How much...

[agatha]

would you be willing to risk if you had a chance to do what you always wanted to do?

[Messiah]

Not much, that's why I'm not doing it.

[junebug123]

Let's say i wanted to rob a bank, then i would be risking my freedom if i got caught. If i wanted to cheat on my SO then i would be risking the relationship. You have to ask yourself what you value before you plan on risking it, obviously i value my freedom so i wouldn't risk it but there are people who don't really value their relationship so therefore they take risks, because ultimately there isn't any real consequence to their actions.

[agatha]

let's say, a 4-year career, a 75k+/year very stable position (+ health plan and 401k), with a close to 100% sure promotion next semester x starting from the ground at my dream field.

[90_hour_sleep]

let's say, a 4-year career, a 75k+/year very stable position (+ health plan and 401k), with a close to 100% sure promotion next semester x starting from the ground at my dream field.

 

what are you risking? i've been tossing around this question for myself of late. stability and money are easily attainable in my line of work...if i'm willing to re-locate for periods of time. is that worth it? it might be. what am i risking? well...for me, i'm giving up balance in my life. i'm making money an end in and of itself. but for me, it's not what i REALLY want to be doing so much as it's just a means to an end. substantial financial gain in a relatively short period of time.

 

is the job really what you want to be doing? i mean...the job itself...not the perks and benefits that the job offers. if that's the case, i feel the risk is worthwhile. if it's not the case...personally i'd re-evaluate.

 

i think there comes a point where we need -- truly NEED -- to do what we want to do with the core of our beings. there's so much compromise in our culture these days. so much emphasis on progress. i know for myself that i've spent the last several years doing things in an attempt to get to a place where i can finally do what i'd like to do. maybe that's the wrong focus though. perhaps it's time to do what i want to do...regardless of the risk involved. if i'm not following my own intuitive senses...if i'm not allowing myself to pursue what feels right...then am i really living?

[junebug123]

let's say, a 4-year career, a 75k+/year very stable position (+ health plan and 401k), with a close to 100% sure promotion next semester x starting from the ground at my dream field.

 

Let's say i started a forum with a really vague question and then replied with an even vaguer answer would i be risking my reputation or would i just risk wasting people's time?

[agatha]

exactly: what am I risking? I'm not really sure either. is it stability? a solid reputation (today I got a call from a guy who got my number from someone who said I could help him with his problem. best marketing ever)? all this expensive stuff I can afford? going on vacation for 30-40 days a year?

 

letting go of something so many people want so badly scares me, I admit.

 

I would be taking a 180° turn, with no sureness whatsoever of the outcome. it could be a blast, and it could be a full-blown-miss.

 

and no, this job is not even a step close to what I want to be doing. I'm amazingly good at it (or maybe just surrounded by a crowd of incompetent people, I'm never really sure), and even have some fun doing it. but it's like having sex with someone you don't love - in the end of the day, though my base needs are met, my soul longs for something more.

 

interesting that you asked "if (...), if (...), then am i really living?". I asked myself exactly that before I started this thread.

[agatha]

Let's say i started a forum with a really vague question and then replied with an even vaguer answer would i be risking my reputation or would i just risk wasting people's time?

 

let's say I did it on purpose as an attempt to keep things rethorical and not put my feet on the ground just yet, would you still be this rude to me or concede that I might have good reasons to be exploring this approach?

[camus154]

I think a lot of people mistake work for that something that gives meaning to their lives. For the large majority of people, work is something you more or less tolerate in order to sustain your lifestyle so you can do all the other things that give your life meaning.

 

Granted, no risk, no reward, right? You're young enough that you can probably afford to take the chance. If it doesn't work out, no biggie. Go back to doing what you were doing before, assuming they'd take you back or some other similar company would hire you.

[junebug123]

let's say I did it on purpose as an attempt to keep things rethorical and not put my feet on the ground just yet, would you still be this rude to me or concede that I might have good reasons to be exploring this approach?

 

Well, i would only be rude if you responded to my post with the same opening i used, and i would also be rude if i had no idea whether or not you were joking or serious. Maybe you have good reasons but i guess its hard to know when they aren't explained, so i just jumped to conclusions.

