So where were you?

I feel sorry for most of y'all. I wanted to do what I do/did ever since I found out it was a thing, which was (IIRC) 7th grade.

It has its advantages, that's for sure. But sometimes I wish I had allowed myself to drift off into the weeds a bit in my younger years.
 
Doesn't sound entitled to me - you had a plan and you worked the plan! Stupid question - is there a point where you'll be forced out of doing what you're doing? Can you ride it until 50, or even later if needed?

PM sent to not derail this thread.
 
I’ll put it this way, yes I actually accomplished my childhood dream job. Yes, I remember the phone call and I literally let out a yell. It was a long road to get to that point.

Now, the problem with that dream was that my perception (rainbows and unicorns) was completely unrealistic. The job was way more effort that I imagined. The job was way less glamorous than I imagined. There were a lot of elements (bureaucracy) to the job that simply left me disappointed and some cases, outright angry.

Did I love having that job? Sure I did. Beats sitting in an office but to say I truly loved what I was doing? No so much. I was more than ready to retire when the time came. An that’s ok though. A true professional matures and realizes while the childhood passion for work fades, you take the good with the bad and look at the big picture. One can still have a good work ethic and positive attitude without coming in everyday with a stupid grin saying “man I love this job…I can’t wait to fly all day today.”
 
It has its advantages, that's for sure. But sometimes I wish I had allowed myself to drift off into the weeds a bit in my younger years.
I drifted off into the weeds and became a pilot because my degree is in something totally different. As I describe it when asked (which is frequently), I learned as a hobby, then it was a one thing leads to another; not a master plan.

All in all I'm happy I did it, but it was definitely a job, and I was fine with walking away when the time came. Time to live another part of my life.
 
I chose the worst possible career for myself. The money is good but I am miserable. I should have listened.

Wouldn't "the worst possible career" be one where you were miserable and the money was bad?

Oh calm down most careers are miserable. I think I should have done software so at least I'd be miserable and paid better instead of miserable and paid mediocrity.

I just got into consulting with is far better, but I wouldn't call it a "dream job".

I've been doing software for 42 years now. I wouldn't say it's miserable. It can be tedious, it can be bewildering, but I'm sitting in air conditioned comfort, I'm 63 years old and plan to work seven more years, and there's a very good chance that I will be able to. I have a house, four cars, and a boat, all paid off, money in investments, and both daughters will graduate from college with zero debt. If that's what you'd call miserable, I think you could get lots of people to sign up for this kind of misery, but they're not capable of doing the work.

The remains of Hurricane Ida are passing through, and there are guys who will be hanging off of the back of a truck collecting trash tomorrow. Now that's miserable.
 
Take the job nobody wants, and you’ll get the job everybody wants.

That’s served me well. And….you make your own luck.
 
But motorcycles don't make sammiches.
 
My girlfriend is my wife. Treat your wife like a girlfriend and you might be surprised……

Not something I am ever going to need to worry about. Accumulated too much to go up the the roulette wheel and bet it on black.
 
Why would you even think of going to the roulette wheel when you already have won the big pay off / golden ticket / have a “wife of the century”. :)
 
Why would you even think of going to the roulette wheel when you already have won the big pay off / golden ticket / have a “wife of the century”. :)

Divorce. Losing 1/2 of everything. Roulette is 50/50. Divorce rate is 50%. Odds are the same.
 
As Job 1 finished, Job 2 started, and never ends.

A man needs a job and hopefully gets a dream job. My job(s) supported my dreams.

The most expensive thing I've ever gotten was my wife who brought to us the next two most expensive things we've ever had called children! But I can promise you that all three are worth much more than the little bit it costs to care for them.
 
Got to look at the opportunity in this. Mid Life Crisis = ability to do something and blame it on mid life crisis (within reason, and within the boundaries of having your significant other not shoot you).

"Honey, you know I've always wanted a 78 Trans Am with the Chicken Decal on the hood, so don't be surprised when you come home......."
Been there, done that, except it’s an 81 Bandit.
 
I won a lottery, but it was one you’d rather not win. It was the draft lottery. My birthday came up numero uno. Funny thing, my older brother’s lottery number was also one. BTW, we were born about 18 months apart.

Years ago, I got a job at a bucket list company,Cessna. Guess that’s about as close to winning a job lottery as I’ll ever get. Not there now, decided I liked Silicon Valley better than KS, especially the weather.
 
Divorce. Losing 1/2 of everything. Roulette is 50/50. Divorce rate is 50%. Odds are the same.

If your real life personality is anything like your POA personality, I would say you would have a 95% chance of getting divorced. Assuming you can find someone to date you.
 
If your real life personality is anything like your POA personality, I would say you would have a 95% chance of getting divorced. Assuming you can find someone to date you.
I always said I had 100% effective birth control. My personality. And I don't have the looks or money to make up for it.

I'm also more reserved online.
 
Dream Job 2: With my wife, delivery room, Navy Hospital Jacksonville

As Job 1 finished, Job 2 started, and never ends.

I love the sentiment. I have a year old daughter at home and she's friggin' fantastic.

But covid taught me a little something about myself, and while I'm not proud of it, it is what it is. I learned that I'm not meant to be a stay at home Dad. I thought I wanted to be, or maybe I thought I should want to be. Because of covid I spent over 300 days of my daughter's first year at home, and it was a ton of fun. But if I'm being honest with myself, I yearned to go into work too. Not just to escape the late nights or chores of being a Dad - that wasn't it. I just missed my job. I thought being a Dad would make everything else in my life irrelevant, and that simply wasn't the case.
 
I always said I had 100% effective birth control. My personality. And I don't have the looks or money to make up for it.

I'm also more reserved online.

I believe what you are is called an "incel". Please don't shoot any schools up.
 
I love the sentiment. I have a year old daughter at home and she's friggin' fantastic.

But covid taught me a little something about myself, and while I'm not proud of it, it is what it is. I learned that I'm not meant to be a stay at home Dad. I thought I wanted to be, or maybe I thought I should want to be. Because of covid I spent over 300 days of my daughter's first year at home, and it was a ton of fun. But if I'm being honest with myself, I yearned to go into work too. Not just to escape the late nights or chores of being a Dad - that wasn't it. I just missed my job. I thought being a Dad would make everything else in my life irrelevant, and that simply wasn't the case.

You are who you are, but don’t completely close the door. That age is a tough time no matter how you deal with it.

Our tough time was when they were 3 and 1, I was still a full time killer and M’lady commuted first to an FE job, then mandatory upgrade to FO with commensurate loss of scheduling seniority. A not so great part time nanny added stress. We knew that was not how we saw our future, so we sat down, ran some scenarios, and decided I would separate and stay home full time, and we would move to a hub to drop her commute to twenty minutes. That worked. I even got to do some contract work through the years to scratch that “I miss work” itch.

If there’s a will, there’s a way.
 
You are who you are, but don’t completely close the door. That age is a tough time no matter how you deal with it.

Oh I certainly won't - I have no interest in going off and working 15 days or anything like that. It's just the 2 day months were starting to make me a bit stir-crazy. :)
 
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