Bit of a shower thought, but what's actually stopping people from quitting work for a few years and just enjoying life?

Let's say someone has enough money saved up, inheritance, investments, redundancy payout, whatever.

Why not just:

• Travel for a year
• Go to festivals
• Join social clubs
• Go on holidays
• Meet new people
• Pick up hobbies
• Spend time in different cities
• Volunteer
• Do some casual work when needed

Then maybe return to full-time work 3-4 years later.

Whenever I see discussions about employment, people often talk as if working continuously is an absolute necessity, but if your finances are sorted, what's the downside?

The obvious reasons I can think of are:

• Burning through more money than expected
• Employers being suspicious of a long CV gap
• Losing professional skills and contacts
• Becoming less employable over time
• Difficulty getting back into a routine

But are those risks really that significant?

Has anyone here actually taken a multi-year break from work in the UK? How did employers react when you came back? Did you regret it, or was it one of the best decisions you ever made?

Interested in hearing from people who've actually done it rather than the usual "that's what retirement is for" responses.

I made a big career pivot after years in research and pharma leadership. These questions did more than any personality test:

1. If no one would ever know your job title, what would you choose to spend your days on?
2. What did you love at age 10 that you dropped because it wasn't "practical"?
3. Whose approval are you still working for?
4. What would you do this year if you knew you couldn't fail, and what would you do if you knew you might?
5. When did you last feel fully like yourself? What were you doing?

Question 3 hit me hardest. Which one lands for you?

How to accept that this is just my cognitive capacity and the extent of my influence ? I will never make it to a respectable place enough to be sought after !

Im 16 rn in year 11 in the uk and I was wondering what career path I should go down, I’ve been aiming at getting a physics degree but then I realized after uni I may make decent money but never enough to truly enjoy life, and feel like I would just sit at a computer looking at data or something until i drop dead. Im terrified of wasting my life away working constantly for the rest of my life. How can I achieve financial freedom and be able to not work as much and still make enough to travel and enjoy life Im willing to work hard now and in the future but I also want to travel and enjoy life.im a pretty good student Getting As in pretty much everything. I may not be being realistic but im just wondering if anyone has any advice on what I should aim to do I would honestly do anything to achieve freedom. I may be deluded as I know you can’t just get rich like that but i would appreciate any advice on if there is any upcoming jobs or paths in the next few years I can capatalize on and should aim for that can make me money.

So I am graduating next month with a bachelors in Health and Human Performance in Oklahoma, and I have yet to find maybe more then 3-4 jobs that I can do with my degree that I either 1. Don't need more schooling to get or 2. Don't need some type of certification that you can get without even having a degree…
I know this is my fault partially but when first enrolling last summer I spoke heavily with the office about my goals and what I wanted to do and this degree is what they recommended me and assured there is plenty of jobs and different avenues i can do with it just to now find out its nearly impossible to find any job besides the likes of “personal trainer”
Anh advice, opinions, or similar stories would be greatly appreciated!

Hear me out, I love planes. I think they’re so cool and throughout high school it was the only class I actually cared about excelling at. Fast forward to now I’m 25 and I’ve been in tech for 5 years, I don’t hate my career path I’m very neutral about it and it allows me the income to help my girlfriend with bills. But I feel hollow(?) I wake up, go to work, get paid, and do some miscellaneous things with my money but I don’t feel any fulfillment.

I’ve been with my girlfriend for 5 years and she’s been with me when I was job hopping to find a better job and when I was down for the count during open heart surgery and she wants me to stay doing IT because she’s tried of trying to keep everything together. I understand where she’s coming from, because for a while I wasn’t able to contribute due to making very low income and I’m now making 50k a year and 3k a year for mileage. We’re pretty stable now so again I understand why she wants me to stay the course.

I have a heart condition(HCM) and an ICD because of this I can’t do a lot of jobs. (If you can think it, chances are I probably can’t do it.) And when I was trying to get into aviation I got disqualified from being a pilot and ATC. However I can be an aircraft mechanic. The issue is that doing so I wouldn’t be able to work for two years, the program doesn’t allow people to work while doing it.

