Career change / mid-life crisis.

[DeskJockey]

I would have a few cars to look after, a huge garden and fill it with lots of animals. Grow veg and herbs and be busy doing that kind of stuff.

I’d also build a giant train set in the loft and spend hours moving freight around.

Dave!

I think you're confusing retirement with an actual job that fits your interest!

Oh I’ll record it all and do it naked, no doubt a niche Japanese market for Hirsute Retirement Porn.

Dave!

OnlyFans?

[Mito Man]

I was going to say OF but I think you need to have a pretty face and a pair of tits to get any success on there. So sex change and then the nekked spannering can begin.

[Rich B]

I would have a few cars to look after, a huge garden and fill it with lots of animals. Grow veg and herbs and be busy doing that kind of stuff.

I’d also build a giant train set in the loft and spend hours moving freight around.

Dave!

I think you're confusing retirement with an actual job that fits your interest!

Oh I’ll record it all and do it naked, no doubt a niche Japanese market for Hirsute Retirement Porn.

Dave!

a fine plan!

[V8Granite]

I was going to say OF but I think you need to have a pretty face and a pair of tits to get any success on there. So sex change and then the nekked spannering can begin.

What you want boyos is CumRocket

Choose your tier and know your money goes direct to the artist!

https://cumrocket.io/

Switch to CumRocket, the NFT marketplace where discretion is assured

Must warn the neighbours.

Dave!

[Beany]

I was going to say OF but I think you need to have a pretty face and a pair of tits to get any success on there. So sex change and then the nekked spannering can begin.

Damnit, I'm more chiseled than pretty.

[Gwaredd]

Hats off to you mate. That takes some proper balls that, and I can only applaud you. I dream of the day I'm able to sample your wares in the flesh (pun intended) as it looks amazing.

Nice one.

[V8Granite]

Hats off to you mate. That takes some proper balls that, and I can only applaud you. I dream of the day I'm able to sample your wares in the flesh (pun intended) as it looks amazing.

Nice one.

Me and Treina travelled to London because he said a pop up food stall had amazing pork ribs. That was years ago and we still talk about it

Would be well worth a visit if you are ever in the area, he knows his meat.

Dave!

[Gwaredd]

Well, you might want to pop over to Bruges and visit Bones then. Best ribs I ever had.

[unzippy]

Me and Treina travelled to London because he said a pop up food stall had amazing pork ribs. That was years ago and we still talk about it

Would be well worth a visit if you are ever in the area, he knows his meat.

Dave!

https://theribman.co.uk/ ?

I should be on commission

Thanks everyone. I don't know if it's a full time career choice, I just know I'm very much enjoying the change.
I'm earning enough to contribute to my share of the joint acct, if I need more I can always do a bit of desktop support on Mon/Tue, tbh I'd be happy stacking shelves. Boss man is already talking about me running a Weber Charcoal classes once a month - that could be a nice little earner (cash in hand) and I'm very tickled that part of my spiel could be that they had to import an Englisher to teach Aussies how to chuck a shrimp on the barbie
People keep asking me when I'll open my own restaurant, but that involves HR, management, finance etc - all the things that I realise now I wanted to get away from.
So I'll carry on cooking and carry on being happy

[Nefarious]

Boss man is already talking about me running a Weber Charcoal classes once a month - that could be a nice little earner (cash in hand)

A friend who used to work as a private chef changed things up a few years ago and rebranded himself a "barbeque chef". As a one man band, he was previously limited on mass catering jobs by client facilities, but can now cater mid-sized parties/weddings etc with his own gear. Corporate gigs are the big money spinners apparently - interactive demos - catering and entertaining all in one! For a while he was also getting paid by various equipment suppliers (including Weber themselves) for doing demos at foodie festivals.

Lots of potential revenue streams while still flying under the radar of corporate responsibility

Here's his FB page in case of interest: https://www.facebook.com/ChefCorneliusV

[Gavin]

Sounds like exactly the tonic you needed. I did a few months as a security guard and then another 6 as a Removal Man when I moved back from London and needed a break from stress. Got very fit and dropped a few stone which was fine.

[Delphi]

People keep asking me when I'll open my own restaurant, but that involves HR, management, finance etc - all the things that I realise now I wanted to get away from.
So I'll carry on cooking and carry on being happy

You can hire people to take care of that shit for you.