 

Either way if you are risking your happiness and stability for an unknown situation with the potential to make good money, then i would ask you what you feel is important in life? Money, or lifestyle. Personally, i would enjoy the money and the lifestyle. Could there be other jobs that pay that sort of money without the risk of relocation? Sure. Are you qualified for them? Maybe, maybe not. Is this job where you want to go with your career or just something that you are doing to keep busy?

 

Once you have answered those questions you will have a better understanding of what you are risking and why you are risking it.

[junebug123]

If it doesn't work out, no biggie.

 

If it doesn't work out then you basically invested a lot of time, and energy pursuing something you may or may not have been passionate about.

[agatha]

I think a lot of people mistake work for that something that gives meaning to their lives. For the large majority of people, work is something you more or less tolerate in order to sustain your lifestyle so you can do all the other things that give your life meaning.

 

Granted, no risk, no reward, right? You're young enough that you can probably afford to take the chance. If it doesn't work out, no biggie. Go back to doing what you were doing before, assuming they'd take you back or some other similar company would hire you.

 

I believe my job is as meaningful as I make it - everyday you get to be serviced by at least one cashier. don't you feel better if she smiles at you and wishes you a nice day? I apply the same thought to anything I do, inlcuding what I do now. It's got to be pleasant for me and my clients, internal or external, and my coworkers as well. meaning is constructed day by day by our understanding of the importance of every single activity developed. I'm thankful for the well done job of a janitor, and eventually I take time to express that to them. what would the world be without plumbers, mechanics, janitors, baby-sitters, and the so called 'blue collars'?

 

but perhaps you are right: your work doesn't give meaning to your life. but I believe it can make your life meaningful.

 

about being young enough, women in my family often live past the 90' mark. I'm supposed to retire by 65 or 70, I guess. roughly another... 40-45 years in the market. I think 5 years wouldn't be the death of my dreams of retiring and moving to a small mountain town by a lake, with little to do but baking cookies and playing the piano...

[agatha]

let's say I liked your opening and liked how you put the options in a very dichotomical way. it fit my neds then, and it grieves me to think that you thought I was mocking you. or anyone who would spend time reading me, for the matter.

 

that said, good to know we cleared it off =) no, I'm not just jesting around. it's serious, it's about my medium-term planning we're talking about here. and it's about getting my dreamy heart to convince my fiercely rational brain that I'm wanting to steer to a better direction.

 

talking about clearing things out: it's about money and stability x fulfillment.

 

I am qualified, and will hardly need to relocate - I will, though, start from ground zero. I don't have the option of reducing my work hours, so it will have to be done all at once. On the other hand, I can take my time on planning that and only pull the plug when I'm confident that I'm making the right choice. And it's a new field, a completely new career for me.

 

And as of now, money is not my core constraint. Not that I have much to spare, I just am not attached to it that much. I need just enough.

[junebug123]

 

I will, though, start from ground zero.

 

And it's a new field, a completely new career for me.

 

When i was in my teens and into my early twenties i felt like the world was mine, and i could give life to any desire which came to mind. As i got older (3 - 4 years) i started realizing how fragile life is and closing in on thirty, i start to think that the world isn't it fact mine at all; rather i belong to the world and i dependent on its resources. Realizing this i made a decision to pick one career and decided to build my life around that career, to basically pour my heart and soul into mastering that job no matter how long and arduous.

 

This is all after having my fill of several different jobs (give or take 12), tasting the good and the bad. Some jobs i could see myself doing for ever, but they didn't pay well, other jobs provided me with the income, along with the stress and lack of free time to pursue my own interests. All i can say is that i wish you the best of luck and hope that your heart knows more about living then your brain does (as you put it). A job is only a job if you hate what your doing, i hope you find something you love doing and find someone who will pay you to do it. Could be this career could not be.

 

Just remember you only live once, so you want to make sure that the choices you make are the best ones possible because you can't turn back time and say, well i really wish i was a trapeze artist.