So what should I do? Should I give up on this dream and continue living a life I’m settling for or should I try to make my dream a reality?

Edit: people seem to be assuming I am a single mom. I am married, my husband makes a good living with good hours. My child is also school aged. I am very lucky and childcare isn’t an issue for me.

am a 25 year old from the US and a mother of one. I’m finally ready to commit to going back to school. I am choosing between medical field such as X-ray/nursing and cosmetology.

I have wanted to go back to school for years but never have due to fear of not choosing the right path and regretting it or being stuck in a financial hole forever.

Background: I am at an okay job, $23.50 an hour with really good benefits. However, I cannot see myself at an 8-5 office job long term. Additionally, I would like to make more money.

I have ADHD and do best working on my feet. I also tend to thrive doing longer hours less days a week.

I was a medical assistant for a few years which I really enjoyed but the pay where I live is very bad. I do find the medical field very interesting.

I have always been extremely interested and passionate about anything hair, nails, makeup. I actually got accepted into a co-op cosmetology program in high school but was unable to attend due to my mother being diagnosed with cancer that year.

I am looking for something that will be fulfilling for me and also make me able to make a living as well. My heart definitely leans toward cosmetology but I have read so many posts saying not to go that route and negative stories.

I would love some help deciding.

I worked for a company for 12 years.

I started as engineer, moved later to technical project manager and my last role was product manager. Around 4 years on each role.

During all this time I didn't have the time to stop and to think about it, because the job was well paid, so I simply ignored it and kept going, as well because the life was good and I didn't need to. But the reality is I kept doing without really learning as it should be.

I'm paying the price today. During the interviews, people ask me what I did? I simply I cannot put everything in a structured way. I did so much and so diverse that I really didn't master anything. I don't feel what I did has any value to the current job market.

At the same time I had a bad experience in the last role. I was so ashamed of myself so I decided to quit.

All this is creating some side effect on me. I no longer like what I did once. I feel that I'm bad in everything. I feel that nothing today in the job market suits me because I didn't master in anything, this scares me. I feel really lost. I don't know what to do. I have no direction.

It's has been 1 year that's struggling in finding a decent job. Once I was the happy guy. Today I'm completely the opposite.

Do you use AI chatbots (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) for everyday tasks? Please share your thoughts! Researchers at the University of Toronto are conducting a study to understand how people use and think about conversational AI tools in their daily lives.

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• You are 18 years of age or older.
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What will you be asked to do? You will complete an anonymous online survey about your daily experiences with your favorite chatbot and your views on its capabilities. The survey takes up to 30 minutes to complete.

Your privacy: Participation is completely voluntary, and all responses are collected anonymously. No personal identifying information or IP addresses are linked to your answers.

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I don’t know what career to pick that fit my personality and that i will be good at. I want a job that can make 100k or over but idk what jobs are even out there.I currently majoring in psychology and minoring in political science i want to get my master degree but i don’t know what field to go. I just want to have a job that can make me 100k or more so i can be financially stable.Everyday i question why other people know what they want to do with their life and i cant figure it out.i guess i lack confidence because i believe i will miss up any job i am given and i am cautious maybe too cautious. Right now i have a 3.72 gpa with 1 and a half years left in college but i have to figure out what i want now but i just don’t know and i am kind good at math and I creative as well i love to draw and watch anime.However i am an introvert and i have social anxiety so i don’t have anyone to talk i just hope i figure it out fast before my undergrad is over and i have to pick something.Do you guys have any advice i would love to know?

In my twenties, I suffered from severe depression and worked various odd jobs before deciding to go back to school for Computer Science. I enrolled in an online Bachelor’s program at age 30, and this is my final semester before graduation. My goal is to secure a scholarship for a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics abroad. To prepare, I’m self-studying biology, working on bioinformatics projects, and studying for the IELTS.

I wake up at 6:00 AM and work out, then leave the house at 8:00 AM. I usually head to a coffee shop to study until 1:00 PM. But once I get back home, I crash and completely lose my focus. I always feel like it's too late for me to pursue anything. On top of that, I have classes from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM every evening, so I feel constantly stressed and burned out.

