How can I stop obsessing over retirement

[thecoolchicken1]

Its monday
I hate working
I work full time
I have tried multiple jobs and just dont like working
I earn £28k working full time
I 35 years old

Just a vent part from how can I stop thinking about retirement

I can’t understand what you don’t understand? Take an example- ie mcdonalds*

30 minimum wage staff who enter the restaurant as new starters
3 team leaders
1 shift manager
1 deputy manager
1 store manager.

There are 30 entry level workers and 6 management / progression roles. How is it possible for all 30 people to progress?!? Isn’t this obvious?

*this may not be exactly how McDonald’s runs- I don’t care.

Best way to retire early is to educate yourself on investing. You Tube, Instagram both have financial influencers these days. They're not perfect, but a starting place. Make sure you're paying into a private pension and get started investing in a managed share fund. Get your mortgage paid off early too.

Go to the library and get some books on investing and retirement.

You won't be walking out the door by 40, but by learning and acting, you could find yourself retiring a lot earlier than most people. But the earlier you start the better. Compound interest is the key, so every day you don't get started means you'll be working longer.

Turn your age into a plus.

No, classroom assistants are just that, assistants. Teachers are trained, degree, PGCE. There is a vocational training too I think, but you don't get promoted from a classroom assistant to teacher. Seriously, did you not know that?

Just shows you don't have to be particularly bright to be in the 45% tax bracket. But good for you.

Why would everyone stay doing minimum wage at McDonald's for their whole working life?

Surely like the entry level thing is only for when you're young and it's your first job before you've built up skills for the labour market?

Also wouldn't there be different shops you can be asked to move to for progression? If your current facility is full, then you ask to be moved to another one?

Don’t you see there aren’t enough progression jobs for everyone over 30 to be doing one?! 😭😭😭 I give up

But if classroom assistant wants to earn more they can train to become a teacher? That's what I meant. Why just assist the class when you can lead the class as a teacher?

No need to be so salty.

Have you tried ADHD medication? I promise you there is a job out there that will fit you, don't give up. For now enjoy your time at home and try and use it as a breathing space to think about what you might enjoy.

Because you’d need a degree that takes years and costs tens of thousands of pounds? And you might not be capable of that?!

you’re trolling us aren’t you?!

Definitely a troll.

My friend has been on and off with accountancy exams the whole 17 years I've known her. I'm not sure if she will ever qualify and get a well paid job tbh. Even if you have ambitions, you still need the aptitude to fulfill them.

17 years to no avail? Maybe accountancy isn't for her.

You need to train yourself into a new job. Face the fact you will be working for a long time and think what would suit you the best. What are you good at?

you need to take any thoughts of retirement out of your mind.
you are 35
you have many years of working.
do something you like
change your mind set and find enjoyment out of work
volunteer
join a choir
start an allotment
find interests

The pgce is one year and there are many paths to QTS.

Have you just tried changing to a different job in the same area, or tried different types of jobs? If you’ve just done the same type of job at different places maybe have a total rethink.
What type of job do you do? If it’s a customer facing job and it’s that stressing you out (they say nothing worse than dealing with the public) maybe try and get something totally different - working on a production line, or cleaning, or care work. £28k is barely above minimum wage these days so you might not need to take much of a pay cut for a basic factory job where you can just get your head down and get on with it.

Quite. And it’s not like most drug addicts are drug addicts because of trauma/ horrific childhoods etc is it so they really are living the high life.

I cannot imagine anyone working with drug addicts and coming away being envious , that’s some really disordered thinking.

That may have been the case years ago we’ve got a new batch so to speak, That whilst they may have suffered some issues, they are no worse than anybody else’s.
I don’t recommend working with drug addicts. It’ll just piss you right off.
We had one that we found a nice flat for, Move them in settled them did a big Sainsbury’s shop all at the taxpayers expense, New duvets new pillows
How has he rewarded us ? by holding up the local corner shop at knifepoint last night. Back to prison he goes.

Food/bedding/furniture in a skip, that the council will pay for.

Next one in

Haven’t been trained though? And found out anything about your job? You’d know how high the risk of relapse is if you did.

surely you didn’t expect that they come
Into your hostel, detox then that’s it, a life in recovery? You must know how low the chances of staying clean are.

You need to learn to live with the things you cant change. Find an interesting hobby. Many people dislike their work, it's a means to an end - survival.

My advice would be firstly stop wishing your life away, you can't spend the next 30plus years thinking like this.

If you are 35 and on 28k with the greatest respect you are not earning a lot and are not going to be retiring early unless something changes. Can you retrain, get qualifications and get a higher paid job? With the added bonus you might enjoy it more. With higher paid jobs you might find that there's more flexibility in your working life, etc as well which I find helps. I'm at quite a senior level, I wfh a lot, nobody micromanages me...if I want to go and meet a friend for coffee or go to the gym during the working day I can do.

I went back to uni in my late 20s and retrained. Im in my 40s and am now on over 50k. Without that retraining I wouldn't be on this much salary. I enjoy this job far more than my previous work, obviously winning the lottery and not having to work would be the dream but I need to be realistic. I'm full time but I could afford to drop to p/t if I really wanted to. On 28k I wouldn't have that option.

My other advice is focus on out of work stuff, make sure you are happy and occupied at weekends and in the evenings. Overall it boosts your mood and makes work easier to deal with.

She either doesn't know or doesn't care.

OP do you want constructive advice or just a vent? The latter is fine of course but people might be wasting their time here if you don’t want suggestions! You def need to change things as it’s a long time to stay unhappy at work.

In the context of this conversation, I don’t care.
As I pointed out and this is massively derailing the OP and unnecessary
The joke was that these people are financially better off than most people on £35,000 a year and that’s what crippling us at the moment.
If the chances are so low with them staying clean, why are we even bothering? Throwing thousands and thousands of pounds down the drain trying. And yes, statistically, cold hard facts are that they will fail

The PGCE is one year if you already have a degree.

Then get a degree or whatever pathway from TA to teaching is most suitable for you?

Yes but for the love of god you don't get promoted from a TA to a teacher . You have to decide to do it, apply, be interviewed, train for at least a year. And no, being a TA is vastly different to being a teacher so not all people would want to do it or indeed be capable of doing it.

You have a terribly narrow view of human beings. Not everything is a simple choice. I hope you don't manage people in your job.