[katmarie]

These are some great and exciting questions you are exploring!

 

Regarding the income factor... I know you say money doesn't matter much to you. It didn't matter much to me either. I grew up without a lot of it, knew how to work within the constraints of a budget, and never wanted for a ton of expensive stuff. I actually considered it wasteful to have an extravagant house or brand name outfits or a luxury car when I could get something that served the same function for much less. The older I get I have learned that money means to me... paying off my mortgage early and not having to be in debt to anyone, saving for retirement so that I will hit 60 and not have to work (unless I still enjoy my job enough that I really want to!), being able to send my kids to the college of their choosing, and knowing that if God forbid something happens to me my family will be taken care of by the money we have saved. Money equates to security - not stuff, for me. So I don't care about "stuff" but I do care about "security" so I guess I do care about "money" after all if "money" = "security" to me.

 

I am in the same position as you where I find my consulting gig tolerable, but derive no self-actualization from it. My true passions are working with seniors and animals. In my first few years I considered leaving to pursue a career as a veterinarian or a hospice worker. But I have realized three things that have stopped me... first off, I can still fulfill those passions outside of my 9-5 through volunteer work. Second, I value the security of a $150k/yr job a lot more than a passionate career. Third, even if I switched tracks, no matter what career I switched to, I would still have the workplace politics, incompetent people, early mornings, etc. to deal with, so some of the things that I dislike about my current job I would really dislike about any job.

 

I guess those are just a few things worth considering in making a case to stay the course with your current gig... Then when you are nearing retirement and have amassed your fortune, you can make the career switch.

 

As others have said though, you should really write down your values and priorities, and see how each job option impacts them. See if there are alternative ways to satisfy either. I'd think long and hard before you leave a good gig to pursue the starving artist or do-gooder professions though....

[TutorIndia]

Yeah I would like to take a risk in life because I am so passionate about things I really want

[LonelyMoondancer]

I'm willing to risk drifting from my friends, adjusting to a new city, and everything that comes with a long-distance relationship in order to pursue my dream education so that I can have the career I want in the future. I just want it so badly and feel that it's best for my life and my own security. So I'm willing to do what it takes- move away- risks and all. Sometimes you can't have it all.

[agatha]

thank you all for your kind input - Delacrank, you are totally right when you say that sometimes there is a right moment to make choices. and katmarie, I really appreciate your point of view - I treat money mostly that same way. I don't spend a lot on clothes, shoes or make-up - my biggest expenses go on books, education and sound tech (the kind of stuff I know that will take me for something close to 3 years before I really need to think about getting a new one).

 

TutorIndia and LonelyMoondancer, thank you as well. how much do I want it? I must learn that as well. I know I want it. it's a good step, already...

 

I've given myself a due date for figuring it out. by then, I hope I have these basics sorted clearly enough to start actually planning (or not) this shift.

[AnotherBrokenDoll]

I know i'm young, but because of my family situation i've risked a lot to do the career i want to do. I couldn't stand being in a "job". Something that annoys you to go to. I'm not saying that every day is a good day, or that i wake up eager to get to work, but i love what i do. I enjoy the time i spend at work for the most part.

 

The risks i took to get here? Well i put myself in a hell of a lot of debt, i've risked not even earning enough to pay my bills, i've risked my family to a certain degree (i used to have to work 3 - 11pm, with a grandmother with dementia and when the sun goes down the dementia got worse, and i LOVED my grandmother. I was leaving her with her husband - but it was still very difficult seeing as he was elderly too), i risk my relationship now - because with shift work, plus spending more nights with my elderly grandfather than my partner time together is pretty rare.

 

Everything would have been easier if i'd given up my passion and worked a full time 9 - 5 job in retail. I'd never have gotten into so much debt, nd if i had i could have paid it off. I would have been home to care for my family, and i'd have far more time with my boyfriend. But i'd be unhappy. I'd feel like something was missing. And it would be. Its been a hell of a battle, but its starting to pay off now. And realistically i knew my family that suffered would have wanted me to live my life as well.

 

So for me, i'd have risked almost anything, to do the thing i'm passionate about.