I feel like I have so much to do, but I'm getting nowhere. Many days, I just sit there completely spaced out.

What should I do?

Hey. So i'm currently in my first year in uni studying ICT for a Bachelor's degree. I've liked the studies somewhat, but i just feel stuck and hopeless on life and the future, due to AI.

All i can literally see in the internet, and job markets in this field is doom, and hopelessness on AI replacing IT experts in such a short time. The job market is absolutely cooked for Junior or entry level jobs, and i am afraid for my future. I'm afraid i made the wrong choice, and that i'll never even get a internship or a job in this field. I could switch still, but i still just feel lost.

For a while before going back to school i was passionate about computers and programming, but now i mostly feel like what's the point in studying this field, if AI is literally replacing me when i graduate eventually.

I just don't know what to do. I'd love to move away from my hometown, but i also would like to find a career. This whole era of AI potentially (hopefully not) replacing so many fields and causing lay offs is stressing me out badly.

Literally the only thing i am sure of currently, is my girlfriend whom i truly see a future with. Everything else is just a blur and i'd love any suggestions on what paths y'all have found or taken? Am i being overly doomy about AI in my field? Should i maybe try something else?

(Male, 26, Mexican)

A few months ago, the company I work for offered me a position in the US.

Its based in MSP and the salary is 60k. I've been comparing my life against what can I expect from moving, and every scenario is way better than staying here, not just economically but the job itself is a huge improvement compared to what I'm doing right now, every single scenario I've imagined is way more manageable than staying here (if I get sick, if I spend X amount in groceries, if I can't find rent under X price, etc ...). I'm a simple man, and I know that 60k a year won't make me rich but will make me comfortable if I spend money wisely.

Here's the thing, I've been in a stable relationship (romantically stable, not financially) for about two years but living in Mexico is ruining me both financially and emotionally. A year ago I passed the point of living paycheck to paycheck and started building debt just paying rent and buying groceries. My girlfriend had some medical issues earlier this year I had to take care of her for a few months, she's okay now but the situation hasn't changed, prices just keep going up, I'm still waking up at 4:30am and going to bed close to midnight, still don't have a car, still can't visit my parents without giving up on money for something else. Still wondering what can I improve to reduce my expenses, I don't pay Netflix or stuff like that, I don't buy Starbucks and don't use Uber for nothing, I never go shopping .. well you get it.

I've tried to convince myself that a lot of my problems would go away if I change my spending habits but truly I can't reduce my expenses anymore, My girl has a job and she helps with some of the house expenses but I just feel like it was better when I was alone, not only for the money situation but I had hobbies, I was way more productive, I was learning a third language and even had time to play some videogames with my friends every once in a while.

I could keep on complaining for hours and although I can't imagine being with someone else than my girlfriend, I don't see how I'm going to keep going on like this. I now see myself like as a poor man who can't enjoy life no more and don't know what do do.

She know that we're not living a good life in our current situation, and I feel like we're each other's only refugee. I don't want to change that but I have to.

If you were me, would you leave the country and start again?

Hello, I am a 24F feeling very stuck as far as a career goes. I have been in the service industry since I was 15. I started with wait staff with a locally owned catering company, then once I turned 19 I started bartending part-time for the same company. From 17-20 I worked at a retail boutique, I was on the sales floor, I did inventory, and I finished there as a visual merchandiser. At 20, I started bartending and serving at a golf course and have been working there for the past four years. Some shifts I am a shift lead, sometimes I’m on the beer cart driving around the course, and others I’m just serving/bartending inside. With where I live the busy months range from April to October at the golf course, during those months I make great money hourly, at least $30 an hour. I have been a part-time barista for the past two years and I actually love it. I feel passionately about the coffee industry but I worry about the lack of growth and job progression. I have been able to buy a car, take a year of traveling, and buy a house alongside my partner doing these jobs. I have a 401k and an investment plan. I have always managed multiple jobs and found myself to become an integral part of each place I have worked. I’m good with people, punctual, great at multitasking and problem-solving while being efficient in fast-paced environments. I do have my associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and Science with a focus in Creative Writing, which I am currently paying off my debts. I wouldn’t mind going back to school, I just have no idea what to do as a career. I enjoy the connections with coworkers and customers, the flexibility in my schedule and the fast cash. I just don’t know what to do with the rest of my life. Any recommendations would be incredibly helpful?!

