Career Trade-offs

Good for you if you found just what you were looking for the first go on your career.  For many of us, it is a full adult process to figure out what we want to do.  I have landed in education, a field that generally stirs my soul, but some days and weeks even, there are holes and gaps.  I like to think my hobbies fill that time.  Up until I started this blog, and a few other little side projects involving writing, my holes were filled with coaching.  My knees and skill level, as well as my tolerance to handle the ultra competitiveness from some sports folks, has gladly moved me into retirement. I am happy where I am for now in my job, but am making a five year plan.  At five years, I will be fully vested, unless something goes amiss. DD#2 will be out of high school and we won't feel bound to stay in the community we live.  The two older kids are unlikely to settle in this immediate area, and we are game to travel. I will miss extended family and friends, but as my generation becomes grandparents and their immediate families fill their days and nights, I don't know how much regular interaction we'd have anyway.

Our older kids have made many trade-offs in pursuing ultra competitive, and very unstable careers in the arts. Both seem to be able to pay their bills for now, but with nothing left over, but big dreams.  Still, they knowingly made the trade off, seeing sometimes how miserable people are when they have played it safe and taken the job with nothing to move their passions. DS tried the safe route for about 15 months, and according to him, he was suffocating. With his immediate responsibilities being he, himself, and him, he had nothing to lose but pride to pack up and go another direction. He probably feels like he took years of steps backward, but had he not tried safe first, he might not have truly decided he could live with the trade offs of little free time, and even littler extra cash for a shot at a career in television and film.

DD#1 also veered differently than she had in her head 6 years ago before her first year of college.  She has intentionally tried a variety of endeavors from living in a different country, on the west coast, in an RV travelling the US, and now a small town summer job, combining her love of film, with working with troubled youth. She is young, and can take this time to figure it out. She has friends from high school, some married, some longing to be married, and she is 100% focused on finding her own path, even if the trade-off for now is relocation and uprooting 3-4 times a year. 

So where am I going with this ramble? A friend posted a link to a news article about Peace Corp for baby boomers.  It has really peaked my interest.  If kids fresh out of college can make huge contributions to economically struggling parts of the world, imagine what people with decades of life and work experience could do? Then there are things like Teach for America, or City Year.  Americorp has Reading Corp and then there are Vista opportunities to be immersed in a different field of social service. I've been thinking paid volunteerism, an oxy moron I know, might be part of my not quite ready to retire plan. Quite frankly, it is doing without sponsored health insurance that is my real fear in trading off stable employment for full blown volunteerism in an early retirement option. While now, I need the decent income as well, our lifestyle in all other ways can be drastically down sized post empty nest, but trying to cover health insurance would be a deal breaker. That is part of the appeal of these opportunities.

For now, I am fortunate to have a job I like, that I feel makes a positive difference. I don't feel like I am just punching a clock, and that is incredibly important to me. Maybe this is all part of my turning 50 thing, and feeling like I need to do something incredible with the years I have left. I'll noodle these around in my head for a while. Check back in with me in four years and I'll let you know if I put anything into action.

Read or listen to MPR Marketplace: Peace Corps wants baby boomers.