This morning I awoke to NPR radio. Just like every day. The weekend program is different from the normal programming. I normally awake to the NPR news.
The story they had on Saturday morning was about people with high education ditching their careers for a lesser position that they could do when they want to. An interesting idea.
Kind of what I did eight years ago. First of all you take a pay loss. So you have to adjust for that. You take a social standing loss. As if you had one anyway.
The Yuppie thing from the 1980s is dead. For a lot of folks the biggest house, Rolex and BMW are not a factor. You really do not care anymore. Half of the population is on entitlements. The other half are either working a crummy job or have a good job. The good job people are in jeopardy. As that job may end any time some. Just look at Hewlett Packard shedding 30,0000 jobs. That is a lot of jobs. Most of them making high dollars. So here comes the forecloses.
The lady in the program started talking about how she was professional of some sort. Maybe a doctors degree. But she became unhappy with her position. And just quit. From what I gather she just takes day jobs. I would have to think this means giving up the benefits that come with working for a corporation. Sure it does. You can no longer afford the lease on that Lexus or Mercedes. You may have to have just a beater car, public transportation or a bicycle. Housing changes. You have to have a manageable rent or other accommodations. You cannot go to the mall for clothes. You do not get manicures. Or your hair done. But if you do not feel like going to work that day you do not.
The job you land that day may be different from the last time you elected to work. No big deal, you are only in it for the money anyway. So by the time you learn what you are supposed to be doing the shift is over. Next time you have that job you will be more comfortable with it. In the event you do it again. So you are effectually a mercenary. Get paid for your work and that is it. You bring only yourself to the table.
This would be a great game to play if the United States had socialized medicine. But we did for years. It is called the Health Department. In every county. This would be great if you were not thinking about depending upon Social Security when you get older. As you would probably have several 1099s coming in at the end of the year. You could however set up your own IRA or 401K that let's you contribute at will. If there is any. You have to figure every thing out for yourself. But you will have the spare time to do it right?
In the early 1980s I had several part time jobs at one time. Here and there. Different uniforms for each. If it even required a uniform at all. A big plus with this lifestyle would be if you have access to VA benefits. Then you have medical. I had no health care from an insurance company. If I had to pay I just paid cash.
So only you can decide if it is worth living in that 4000 square foot house and having all those bills. Or just be a bottom feeder. The currant depression has not ended. We have only learned how to deal with it. So how have we learned to deal with it? Well we for one thing have seen prices on food rise a great deal. But wages have not risen. How can they? If they rise to a certain extent it really upsets the apple cart. The people that pay for things on entitlements do not seem to care. Why would you?
As we all think that everything is fine and dandy, it is not.
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