The road leading to this last year was not easy and while I thought after earning my bachelor's degree it would ease up, instead it got harder. I'm now working seven days a week and have grad school in the evenings. Financial preparation is as important as my next degree in order to give myself more options after that magic October date. Other than last Payday Friday, I've worked nearly three months straight and will continue to do so until I'm done.
(Edit: The union came around to each local in November 2019 and it turns out with credited service I qualify for the pension. The union pension reps were very nice and had to deal with a lot of angry people. They put in my profile and even though my calendar 30 years doesn't happen until June 15th, 2022 they have future credited service in which the pension is prepaid up. Long story short, I qualify!)
Amazingly in 2021 the road gets quite a bit rougher! I plan on saving every hour of PTO I can and having the company pay me for it after October 1st. Then all of my leave will have an extra raise tacked onto it and it'll be worth more. Nothing better than to retire debt free, collect a massive paycheck, be nearly finished with a master's degree, and close and then start to write a brand new, huge chapter in life all at the same time!
Yes, this is the road I'm on and intend to finish it. I can't do this job until I'm 65. I mean I can but I don't want to anymore. I've wanted to explore the country and do many many other things and I'm close to having all of those options. I've worked since middle school when my parents opened up a small restaurant, in high school we had that and I ran a paper route, after graduation I worked in a body shop and attempted college. As I'm sure I've written in my blog before, I dropped out after a semester and decided it wasn't for me.
Since then I've worked constantly, like most people around the world do. Since 22 there was one constant in my life and that was the job I landed on June 15, 1992. I survived many rounds of layoffs and never once had to deal with that. In 2009, you will recall that year was a massive year in my life, we went on strike. That was the only time since 92 I didn't have the same job. Instead I took a job washing dishes and delivering food for a diner to keep the lights on. Fortunately the strike only lasted two weeks but it took six months to recover from it financially.
Now I'm in much better shape financially and in 361 working days, I'll be in the best shape of my life in all areas! It's not easy by any means but I'm doing it. I'm glad I went back to school when I did and that was hard but again, worth it! Next year it'll be even more worth it! Then I'll learn to leverage what I've learned and create new opportunities for myself.
My optimum job would be something that's creative, something I enjoy, and something I can do from anywhere I want to be. Perhaps I'll even update this blog on a more daily basis then rather than when I feel like it or remember it!
Amazingly in 2021 the road gets quite a bit rougher! I plan on saving every hour of PTO I can and having the company pay me for it after October 1st. Then all of my leave will have an extra raise tacked onto it and it'll be worth more. Nothing better than to retire debt free, collect a massive paycheck, be nearly finished with a master's degree, and close and then start to write a brand new, huge chapter in life all at the same time!
Yes, this is the road I'm on and intend to finish it. I can't do this job until I'm 65. I mean I can but I don't want to anymore. I've wanted to explore the country and do many many other things and I'm close to having all of those options. I've worked since middle school when my parents opened up a small restaurant, in high school we had that and I ran a paper route, after graduation I worked in a body shop and attempted college. As I'm sure I've written in my blog before, I dropped out after a semester and decided it wasn't for me.
Since then I've worked constantly, like most people around the world do. Since 22 there was one constant in my life and that was the job I landed on June 15, 1992. I survived many rounds of layoffs and never once had to deal with that. In 2009, you will recall that year was a massive year in my life, we went on strike. That was the only time since 92 I didn't have the same job. Instead I took a job washing dishes and delivering food for a diner to keep the lights on. Fortunately the strike only lasted two weeks but it took six months to recover from it financially.
Now I'm in much better shape financially and in 361 working days, I'll be in the best shape of my life in all areas! It's not easy by any means but I'm doing it. I'm glad I went back to school when I did and that was hard but again, worth it! Next year it'll be even more worth it! Then I'll learn to leverage what I've learned and create new opportunities for myself.
My optimum job would be something that's creative, something I enjoy, and something I can do from anywhere I want to be. Perhaps I'll even update this blog on a more daily basis then rather than when I feel like it or remember it!
