job pays great,great benefits insurance,retirement etc. i hate what i do and the people i work with. no one here likes their job and only stay for money and benies. im out of town 90% of the time. i have to stay 10 years to get full benefits for retirement. working conditions are hard and dangerous. im made to feel guilty because of the money and told at my age im pretty much stuck here. this is a construction type job and everyone except me is in their 20's. im in good shape now but i can feel the wear and tear on my body. my passion is art. im a portrait artist. i can make a living at it but wife says there's no retirement or benefits so it's not worth it . so is this really my only avenue, 10 - 15 yrs of hell wasting away to retire so i can actually do something i love and good at?
2007-12-29 17:30:24 · 8 answers · asked by KELLIE L P 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment ➔ Food Service
Being a woman it's hard to believe your wife would want you to stay if the work is dangerous and hard. She needs to quit thinking about the money and start thinking about you. Just quit your job and she'll have to deal with it. It's not worth it. You can do your portrait painting and she can go to work for where they have benefits.
2007-12-29 19:49:31 · answer #1 · answered by solotrovo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure if there is any easy answer for you. I am all about people living their dreams, not that of someone else's. Life is meant to be enjoyed. When someone has to work long, hard hours, they are often missing out on what really matters. But with your situation, if you were to quit your job and follow your passion, would you be able to financially afford it? Regardless of the retirement issue right now. Because all in all, who knows what will be left of retirement then & if you are a great artist, then you just may be able to actually go above & beyond and create your own means of retirement. If it's something that you love, it's then not really work at all, and you may not ever actually retire from it.
It's hard to say. This is something you are going to have to do some really intense contemplating over. I could never continue to do something I hated, yet you would be in a worse place if you can't afford to pay the bills.
Are you able to spend some time at night & on the weekends when you are not working, to focus on your art? If so, you could at least get a little something moving along. As long as you are consistently doing something, it will progress.
Good Luck!
2007-12-29 17:45:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can't you do both? Do you art at night, weekends and on your vacation.
Tell your wife to get a job with a pension.
I have to tell you, there are virtually no jobs left that have pensions. Is it a true pension or a 401k retirement type plan? Big difference as you can contribute to your own IRA you would just lose the match.
Not to mention that Enron employees thought they had pensions to, now look what they have.
Fill your spare time with what you love. Have your wife work and put all her money towards retirement. You may be able to quit sooner than you thought.
Good luck to you.
2007-12-29 17:37:38 · answer #3 · answered by Gem 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had a job that I loved and had a strong passion for, it was personal training. I left it for a six figure job in mortgages. Making that kind of money made me happy to buy the things that I had always wanted, but I worked 15 hours a day. I gained 20lbs. I went from a guy that had all the energy in the world to a lazy bum who would go straight asleep when I got home. I decided one day to get back into my training business. I'm 40lbs lighter now, I'm full of energy but most important I'm happy. If you can make a living at doing art- go for it! Don't be in your 70's saying "woulda, coulda, shoulda" Money is overratted because it doesn't bring you "complete" happiness.
2007-12-29 19:24:17 · answer #4 · answered by Mr. K 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't do something you hate for 10 years. You are 53 now and should love what you do and enjoy life (as anyone should regardless of age) because what else is life about? Why wait until you are 60+ to retire and have fun?
2007-12-29 21:40:40 · answer #5 · answered by northnode3g 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Too old to change? Not hardly. Why do people get that BS stuck in their head? You need to do what you love. Hatred of your job is wearing you down not your age. Do you really want to wait til you are completely worn down before doing what you want? By then you may not want to do it and have anger towards your wife because she pretty much forced you into a decision that you knew you hated. I could go on but.......your life, do what makes you happy.
2007-12-29 17:41:57 · answer #6 · answered by hoppykit 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do it. live. tomorrow may never come and living with regret is harder on the soul. its so cliche but my father passed on at a young age, so now when i see people who are older than me i wish them health and happiness. if art makes you happy, find a way to intergrade it into your life somehow. there are many jobs out there i am sure you can get with similar benefits and you may enjoy a change in jobs. being able to balance out financial stability (to make the wife smile!) with your personal happiness may be the best thing for your soul. enjoy always!!!
2007-12-29 17:44:41 · answer #7 · answered by essassin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell your wife to work your job and see if she likes it and could do it day in and day out. Do what YOU want to do, geez, ya live one time, make it as happy and fulfilling as possible!
2007-12-29 18:43:32 · answer #8 · answered by #3 due 9/1/09 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