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> I find it hard to empathize with FIRE people because I like my job. It's not about having to quit your job. It's about having the option to quit if you decid
by outworlder 6y ago
> I find it hard to empathize with FIRE people because I like my job.
It's not about having to quit your job. It's about having the option to quit if you decide to. Should you decide not to quit you can keep earning money, without having any real need for it, which means you can invest and get even more money.
It's great that you enjoy your job _today_ (you are probably a minority). But what about 5 years from now? 10 years? Whatever you are working on may change. If you are an employee, your manager could be replaced by a crappy one. If you own your company, the market forces might change.
Not having your job tied to your ability to put food on the table frees you to do whatever you may decide to do.
- closeparen 6y agoInteresting perspective. As a software engineer it is unlikely that the world will ever lack satisfying work for me for very long (recessions notwithstanding). If it does, as a reasonably smart and academically successful person, I think I could transition to whatever is next. Maybe it helps that I saw both my parents change careers via graduate school while I was growing up. But you’re right, it is a gamble, and if I were more risk averse I might want stronger insurance against the possibility.
- sukilot 6y agoFIRE literally means Retire Early. Otherwise it's just FI.