Thoughts on the Working World as a 28 Year Old

The last few months I’ve done a lot of thinking. A LOT of thinking. The beauty of being 28 years old and my only “responsibilities” being my 4 dogs gives me unending possibilities for the future. We could move to another country! We could move around every few months working seasonal jobs! We could buy an RV and travel all over the States or on the Pan-Am. “We could…! We could… We could…! “

 

I have a real problem with thinking the grass will always be greener somewhere else. But then I reflect on my current life, I have to realize that I’m living in some real green grass right NOW. I live in a place that has taught me so much and provides me with a healthy, active lifestyle that I enjoy. But what’s the one darn thing in the way? My job.

 

And it’s not my JOB, per se, but the restrictions around it. Clocking in at 8:00am vs 8:01am? It matters. And that really grinds my gears. If one minute in the universe really is THAT important, I don’t want it to be at a job where I trade my time for money. The clocks owns me. I don’t own my time.

 

From a bird’s eye view, my job is a 10/10. Yes, I make a great salary. I have a federal health plan and can take 5 days for subsistence each year. I’ve got great PTO, was eligible for and received loan repayment, and utilize my 403(b) with a separate pension plan. Honestly — have you heard of anything more “golden handcuff”-esque than this?

 

So when someone approaches me saying “But Sam, you have it ALL. Just keep working there,” it’s hard to argue back because I may come off as ungrateful.. To which I say: sure, I may have it all, but that ‘all’ was meant for someone else, not me. And as a disclaimer, I am not a hustler, and I’ve never been driven by a career as some people are. If I’m barely holding on with my job in rural Alaska, I can assure you I would not thrive in a higher intensity job elsewhere.

Back in 2018, I had the privilege of finishing the last 5 months of my degree down in Ecuador. It was the best time of my life. I lived off a few hundred bucks a month, took public transport around the country on the weekend, created lifelong friendships, and here’s the real kicker: I worked from 8-12 and 2-4 M-F, sometimes with Fridays off. That’s 30 hours max per week. And with less hours working came more hours exploring, being active, creating relationships, and living, for me, a truly fulfilling lifestyle.

 

My net worth at that point was -125,000 dollars(US) thanks to student loans. But it was the best and most growth-oriented time period of my life. Money is not everything.

 

Returning from Ecuador, studying for boards, taking the test, finding a job, etc was all part of the motions. That’s what I had been preparing to do since starting college in 2011. It was time to put my degree to use, and for a little while, I didn’t mind the 40 hour work week. But as I entered a relationship, slowly acquired dogs one by one, and moved away from family and friends, I realized that what I craved most was TIME to spend with these people and animals.

I’ve come to acknowledge this is all a bit paradoxical. What I’ve been driven towards and motivated by in the past 2 years has been financial independence. The idea that my husband and I will have enough money at some point where we can withdrawal 4% of our portfolio annually and never run out. By pursuing this currently, I’m giving up (the majority of) my time, which is what I really want. But if we don’t invest now, we’ll never be able to buy back our time.

 

I used to be super fired up about working straight through 10ish more years at this high income job and stashing away as much as I can into investments so that in my mid to late thirties, I can fully retire.

 

But that is not feasible anymore, at least for me. I’ve come to realize I don’t want to NOT work. I want to work, but in a much different environment. A place where the script of “go to school and get good grades, get a degree, and work hard” doesn’t apply. There are so many other scripts out there, yet I’ve only lived my one.

 

I may only be 28 years old and quite naive. No, I don’t have the wisdom of someone who is my parents’ age and I can’t look back at myself and say “what were you thinking?” I only have the now, but I’m willing to say what’s on my mind. I want a job that’s flexible.

 

Oh, you didn’t sleep because your dog has been coughing non-stop at night for 6 weeks? Come in a few hours late.

 

I want a job that is fewer hours so that say, in the winter in Nome where it’s daylight from 12p-4p only, I can experience the sunshine and spend healthy time outside. Or work less hours so that I have time to cook healthier meals, or, heck, even time to CARE to cook healthier meals.

 

I guess I have an ultra-romantic view of what I want a job to be like for me. And it’s because I’ve yet to experience a job where I feel valued and appreciated, where I don’t feel guilty for spending “10 extra minutes at the dentist, sorry” or where you’re always supposed to be improving performance for the company instead of for yourself. 

And I’m always told “That’s just the way it is. You just have to do it.” 

 

Well, I am in the process of rejecting that because my well being is most important. Work takes the back seat, no doubt. Yet here I am, trapped in the corporate world wanting to escape.

I recently started some side hustles. They’re fully remote, can be completed at my own pace, and allow me to express some creativity in ways that I don’t currently have. I am, dare I say, excited to start these endeavors. My new “boss” called me Sam-tastic. SAM-TASTIC! Is this what it feels like to know that your work is appreciated?!?

 

My husband and I have opted for a different path from reaching full financial independence as quickly as possible. Working in healthcare for 10 more years just isn’t going to cut it. Instead, we’ve built up an egg where if we stopped investing today, we’d have more than enough to retire at age 60. Our FI number is $1.25 million, and if we didn’t invest a penny more today forward, in 24 years, we’d reach that number, with 7% return adjusted for inflation. My 52 year old self will be grateful for what 26-28 year old me invested in index funds.

 

Whenever we decide to leave Nome, we realize we have set ourselves up enough financially to have a “security blanket” in our nest egg. We really only need enough income to cover our expenses, and if we keep that low, then we don’t have to work much. Any surplus income would go to investments and the slow buildup towards full-FI. We have stability and security enough to live as non-traditional and exploratory as we want. There is definitely power in knowing that.

 

Our younger generation watched our parents work 30-40 years at a job, some who loved their positions and some who loathed them. I’ve felt like just another cog in the wheel the past 4 years, and I literally cannot fathom doing the same thing for another 36. There’s simply too much out there in the world, and I have too many hobbies and interests to explore.

 

When I first met my husband, he was 26. He told me “I’m already living like I’m retired.” He worked 3 part time jobs: in a skate/ski shop, at a golf course, and as a ski judge. If you asked me 3 years ago, I would’ve doubted his life motivations. Now, I know he was onto something, and it’s what I now want for myself.

 

I don’t need a high income. I don’t want a lot of hours. Give me simple. Give me appreciation. Give me meaning.

 

Here’s to hoping the road less traveled pans out well for us.