Has anyone here down-shifted her career at 50?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you but if this is a new type of feeling for you it may be hormonal or vitamin deficiency.

Lol

Different poster.

I’m pushing 50 and I’m a C suite manager as well. Post-covid, the job has become difficult because people have become difficult. I spend my day dealing with people who no longer want to come to the office (they only need to come in once or twice a week to meet with and manage their teams/projects, including onboarding and training new people). They are now easily overwhelmed. Several have disclosed mental health issues. Many have lost soft skills and create drama with coworkers or entire departments.

It’s exhausting.

If I could find something else to do at 70% of my salary I’d take it. But I have kids who are going off to college in the next handful of years, so I can’t retire or decrease my salary too much.

I wish everyone would just chill out, be professional, and do their job.

I feel the same way, why do you think that is?
I am also easily overwhelmed and get depressed periodically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I shifted from being a high earning finance hotshot and breadwinner to being an artist at 47. It was prompted by tragedy and it is the most freeing thing I’ve ever experienced.

I urge you to do it.

But you had earned FU money and could essentially retire at 47. It all comes down to the question — do you need to earn any more mone? Downshifting not only drops income but increases your vulnerability to middle age cuts.

[Anonymous]

I did. Early in Covid. Early 50s, just exhausted after almost a decade of breakneck speed, every day a crisis, trying to be a good manager in a bad situation. A chance to go work for a related organization, but different enough I knew the pace would be slower. Nice title, no management responsibility, slightly less pay.
There are upsides, but it turns out a slower pace isn’t ideal either. I spend a lot of days pulling my hair out at what could get done if everyone worked a bit harder. Now in my mid 50s and trying to figure out how to spend the next 10 years.
If I had to do it all over again I’m not sure what I would choose. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

I'm mid 50s, so I feel okay in saying: it's okay to slow down, OP. If you need the permission of total strangers here to do so, then you have my blessing. Not that need it, of course, but maybe it's good to hear it from one of your fellow Gen Xers.

You have done your bit, you have worked hard, you deserve to slow down and enjoy your life. You are not 25 anymore, you are double that. Listen to your mind, and body, and seek peace and stability and happiness and fun and joy and any other positive emotion.

Do it!

[Anonymous]

I read this as "down shifted her car" and i was thinking 50 meant 50mph, and I was intrigued enough to click on it until I realized my mistake.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses. I feel pretty confident I need a change in environment. Ideally I'd like to find something that's lower stress but I know I need to leverage the skills and experience I've built. I agree it doesn't make sense financially to take a huge step down - but I feel like I'd be okay with a lateral move to get me through the next 5-7 years til I can truly retire or take a fun job. Appreciate everyone's input.

[Anonymous]

Kind of. I’m doing a secure govt job with flexible hours that I consider my base pay and now brainstorming on starting a side hustle I can scale up and take with me into retirement. Maybe real estate.

[Anonymous]

I am completely relate to OP.

I'm 51, productive supervisor, I have exceptional performance reviews, I like my job but the demands are high, lots of deadlines, training new staff, etc. I also have children in high school which has its own set of challenges (making sure they complete assignments, travel soccer). Once my children graduate from high school, my plan is to downsize, move to an area with lower cost of living, and take a job with less responsibilities. DH also wants to do that. A job that is more task oriented, when you are done with your work for the day, you are done. I really need that for my mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am completely relate to OP.

I'm 51, productive supervisor, I have exceptional performance reviews, I like my job but the demands are high, lots of deadlines, training new staff, etc. I also have children in high school which has its own set of challenges (making sure they complete assignments, travel soccer). Once my children graduate from high school, my plan is to downsize, move to an area with lower cost of living, and take a job with less responsibilities. DH also wants to do that. A job that is more task oriented, when you are done with your work for the day, you are done. I really need that for my mental health.

I don’t understand lower cost area. I am older but if last kid goes instate I need to wait to move.

Downsizing does it really lower cost much.
In my case realtor fee is $90k, prepping, moving and closing costs almost 30k. Buying new house 30k closing plus moving costs and knowing wife are least 20k to make her own.

Now I am at $170k. My mortgage is 380k payoff date 2037. If I just instead of moving wrote check 170k towards mortgage it would mean the remaining amount would paid off quickly.

Other wild card I did take a less stressful lower paid job and my boss was a control freak so was not less
Stress

[Anonymous]

I'm early 50s and have been focused on a mid-50s "sabbatical" when I hit the right retirement number. Travel for a couple years and come back to an individual contributor role that gets me out of the house, socializing etc. Recently though, my DW started a new job she really enjoys and wouldn't necessarily want to quit in 3 or 4 years to 'travel the world,' so we might revise that bit.

One of my goals would be a job that pays the daily expenses while the nest egg keeps compounding. I've def shared that feeling of 'hectic every day' mgmt role and thought 'sure, I CAN do this, but do I need to?' ... and I've also had that feeling that a hectic work life has a tendency to crowd out your other life interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm early 50s and have been focused on a mid-50s "sabbatical" when I hit the right retirement number. Travel for a couple years and come back to an individual contributor role that gets me out of the house, socializing etc. Recently though, my DW started a new job she really enjoys and wouldn't necessarily want to quit in 3 or 4 years to 'travel the world,' so we might revise that bit.

One of my goals would be a job that pays the daily expenses while the nest egg keeps compounding. I've def shared that feeling of 'hectic every day' mgmt role and thought 'sure, I CAN do this, but do I need to?' ... and I've also had that feeling that a hectic work life has a tendency to crowd out your other life interests.

Curious how you would land an IC role at nearly 60 after several years out of the workforce??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm early 50s and have been focused on a mid-50s "sabbatical" when I hit the right retirement number. Travel for a couple years and come back to an individual contributor role that gets me out of the house, socializing etc. Recently though, my DW started a new job she really enjoys and wouldn't necessarily want to quit in 3 or 4 years to 'travel the world,' so we might revise that bit.

One of my goals would be a job that pays the daily expenses while the nest egg keeps compounding. I've def shared that feeling of 'hectic every day' mgmt role and thought 'sure, I CAN do this, but do I need to?' ... and I've also had that feeling that a hectic work life has a tendency to crowd out your other life interests.

Curious how you would land an IC role at nearly 60 after several years out of the workforce??

Who knows? ... but I feel confident. Lots of contacts all over my industry, good at this stuff etc.

[Anonymous]

I can relate to OP. I left fortune 500 mid-career and went into a federal agency. Once you are in, they cannot push you out due to age.