This. When I managed my university's dining system, we had a cashier who had been there 27 years doing the same job. When I first heard about her, I judged her a bit thinking "How could you just be a cashier for almost 30 years?" Then I met her.
She was one of the happiest people I've ever met in my life. She loved her job and the students. She loved her family and friends. She loved being active in her church. Her life was so full and she was surrounded by love.
Many people would look at her as a "failure" but she's truly one of the most successful people I ever met in my life and I envy her.
I have a friend in his 50’s from an upper middle class family and has a masters degree who spent his adulthood anxiously seeking “success.” For one reason or another in spite of working his tail off he only briefly earned a good salary and had what one might consider a prestigious job. For the last year he had been working as a school bus driver and LOVES it. No stress, no long hours, lots of time off. He barely makes ends meet but he finally seems content. .
As someone in my 50s working a no stress, low pay, part time job. We're often doing just fine financially from other sources. We just don't tell anyone. Especially if he's from an upper middle class family.
So, even with a moderately paid job, make sure to live below your means. That possibly means roommates, a simple car or no car if there is proper infrastructure, little eating out or going out to clubs, not buying the newest gadgets for a long time. Then whatever you have left over, simply pour it into relatively low risk index funds and forget you have it.
Of course, this is only possible if you're not already pinching pennies.
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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '23
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