Me: Mid 40’s, good career type job, sole breadwinner for my family, comfortable path to retirement.
Desire: To quit work for 4 years to return to school for a complete career change.
Problems: Again, sole breadwinner for the mortgage, food on the table, clothes on backs, etc.
Question: How do I swing it? I need like 100k now.
Ideas: Borrow from family. Borrow from uncle sam (student loans). Borrow from 401k. Sell house (Huge appreciating asset). Make wife go back to work and put kids in daycare.
The man has the American dream, a wife and kids at home, a job that affords him the luxury of having a spouse who can stay at home and look after the rugrats, and a comfortable path to retirement. This is what most of us spend our lives working towards.
Take a good look at your life and ask yourself the really important questions. Is risking what you have worth it for this new career? If you are unhappy in your current life ask yourself why and look for ways to change things before you throw the baby out with the bathwater.
do you know what you want to go back for? What you want to do when you get out? Sounds like you make good money now, what about after you change careers? Will there be a big drop in income? How long?
You may want to check into the student loans, usually the interest rates are low and I would be more preferable than touching your home/retirment.
I agree though, look into going at night and see how much you can knock down. I did that for two years and it was horrible but best thing I ever did.
Well said, Matt. We Americans can’t be satisfied with what more than half the people in the world would literally risk death in trying to attain. Imagine what a peasant in Darfour what think about this dilemma?
Good points, you and Matt. But what if the american dream isn’t his dream. Just because everyone else wants what he has is no reason to keep it if it is not what he wants.
Put another way, since we are so relatively wealthy and blessed with a plethora of opportunities, would it not be a waste of those opportunities not to try to find this so called happiness?
Of course, he has to sell this to the family, but that is a separate debate.
Agreed…and I’m not saying he shouldn’t pursue his new career goals. Some people are born go getters and when the get to where they have been going they get an itch to be somewhere else. This is an admirable quality that has spurred a lot of what is great in this country and in humankind as a whole.
My only words of caution would be that there are now other people involved in this decision, and where he is doesn’t seem to be a bad place. Big changes should only happen after a careful and lengthy review of how they will impact everyone involved.
“Some people are born go getters and when the get to where they have been going they get an itch to be somewhere else. This is an admirable quality that has spurred a lot of what is great in this country…”
Matt, Matt, Matt, my boy–not turning into a closet conservative on us, are you? ;^)
“Some people are born go getters and when the get to where they have been going they get an itch to be somewhere else. This is an admirable quality that has spurred a lot of what is great in this country…”
Matt, Matt, Matt, my boy–not turning into a closet conservative on us, are you? ;^)
Innovation, the desire for change and betterment, and the seeking out of new challenges are the antithesis of conservative ideals. Conservatives hate change remember?
Am I allowed to make a stereotype or generalization about California? I mean, I’ve lived in both No. Cal. and So. Cal (San Leandro, Hayward and Berkely in the late 70’s…stationed at Treasure Island and spent a year at the Naval Hospital taking preventive medicine classes, and at Coronado, NAS Miramar, Camp Pendleton and the 4th Medical Battalion in the south), and I’ve found that just about every person I’ve ever met in the Bay Area is like Matt. Nancy Pelosi and Diane Feinstein supporters, pro-abortion, pro-alternative lifestyles etc.
I’m not being critical of the belief system, I’m just trying to understand how we all, as a society, somehow always tend to gravitate (think “Red State vs. Blue State”) towards those among us who think as we do. Isn’t this some form of voluntary segregation?
Then why are liberals the ones desperately hanging on to the failed policies of the Great Society and the War on Poverty? And why are the conservatives the ones proposing changes to education and welfare policy that will actually work?
Just don’t let anyone out there in Berkeley know you said there was something “great” about America! ;^)
Whoa kids - remember the point of the thread. I don’t remember asking political questions.
All have given great advise. Yes it is a family decision, given that, I need ideas for financing this education and covering life costs.
The Grass is always greener guy (MattinSF) - very well said.
Sorry, didn’t mean to fall into that liberal-conservative trap. I’m really not like that, at least in a straight post, where someone’s asking for advice totally not related to politics.
Anyway…LIVE THE DREAM, GUY!! But remember, family has to take priority. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s not.
That is very true Tony. People do gravitate to places where they feel comfortable…and if you don’t feel comfortable in Southern California just do what all the other white conservatives do and move to a gated community with high walls and the only Mexican you see are mowing the grass at the golf club.
…that mean I’m joking just in case anyone misses it.
3 years? Together nonstop? You two must really get along: Like some of those weird couples I’ve run into during my world travels … Please don’t say you are on a tandem … Most people bike to get away from their significant others I’m teasing of course. jealous. have fun.
…that mean I’m joking just in case anyone misses it.