6 ms·

I wrote this a few weeks ago, but the answer is always "what are you optimizing for?" If you hate work for whatever reason and you want out of the system faste

by lbotos 4y ago

I wrote this a few weeks ago, but the answer is always "what are you optimizing for?" If you hate work for whatever reason and you want out of the system faster? Yes, stack dollars and exit. That may require sacrifice and "bad gigs" but that could enable the exit. If you find your work engaging and rewarding? Why would you optimize to exit? (Queue the lawyers/doctors/etc that work into their 80s for the love of it.) Tech has brutal ageism but the point still stands -- figure out what you are optimizing for, and your answer will be clear. (OP sounds like they have found the secret that money isn't everything, and happiness is rewarding and they are optimizing for that.)

lotsofpulp 4y ago
> If you find your work engaging and rewarding? Why would you optimize to exit? To mitigate the risk of losing the ability to earn income. You can always choose not to work or work a lower paying job after you attain financial security. I feel like the risks are especially high of losing ability to earn sufficient income between ages 50 to 65 such that you are able to afford healthcare expenses to carry you until you qualify for Medicare (at age 65). So my goal is to earn everything I need to before then.
- imtringued 4y ago
  >To mitigate the risk of losing the ability to earn income. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EKd6WURBqOY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EKd6WURBqOY
- galdosdi 4y ago
  The older I get the more aware I become of the risk that I can't possibly assume the ability to make a living the way I currently do will stay around indefinitely. I could become disabled at any time, or the world or industry could change. If you look across different professions in different countries across different times, you see that a profession that is very lucrative in one time period often isn't anymore in a subsequent one, or in another nearby society. These things come and go. There was a time when becoming an airline pilot or factory worker were lucrative options in the USA. There are a lot of good reasons to guess that the good times will continue for the time being, but you're kidding yourself if you think it's a certainty.
- bumby 4y ago
  I think to the OP's point, if you are truly engaged in your work (and assuming your work carries healthcare benefits), it becomes a somewhat moot point to optimize for healthcare costs at some future age. I think your point on losing healthcare is predicated on the idea that you want to work less in the future (presumably in some job that doesn't carry those benefits). I think part of the issue is that society in general (and tech in particular) are extremely productivity-focused which trains you to be future-biased in your thinking. Everything becomes about preparing for the next milestone rather than, as the OP advocated, optimizing for the present period of time.
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    > your point on losing healthcare is predicated on the idea that you want to work less in the future No, it is predicated on the increasing probabilities of illness and injuries as one ages, as well as age discrimination resulting in more difficulty obtaining a job with sufficient pay and health insurance benefits.
    - bumby 4y ago
      To the OP's point, if you've optimized for engaging work and if you don't want to work less, you're already in a job that you want to continue working in. Your point is that you want to job-hop to get more money to pay for benefits...that you already have? I've shared this elsewhere, but it's like the story from Oliver Burkeman's book about the NYC businessman chastising a Mexican fisherman for spending too much time on the beach drinking wine with friends instead of growing his fishing business. When the fisherman asked, "And once I have all that money from growing my business, then what should I do?" and the businessman said, "Well, then you can spend your time drinking wine on the beach with your friends."
      - lotsofpulp 4y ago
        > Your point is that you want to job-hop to get more money to pay for benefits...that you already have? No. The goal is to be able to secure desired resources without needing a job, i.e. having enough wealth to not have to work in the event that I am unable or unwilling to work. What am I supposed to do if my wife or I get hit with a cancer diagnosis in mid 50s? The fisherman and NYC businessman story is missing the volatility component of life. Hence the utility of markets for futures trading, etc.

by lbotos 4y ago

lotsofpulp 4y ago

> If you find your work engaging and rewarding? Why would you optimize to exit? To mitigate the risk of losing the ability to earn income. You can always choose not to work or work a lower paying job after you attain financial security. I feel like the risks are especially high of losing ability to earn sufficient income between ages 50 to 65 such that you are able to afford healthcare expenses to carry you until you qualify for Medicare (at age 65). So my goal is to earn everything I need to before then.

imtringued 4y ago
>To mitigate the risk of losing the ability to earn income. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EKd6WURBqOY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EKd6WURBqOY
galdosdi 4y ago
The older I get the more aware I become of the risk that I can't possibly assume the ability to make a living the way I currently do will stay around indefinitely. I could become disabled at any time, or the world or industry could change. If you look across different professions in different countries across different times, you see that a profession that is very lucrative in one time period often isn't anymore in a subsequent one, or in another nearby society. These things come and go. There was a time when becoming an airline pilot or factory worker were lucrative options in the USA. There are a lot of good reasons to guess that the good times will continue for the time being, but you're kidding yourself if you think it's a certainty.
bumby 4y ago
I think to the OP's point, if you are truly engaged in your work (and assuming your work carries healthcare benefits), it becomes a somewhat moot point to optimize for healthcare costs at some future age. I think your point on losing healthcare is predicated on the idea that you want to work less in the future (presumably in some job that doesn't carry those benefits). I think part of the issue is that society in general (and tech in particular) are extremely productivity-focused which trains you to be future-biased in your thinking. Everything becomes about preparing for the next milestone rather than, as the OP advocated, optimizing for the present period of time.
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  > your point on losing healthcare is predicated on the idea that you want to work less in the future No, it is predicated on the increasing probabilities of illness and injuries as one ages, as well as age discrimination resulting in more difficulty obtaining a job with sufficient pay and health insurance benefits.
  - bumby 4y ago
    To the OP's point, if you've optimized for engaging work and if you don't want to work less, you're already in a job that you want to continue working in. Your point is that you want to job-hop to get more money to pay for benefits...that you already have? I've shared this elsewhere, but it's like the story from Oliver Burkeman's book about the NYC businessman chastising a Mexican fisherman for spending too much time on the beach drinking wine with friends instead of growing his fishing business. When the fisherman asked, "And once I have all that money from growing my business, then what should I do?" and the businessman said, "Well, then you can spend your time drinking wine on the beach with your friends."
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      > Your point is that you want to job-hop to get more money to pay for benefits...that you already have? No. The goal is to be able to secure desired resources without needing a job, i.e. having enough wealth to not have to work in the event that I am unable or unwilling to work. What am I supposed to do if my wife or I get hit with a cancer diagnosis in mid 50s? The fisherman and NYC businessman story is missing the volatility component of life. Hence the utility of markets for futures trading, etc.