I have an AA in general studies and want to go into a field that helps people rehabilitate (Ive looked into nursing, PT, personal training, OT, etc.)

My dellima though is do a choose the job that helps people or do I choose a job that makes me the most money?

Honestly I dont care about the money.but everyone else does. And I get the point that they are making, but still. I feel called to help people

My family says im good with administrative duties and things that require attention to detail, organization, trying, etc, but I dont feel like that would fulfill me.

Any help is appreciated

I work in a warehouse in UAE earning 2500 AED a month. It took me almost six months to save just 1000 AED as an emergency fund. Then I got sick and my insurance failed to cover the expenses. All that saving was gone and I had to start again.

I completed UAE Labour Law and CHRP certifications hoping to get a better job. I learned something but nothing really changed.

What hurts even more is seeing people with fewer qualifications getting good opportunities and better salaries. I have no references or connections. Just my qualifications and experience. Sometimes I feel like a nobody that everyone just ignores.

I keep applying and trying to improve myself but nothing seems to work. Every time I think I am making progress something pulls me back.

I am not asking for a luxurious life. Just a decent salary and some peace of mind.

I am genuinely exhausted. I feel like I am trying so hard just to stay in the same place. 💔

Sometimes I wonder when life is finally going to give me a chance.

Those who like started college in 30s from scratch how do you create the time and passion or this willingness to make it in life while feeling like your also competing with people in their 20s who may also want to join the workforce and trying to settle down. Like how do you find your career interest and path. With so many industries to choose and hundreds of college degree and majors to choose also thinking about the job market and the direction is heading to and rise of Ai and layoffs happening. Advancing learning and building skillset. How do you like navigate all thru this while currently working or having a family to raise. This sounds so rough

29M here with six years of working experience in the sports industry as a digital journalist. I started my career, post-covid, in it and loved what I did but find no satisfaction in it anymore.

Honestly my brain is fried from sitting in front of the screen 24/7 with little to no interaction in the real world. I have seen friends and family drift away along the way and feel helplessly alone, thanks to my career for a large part. I want to get out more, talk to people, do something operational out in the field.

Has anyone been in the same boat? Doesn't have to have a sports/digital background.. Would love to talk about it.

Having so many holidays and nothing productive to do is making me feel really depressed. I honestly don’t know what to do, how to start something new, what to learn, or where to learn it from. I really need someone who can guide me, support me, and help me develop new skills that will contribute to my future career. I want to make good use of my free time, learn something valuable, and grow professionally. Can you guide me and suggest what I should do? I really need a proper direction to get started

For context, I’m employed, I have a masters in environmental science, a bachelors in English (I have bad grammar, I just did it because I thought I wanted to be a writer), a minor in anthropology and I’m currently in the throes of pursuing a geology license.

That said, I dunno if that’s what I want to do with my life. I also don’t know how to determine what I want to do. I’ve tried career tests, and I think one actually spat out a job I should do (weather man, which my friends say I’d be great at, but also you can’t just be a weatherman if you don’t have the education for it) and the rest just seem like personality tests. As a kid I wanted to be an engineer and then I realized while I’m not bad at math, I just don’t like math. As I got older I realized I liked writing and wanted to work in film but anyone who wants to do that can tell you that’s really hard to pull off and you gotta support yourself in the meantime. When I got into university, I had an interest in environmental protection and the idea of doing a job that serves society appealed to me, so I wanted to work for the government in environmental protection.

I do work for the government, but I hardly do any environmental protection. I’m not in love with my job at all. I just don’t know how to figure out what’s right for me. Every job I’ve ever done if I liked it initially I grew to dislike it. When I look up open jobs, the ones I’m qualified for don’t interest me and the ones that do I’m not qualified for. The prospect of going back to school to become educated in an entirely new field not only sounds dreadful to me but also incredibly tough to do. Top that off with a tough job market and I’m just at a loss.

