I'm 24, have an undergrad liberal arts degree, a solid resume and stellar interviewing skills and no debt. I live in Chicago. I share an apartment with my long-term partner and our cat. My credit score is 737. My take-home pay after taxes and before retirement investments is $4,000 a month and I have a 50% savings rate.
Current financial snapshot:
Monthly Expenses (all expenses shared with my partner have been halved)
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Phone payment: $30
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Utilities: (gas, electric, internet, subscription services, gym): $200
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Rent: $420
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Transportation: $25 for the train (no car, but I borrow my partner's sometimes)
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Pet expenses: $30
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Food and groceries: $500-750 a month (too high due to the tendency to eat out a lot)
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Weed: $200 a month
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Shopping, travel, booze, and other various sundries and bullshit: $300
Total monthly expenses: $2,000
Liquid Assets
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$8,300 in Acorns investing account (I consider this liquid as withdrawals are processed in about 4-5 business days)
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$2,500 in checking/savings
Total liquid assets: $10,800
Non-liquid Assets
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$650 owed from a friend who is on a flexible repayment schedule (sold my car to her when she was down on her luck, it'll probably take around six months for her to pay it off fully)
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$1800 (original purchase value) worth of pre-IPO startup stock purchased at $.50/share. The startup is doing okay and may be profitable by 2017, but I'm not banking on an IPO or sale any time soon.
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Roth IRA (funded through 2017) $25,000
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401K (through work) $13,200. I pay 20% of my income into my 401K ($1,000/month) and my employer matches my contribution at 3% for an free $400 a month.
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$1,500 (realistically, if I were to sell) or so worth of bicycles that I rarely ride these days
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120,000 Chase rewards points (cash trade-in value of $1200)
Total non-liquid assets not including bikes: $41,850
Total Net Worth About $53k and growing at around $2k a month
Now that we're past the nitty gritty, time for the mushy stuff. I have been at a prestigious 75-person consulting firm in a niche industry for about a year and I don't see a future for myself at the company or in the industry. I am (haphazardly) self-learning skills at my job that can be applied elsewhere, but I'm not particularly interested in the work. My two immediate managers have been at the company for 10+ years and both have a "fuck this place" attitude. Turnover is very high. I juggle multiple projects with demanding clients and little to no support, have unrealistic deadlines and growth goals, and have cried at work multiple times. Basically, I hate my job.
In January, conversations regarding a bump in my pay to $75K from $57K (I know!!!) occurred and our CEO and CFO approved the pay increase. The pay increase was blocked by HR due to a rule that employee pay cannot increase by more than a certain % in a year. I am not supposed to know any of this, but my boss is a close personal friend and kept me in the loop. The best shot I have at attaining said pay increase is meeting or exceeding our midyear goal by July but these conversations have been very vague with no concrete promises. We are on track to meet our goal at present.
The real thing is that I don't actually want to run the rat race. I'm young, healthy, covered under my parent's health insurance until 2018, and my favorite things to do are all quite cheap or free (homebrewing, cooking, cycling/exercise, nature, gardening, art). My true passions are the English language, sustainability, travel, making the world a better place, and food. I value flexibility and remote work ability most of all in employment. My dream is to either generate a passive income stream by buying and renting out a condo, or work freelance gigs teaching ESL, tutoring, and exploring creative opportunities. I am a world traveller and hate the idea of being down down geographically. I have no desire to have an expensive wedding, adopt another pet, or have children. I would like to pursue higher/more education and certifications.
TL;DR - I make a decent amount of money, don't spend much of it (but could spend less), but I want out of my current job and don't really want to look for another full time 9-to-5. Am I making a horrible decision if I drop out of this career path and potential future financial success to pursue work better suited to the life that I want?
Submitted May 07, 2017 at 08:45AM by CALL_ME_FUCKFACE http://ift.tt/2pTxcxU
