Yeah, I'm mostly just talking money.
I mean, I won't be able to retire for another 50 years, but just imagine how much money I could have if I start saving now!
I mean, I won't be able to retire for another 50 years, but just imagine how much money I could have if I start saving now!
I'm 28. No 10-year plan. I don't know, maybe I lack enough ambition, because I don't have a specific place I want to be in 10 years.
I have a wife, I have 3 kids, and though I am working very far away from them, I don't know how long that situation will last. It's impossible to know what one's tolerance is for something like that, you know? In the meantime, I do my job, I stay in constant contact with my family, and I try to have a good time while I'm away so I don't get down about the situation.
Career-wise, I'm doing pretty well. This job is a step up from my last one, which is always good. I have management aspirations which the higher-ups here are aware of. I may end up as a "lead" software engineer at some point, or perhaps go higher than that.
I'm also writing books, and I have a few in various stages of completion, one of which is done except for a cover (which is being worked on.) Ideally, I would get to a point where I'm selling these damn things, and I don't have to do a 40-hour job for a living. I am good enough with the computer stuff that I could leverage it into a career until retirement, I would just enjoy creative pursuits more.
Still, my knowledge of esoteric and obscure databases and programming languages gives me quite a bit of job security on this career track.
I have a wife, I have 3 kids, and though I am working very far away from them, I don't know how long that situation will last. It's impossible to know what one's tolerance is for something like that, you know? In the meantime, I do my job, I stay in constant contact with my family, and I try to have a good time while I'm away so I don't get down about the situation.
Career-wise, I'm doing pretty well. This job is a step up from my last one, which is always good. I have management aspirations which the higher-ups here are aware of. I may end up as a "lead" software engineer at some point, or perhaps go higher than that.
I'm also writing books, and I have a few in various stages of completion, one of which is done except for a cover (which is being worked on.) Ideally, I would get to a point where I'm selling these damn things, and I don't have to do a 40-hour job for a living. I am good enough with the computer stuff that I could leverage it into a career until retirement, I would just enjoy creative pursuits more.
Still, my knowledge of esoteric and obscure databases and programming languages gives me quite a bit of job security on this career track.
For the folks talking retirement: I would definitely do a equal matching into a normal savings account. Basically whatever your pretax 401k deduction is, have a equivalent amount direct deposited into a interest bearing account. You're not going to accrue as much on the money as you do on your 401k, but it's there for a emergency or to get you by without hitting your 401k if need be. Plus it's a good "buffer" against the ups and down of 401ks.
Do people really have 10-year plans? I can't imagine having one, let alone trying to follow it. Life will take people down unusual paths and in directions that one cannot predict. A lot of wonderful things happen that aren't planned so sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
I'm in the middle of a graduate program right now. Going part-time while I work full-time. I should be finished by the end of 2010 or early 2011. Will this new degree open new doors for me? I hope so, but there's no guarantee. I'd like to think that this isn't a massive waste of time but nothing is ever certain. I'm also toying with the idea of moving out-of-state. I'm growing really tired of Maryland (particularly the cold winters and humid summers) and I wouldn't mind going out west somewhere. Will it happen? Who the hell knows.
I'm honestly not sure where I'd like to be 10 years from now. Hopefully still employed. Married would be nice (I'm single now, so that would take a lot of effort and wishful thinking on my part). Living someplace warm and nice. I don't particularly like kids but I'm starting to wonder if I should have them one day.
I'm in the middle of a graduate program right now. Going part-time while I work full-time. I should be finished by the end of 2010 or early 2011. Will this new degree open new doors for me? I hope so, but there's no guarantee. I'd like to think that this isn't a massive waste of time but nothing is ever certain. I'm also toying with the idea of moving out-of-state. I'm growing really tired of Maryland (particularly the cold winters and humid summers) and I wouldn't mind going out west somewhere. Will it happen? Who the hell knows.
I'm honestly not sure where I'd like to be 10 years from now. Hopefully still employed. Married would be nice (I'm single now, so that would take a lot of effort and wishful thinking on my part). Living someplace warm and nice. I don't particularly like kids but I'm starting to wonder if I should have them one day.
One of my friends has a BA in Theater. He is currently a manager at a grocery store.
Another friend got a BA in Sociology and Math. He works in the warehouse of an auction company.
I got a BA in Accounting. I work at a gym as a personal trainer.
You never know where you'll end up.
I generally don't have a 10 year plan, simply because in my line of work I can't really look beyond the current 4 months, let alone the year.
But if I did have one, it would be a cunning plan indeed.
But if I did have one, it would be a cunning plan indeed.
I'm glad you wrote this because I got a BA in Business (Option in Accounting) and my current jobs are not related anywhere to the Accounting field.
I don't have a ten year plan, but goals that I have set for myself (if I did set up a 10 year plan) include becoming a better social person in public, getting a girlfriend, having a good stable job to allow me to move out of the house, and just setting a direction in my life. I'm 25 years old, and still have a ton of time, but I don't want to waist the next decade and just improve on this one.
I don't have a 10 year plan, but back in 2006 I started a 5 year plan which is progressing reasonably smoothly. Not terribly detailed, just key goals that needed to be achieved within certain timeframes. Not a plan, more a time-delineated checklist. There have been occasional inevitable hiccups along the way, but also unexpected areas of progress, so it all balances out. Essentially, I got fed up with the dismissive way I was treated by the government and the public sector organisation I work for, and began planning my exit and change of lifestyle to a more laid-back portfolio-style career. To facilitate this, I've started side-businesses in my spare time and arranged my financial affairs so as to allow me to retire from full-time work in 2011. The market downturn from about summer 08 until spring 09 spooked me a bit, but things have recovered well enough now to be back on track. Just got to keep other things growing over as planned the next 18 months and the plan will come to fruition. Fingers crossed!
Social/relationshippy stuff I don't plan though; that I leave to the winds of fate.
Social/relationshippy stuff I don't plan though; that I leave to the winds of fate.
See, I love making plans and I do better with them, but I'm also well aware that nothing goes according to plan. So yes, one does have to know how to be flexible and adapt but it can also help to be well prepared.
For example, I'm making plans for graduate school. Sure, I could just wing it once I'm done with my B.A. but I'll make for a much better applicant if I plan other things such as doing research, volunteering, etc. It's also just more efficient to plan some things. And often when I am unsure which direction life is going to take me in, I plan out a few different likely scenarios in my mind. I can't predict the future but I can anticipate things which may come up and be slightly more prepared for them.
I actually don't have a plan laid out for the next ten years. It's more like I got a mental image of me in ten years this summer, of where I'd like to be. That mental image was of me stepping out of my Camaro, dressed in a good looking but not strict suit, nice shirt and no tie, and 80 lbs lighter. And that's my guideline. The other stuff, especially the girlfriend bit, would be awesome, but if I can't accomplish that in ten years I might as well give it up.
Plans give me the heebie jeebies.
J
Jetfire
Guest
I try and live by 3 principles: Truth, Justice & Autruism(I like that better than the American way)
I see nothing wrong in going out there and getting what I want, I just need a better guide to do so.
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