To not want a career?

[Holl90]

Anybody else feel the same? I’m happy as I am in my job and don’t really want to progress or want a career? I feel like I should want it though?

I think everyone is different and it depends what suits/what your priorities are. For me my "career" means nothing, I have been in my job a long time and I semi enjoy it most of the time but I have no desire to progress in any way. I work so that we can afford some kind of mortgage, admittedly if I worked full time we could afford a bigger mortgage and more expensive house but for me I would rather have that time with my children so it is a compromise.

I'm the same OP. I enjoy my job. Earn a decent salary. Work 9-4.30 Monday to Friday. I'm allowed to finish my last hour at home each day so I can be home when dd gets in from school.

Totally stress free. 10 minute drive.

I have absolutely zero inkling to climb up the ladder. It's quite difficult to 'move up' in my workplace. Virtually impossible in fact and it breaks my heart for my ambitious colleague who has broke her back trying to get up the ladder and has got the sum total of absolutely nowhere.

If I wanted a career, I would have to leave my current role and I'm not going to do that because I'm 44 and we get an amazing pension.

I hear you op. I've done the long hours and stress and I really couldn't see the point of it.
I now work till 4 Monday to Friday.
I have every weekend off.
Every bank holiday off.
Christmas off.
I can budget very well on my salary and even manage to save from it.
I plan on staying where I am at the level I am for 10 more years and then I'm retiring.
Time and mental well-being is more important than career stress and material things to me these days .

That's bollocks, I easily survive on a third of £60k.

Do what makes you happy.

Some people are happy in low wage jobs that offer no progression, and some people are happy building a career and earning loads.
We need both types of people for society to function.

Exactly

I see people happy in low areas jobs and think good for them

or if someone wants to take on top careers go for it

What are some good stress-free jobs for those who aren't at all career-driven?

I've seen nurse mentioned here but that seems hugely stressful to me!

We manage on a lot less than this too, admittedly no childcare costs. We are careful with our money but I wouldn't say we go without.

When people say this do they include all income? You get threads where people claim to manage on 20k but in reality are also receiving various benefits, free school meals, child maintenance and the like on top

YANBU in as much as not everyone wants a high flying career. That’s fine.

FWIW though I would be careful about projecting that at work. No business wants to feel that the people it employs are just clock watching and picking up their wages.

Yes as long as you don't turn into one of those individuals that sit in their jobs and aren't willing to adapt and learn new skills like some of the admin ladies in my place of work. I need people who has the skills to work with me but they have just coasted and it's frustrating.

I had a career prev but settled now for a good/decent job (NHS band 4) due to moving. There isn’t really any progression asides into management ( though few and far between) which I don’t really want to do at least while I have young DC. But it’s a decent salary for the area (just under 26k full time, cheap area of Scotland), stressful at times but almost impossible to be fired from 😆9-5, mon-fri,good pension and public holidays. My DH has a good salary and he would rather I have a bit lower salary (though not that much) with less stress and more flex than when I had ‘career’ but was an anxious mess. But it would be nice to have the option once my circumstances allow it. But if this is my lot I’ve made peace with it. I look forward to weekends and holidays and have almost no anxiety at start of week.

Numerous friends have climbed up the ladder thinking it's what they wanted. It rarely is and were much happier with less stress and a far better work/life balance.

I’m the same. I have a housing association property so can comfortably afford the rent on my middle of the road job and I don’t see the value in a bigger home, newer car etc.
My kids have me around more and we have enough to do nice things and have a few treats. Granted we don’t have many holidays but I’d rather a life where I don’t have to have a break from.
Youre fine, OP nobody is going to write ‘had a great career’ on your headstone so enjoy your life as you see fit

Work to live, not live to work. Check out the anti work threads on reddit

YANBU. My DSis never did. Refused all promotions and all pressure and has just stayed at the shop floor level all her working life.

I loathe stress, so I work for myself and cut my hours back whenever I need time to myself so have also never reached anywhere c lose tomy earning potential. But I am happy and relaxed which matters to me.

But a friend who had zero career goals gave up work as soon as she married. I think she's mad. She's a bright, capable woman with no children and I don't understand why her husband tolerates that. (Apart from the fact she's spectacularly beautiful and he's a very ordinary short smiley bloke who she thinks is God's gift.)

You need your own money for independence and protection if things go wrong. But so long as you have enough to live as you choose, with a bit for unforeseen issues, no need to slave your life away.

YADNBU.

Despite the rubbish HR bods and "senior executives" regularly trot out to justify their roles, not EVERYONE has to be a leader. As long as you're happy or at least content, and have your health, and enough to pay the bills with a little bit left over, whose business is it anyway?

Said as someone who was ambitious in their mid-twenties to early forties, and did reasonably well, before realising what a load of absolute reinvented rubbish most of it is, getting ill, and dropping a few grades to a less stressful, much happier job. And it is a JOB for me now, not a career.

Even if there are days when I get exasperated that the bright bouncy 24 year olds with no ruddy life experience are bouncing into NHS Band 8as and above after a few months in the workplace, it's not that I want those roles. I'm just exasperated they weren't there when I had the energy and desire to still do them. I gather from friends in other professions that this pattern of life-inexperienced managers is being repeated again and again, not just in the NHS and nursing, but in many other sectors as well.

Of course the bright young things are much younger, way more obedient, and less cynical than us oldies as most of them haven't been through even one full cycle of (dis)organisational insanity yet....

But millions of families survive on far less than that. 60k is a very decent amount of money if you budget properly.

I managed on around 16k for nearly a decade. Lived alone and could pay bills along with having spare to enjoy my spare time.

Does your dh pour everything into his career so that he can excuse opting out of the grunt work at home? With two parents, the family load should be shared in a way which makes you feel less burdened than this.

I used to be bothered but recently went back to work after 4 years as a sahm and am not particularly interested in progressing.

that said I am in the very fortunate position that husband is a career high flier and earns well so there is no real financial motivation

I'm career driven. It's never made sense to me to work for less money than I'm able to get. I don't want people who aren't as good as me at the job in charge of me so I push for seniority. But it takes all sorts to make a world so don't have a career if you don't want.

Be a bit wary Of not taking your dh for granted and occasionally ask him if he thinks you should be doing more. I know plenty of people who get irritated by being the main wage earner. It's frustrating to work hard but live a meagre lifestyle because your partner can't be arsed. Most people are happy to have a partner work less and do more with young dc but don't expect to bankroll them for life.

It sounds like you are on a very low wage so it would make sense to plan to earn more later in life.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz I wouldn’t say so no, I do feel supported..

Sounds like ideally you’d like to do/earn more in your paid work but this is difficult because your H isn’t sharing the parenting / domestics fairly.

@ZenNudist where I live I am not considered to be on a low wage? Maybe for the area you live in it is? If you read up thread there is a somebody who managed on 16k just fine.

why would I ask him if he is ok with how I love my life….it’s my life?

live**