[dinny_g]

There comes a point in life when you realise it's not about the money or the prestige or that next promotion.

This...

I hit the glass ceiling in my last place and left to join a larger company with more opportunities. 7 years later and 1 serious dose of Mental Health Challenges, I've stepped off the advancement treadmill.

I'm not "Giving Up" on seeking promotion - that sounds too negative, but I'm focusing on the job I have and learning to be content with it. My training is now geared about making myself a more versatile and flexible IT Manager, rather than geared around what I'll need for "The next Level Up". I've done some Agile stuff and also some DevOps training recently. I still have to do my MSP exams which went by the wayside when Covid kicked off but I'm not that interested in Programme Management anymore.

[RobYob]

Looking forward to trying out that BBQ, I'm moving back to Melbourne in December. Footscray is only a 20min drive away. Not that with current car prices I'll be in anything other than an ex-taxi Falcon on gas.

[KiwiDave]

Excellent work Dave!

[Explosive Newt]

There comes a point in life when you realise it's not about the money or the prestige or that next promotion.

This...

I hit the glass ceiling in my last place and left to join a larger company with more opportunities. 7 years later and 1 serious dose of Mental Health Challenges, I've stepped off the advancement treadmill.

I'm not "Giving Up" on seeking promotion - that sounds too negative, but I'm focusing on the job I have and learning to be content with it. My training is now geared about making myself a more versatile and flexible IT Manager, rather than geared around what I'll need for "The next Level Up". I've done some Agile stuff and also some DevOps training recently. I still have to do my MSP exams which went by the wayside when Covid kicked off but I'm not that interested in Programme Management anymore.

I don’t think I realised how tightly wound / stressed out I was and how I needed to stop until I actually stopped to do my PhD and finally got some breathing space. I didn’t realise why at the time, but it was the best decision I could have ever made, mental health wise.

[Marv]

There comes a point in life when you realise it's not about the money or the prestige or that next promotion.

This....

+1

Around about the same time as my aspirations of owning any supercar fizzled out too

[dinny_g]

I know what you mean Newt...

It can be difficult to explain to people thought because, conventional wisdom says that life is all about "Challenging yourself" and "the only way you can grow as a person is to get outside your comfort zone". I had friends suggest that the best way I could deal with my anxiety and depression was to quit my job and get another job, significantly higher up the food chain because it would force me to "Be OK" because I wouldn't have a choice - mortgage to pay, Son to look after etc. All this while careering towards a Nervous Breakdown.

There's nothing wrong with Challenging yourself in other ways away from work. Going into work, doing your job, going home and collecting your salary is absolutely fine. But not everyone sees that.

[Delphi]

I know what you mean Newt...

It can be difficult to explain to people thought because, conventional wisdom says that life is all about "Challenging yourself" and "the only way you can grow as a person is to get outside your comfort zone". I had friends suggest that the best way I could deal with my anxiety and depression was to quit my job and get another job, significantly higher up the food chain because it would force me to "Be OK" because I wouldn't have a choice - mortgage to pay, Son to look after etc. All this while careering towards a Nervous Breakdown.

There's nothing wrong with Challenging yourself in other ways away from work. Going into work, doing your job, going home and collecting your salary is absolutely fine. But not everyone sees that.

I'm sorry Dinny, but fuck your "friends". Next time one of them gets flu, Covid or some other disease, just tell them to "Be OK" and crack on with the rest of their day. See how they like it. People like that really piss me off.

[ZedLeg]

I know what you mean Newt...

It can be difficult to explain to people thought because, conventional wisdom says that life is all about "Challenging yourself" and "the only way you can grow as a person is to get outside your comfort zone". I had friends suggest that the best way I could deal with my anxiety and depression was to quit my job and get another job, significantly higher up the food chain because it would force me to "Be OK" because I wouldn't have a choice - mortgage to pay, Son to look after etc. All this while careering towards a Nervous Breakdown.

There's nothing wrong with Challenging yourself in other ways away from work. Going into work, doing your job, going home and collecting your salary is absolutely fine. But not everyone sees that.

I'm sorry Dinny, but fuck your "friends". Next time one of them gets flu, Covid or some other disease, just tell them to "Be OK" and crack on with the rest of their day. See how they like it. People like that really piss me off.

Aye, "just man up" guys can get to fuck tbh. You've got your priorities sorted though Dinny, there's more to life than another step on the ladder.