get to downshift.

Absolutely agree with that.

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[The Batman 2020Participant 2112]

Keymaster wrote:

I’ve heard it said your 20s are for making LOTSA mistakes, your 30s are to pay for them

20’s are for learning 30’s are for earning

Your 20's are for learning, your 30's are for earning.

[KeymasterKeymaster]

The Batman 2020 wrote:

20’s are for learning 30’s are for earning

I happened to be quoting (above) a famous architect who I saw speak publicly once. He said “make LOTS of mistakes and PAY PAY PAY for them”. I failed to see the real value in that. So I like your version much better.

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[RockmaninoffParticipant 1641]

Blue Skies wrote:

if you can live a frugal livestyle and manage your money effectively, ask for a part time job.

you’ll also get a lower income tax rate with a part time job.
more importantly, you’ll have much more free time.

I pride myself on being able to live well on very little. My food costs very little and well-balanced and healthy. My hobbies cost nothing but electricity and time.

Only thing I’m worried about is rent. I’m hoping I’d be able to pay for that with part time. The plan is to tell my employer I’m going to work for two days per week till my engineering test, which is a month from now. That’s reasonable, isn’t it? Let me have extra time to pursue my skills.

Hitman wrote:

Whatever you do,
Enjoy it!

If the purpose of having a job is to support you when you’re not working, then “enjoying it” can take a back seat. You don’t have to enjoy it.

But if I’m spending most of my life at a job (which I’d rather die than do), then, yeah, that’s kind of a little bit important.

FrankOne wrote:

Can you move closer to the work so that you have a 10 min commute?

That was the plan (I have to move out within two months anyway) till I realized I hated it at my job. Now I regard it as temporary. Moving closer seems to be a “settling” kind of thing.

FrankOne wrote:

I’m not sure where you reside, it sounds like its outside the USA?

Canada, so I don’t have to worry about health insurance. And even if I did, company policy says you have to work for at least three months to get it.

FrankOne wrote:

Will you employer pay for further study, such as accreditations?

Company policy is that if they pay for extra training you have to stay with them for at least a year after or you have to pay them back. No way in hell I’m going to lock myself down for that long.

If my employer doesn’t let me go part-time so I can study for my test in a month, then this employer can actually go eat a runway of dicks.

Stargazer wrote:

You should use this time to plan and execute your strategy for the future, not waste it at a dead-end job.

Do not waste your youth.

I know, I know! This is my fear. I’m wasting away at this place! I could be doing so much more creative, productive things. Even if they didn’t make me any money, I’d be fulfilled and happy!

Keymaster wrote:

A “f~~~ you fund” is a GOOD chunk of change that you have….. so if you HATE your job, or if you’re treated like s~~~, you can afford to say “F~~~ YOU!” to the boss (or just walk out politely) and take your time to get a better one. It also gives you a psychological boost and more confidence and ownership of SELF.

That’s actually a great idea and something to consider.

The only reason I’m even contemplating the idea of working less is because I already have something of a f~~~ you fund.

I’ve always been a n~~~~rd, ever since a kid. Any time I got a little bit of cash, it was straight to the bank, don’t f~~~ing touch it, mom and dad feed you and shelter you so you don’t need to spend it. I got older, and spent a tiny bit, but every year still, from summer jobs and birthday money, that number on my bank account has been climbing higher and higher.

A bigger f~~~ you fund would be nice though. But I really gotta study for this test. Thinking of telling them I’m going to go part time to study. If they say no, really shows a toxic attitude the company has.

". . . elle, suivant l’usage des femmes et des chats qui ne viennent pas quand on les appelle et qui viennent quand on ne les appelle pas, s’arrêta devant moi et m’adressa la parole"—Prosper Mérimée

[RennieParticipant]

Btw…saw an 86 year old landlord still painting rooms…at the hardware store.

All his friends who retired are dead.

RETIREMENT = Death

Keep moving.

I once heard from a doctor that the physiological changes caused by going from a lifetime of work to no work abruptly can actually kill you up to a year later. Some people have actually died shortly after retirement just like described.

Also lack of work, or activity makes you idle and that is one of the things that can bring about an undignified demise by Alzheimer’s/Dementia.

I had 2 relatives who worked almost to the day they died (80+). One was still working when he died suddenly of a heart attack in a hotel. I don’t think he ever realized what was happening.

The other retired from farming and died suddenly, less than a year later.

[Silverstone the SecondParticipant]

Same situation as you, man. I have a good paying job, very good, and I work my dick in the dirt. The thing that keeps me going is seeing how other people my age act. Some in early and mid 20’s and still working at mcdonalds or as a cashier somewhere. This sets the course for your whole working life, grab what you can.

Words of wisdom.
Opportunities multiply as they are seized. So you can shove money away and have a nice rainy day fund. It all depends on what you want, I say get a good job and tuck away everything. Money adds up quick when you don’t have a woman bleeding you dry.

Feminism is a movement where opinions are presented as facts and emotions are presented as evidence.

[RockmaninoffParticipant 1641]

I want to be clear, guys: I’m not saying I would quit my job and stop working. I’m lazy, but I’m no loafer or idler. Rather, I would work on things that are important to me: my exam, my novel, my music, my books.

". . . elle, suivant l’usage des femmes et des chats qui ne viennent pas quand on les appelle et qui viennent quand on ne les appelle pas, s’arrêta devant moi et m’adressa la parole"—Prosper Mérimée

[experiencedParticipant]

If in doubt, do both.

"It seems like there's times a body gets struck down so low, there ain't a power on earth that can ever bring him up again. Seems like something inside dies so he don't even want to get up again. But he does."

[Buller100Participant 2189]

As has been said , if the money is good use as a launch pad .. Live cheaply invest , in 15 years you could have a few rentals under your belt then do as you wish.

Good luck, free time is good but not having to work later in life is good also…

[survivorParticipant 610]

You are sitting pretty then. Don’t waste this chance. go ahead and work full time and even over time and save money. As Keymaster said, nest eggs are always a good thing. Stash it away in a bank and even some in a place that only you know about. As Stealthy said, get rental property and rent it out. Even get two. Be sure to own your own place and your own vehicle. And stay away from women above all else. Live quietly simply. Follow God. Have peace in life.

"Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, You give love a bad name, I play my part and you play your game, You give love a bad name."--Bon Jovi

[John DoeParticipant 743]

In simple terms: No.

[balkprParticipant 26]

Money is important. Work imposes on a man’s freedom. So does poverty. We’re all slaves to our stomachs.

Finding a good job that pays well and doesn’t make you want to slit your wrists isn’t all bad.

You’re young. Look at everything you do as a learning experience.
You’re at school and getting a salary.

What would you do if you quit?
Can you make a living playing music, writing a novel, or reading books?
Would you still enjoy those things the same way if you had to rely on one of them to make a living? Is writing a novel still going to seem like an expression of freedom when you’re a slave to writing novels in order to feed yourself?

What about the interaction with co-workers? Would you miss that? I own my own company. I miss water cooler conversation and having people to go out to lunch with. I wouldn’t trade in what I do for a lunch date, but it’s something I didn’t realize that I was giving up when I gave it up.

Ball Keeper

[Author]

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