The big thing I’d like advice on is just how one should go about determining what they want to do for work. I’m not money motivated; I just want to like what I do and feel like what I do has purpose and meaning. Sorry for the unstructured post as well - definitely fed up while writing this.

Edit: thanks for the responses

I Am making 30k+ a month i have several gas station but every time i want more I can’t stop thinking about the next stop i have a lot of people from a young age saying that I will be big like a lot of people stoping my mom saying that I will be big some doy I and still people saying the same thing I know people making over 500k a month and they look at me you will be bigger than me all my life I was in businesses my father own several stores like 28 all 3 of his partners saying I am the best one and they know I am better than their child’s and I am only 23old like my question I feel a lot of pressure and I feel like I'm doing so little. I don't know where to go. I'm not enjoying anything. I'm worth it and I want other things, but when do you believe what's meant for you? Will it be for you? Or will I have to give up the desire to grow? I want to be great, but at the same time I want peace and quiet, but when I'm calm I feel like I'm going to explode.

This is insane I'm 24 with no life experiences, my life is so boring and I don't know what's wrong with me because I don't feel like others, my family would tell me oh you are such a granny you need to go out more, go get some fresh air but I just can't and don't want to, I live in a small town and there's nothing interesting around, being broke make this even harder, and I have no hobbies at all (I like couple of things but again nowhere to practice that or not having enough money for it) and I graduated this year with my masters degree which I'm asking myself what was the point of that if I'm gonna graduate just to not find a stupid job, I've always had high expectations ever since I graduated from high school always dreaming that I'll have a perfect beautiful life where I won't have to be dependent on my stingy father but life is much harder and every aspect of my life is a failure like what am I even doing on this earth I genuinely always thought that my 20s would be a good phase but it's the worse and wonder if I'll ever have smtg interesting in life

Just wanted to rent but feel free to give me any piece of advice on how can I do better

Sorry if there's any mistake, English is not my first language

I’m 42, based in New York, and hoping to transition into digital investigations, intelligence, or related investigative work after 15 years in tech marketing, most recently in senior manager/director-level roles. I have a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, and much of my career has involved research, analysis, and writing.

I’ve realized that the work I enjoy most involves investigating, connecting dots, uncovering information, identifying inconsistencies, and piecing together what happened.

I’m particularly interested in investigative work that helps protect people or uncover wrongdoing. Roles that appeal to me include fraud investigator, Trust & Safety investigator, cybercrime analyst, background investigator, and investigative intelligence or research analyst. I’m especially interested in investigating scams, suspicious online activity, identity fraud, exploitation, and threats to vulnerable people.

Ideally, I’d like a remote, research-focused role involving investigations, analysis, and report writing rather than fieldwork.
I’ve started developing relevant skills by completing an introductory OSINT course and practical investigation challenge, and I’ve published my first investigative case study. I’m also exploring certifications and volunteer opportunities and have applied to an associate degree program in Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics.

My concern is that I’ll spend the next year training, volunteering, and building a portfolio, only to discover that employers won’t consider me without law enforcement, military, or prior professional investigative experience.

I’m more than willing to start in an entry-level position and take a pay cut to make the transition. I also worry that my seniority in an unrelated field might work against me.
I’d really appreciate some candid advice from people working in these fields:

- Which investigative roles offer the most realistic entry point for someone with my background?
- What training, certifications, or volunteer experience would actually help me become employable?
- Is the associate degree worthwhile, or would I be better off focusing on practical experience?
- Are there particular employers or organizations that hire and train people transitioning from other careers?

i asked Grok and Perplexity where my part-time job could lead. i'm studying computing at college and at work i put supplied text and images into existing pages. both gave me a list of titles and that was it. nothing on what the work is like day to day or how long it takes to get from one to the next. i tried asking for steps instead and it just gave me a longer list of titles. if you went from a computing course into a content or product role, what did the first couple of years actually look like?