When you get close to 40 is stability more important to you than more money?

[4kad]

I'm in my late 30's now and been knocked around enough in the job market from 2005 to 2013 to cherish a stable job. Of course more money is always a good thing but if that particular job is not stable then that higher salary means nothing. I don't expect someone who is 26 to think about stability but once you are about to enter your 40's I think that is the time to see what jobs will always be around. So far I been employed 3 years and 3 months without any interruption which is the first time since 2001 to 2004.

 

So after being laid off 4 times I kind of what to have a consistent cash flow which has been the case with two friends of mine the past 17 years because they were in the right line of work. Not only that, the fact that Unemployment is only 6 months now, I rather stay in jobs that will always be around.

 

Work fields I am trying to avoid in the future is sales, workforce development, marketing, and any type of non-profit job.

[Got it]

I don't know, to me they go hand and hand to some degree as well as, much more common now, the need to move from company to company to continue with increases (at a faster rate than staying with a company).

 

I think either way it is about taking calculated risks appropriately and making sure what whatever you are doing is adding to your resume. I would jump around in different fields, per say, as unless it is well thought out can keep you at a certain threshold.

 

I am 40 and at the point in my career that to make it to the top level of my field I will need to go somewhere else as well as seeing what I have done at my current employer I can do again (and not a one hit wonder). So I guess I am warring a bit with the known and taking the risk on the unknown. I am trying to make sure that the move is the right one, for the right company, so I can keep moving things forward.

 

So I think it really depends and depending on your actual background and resume it may depend on what is best for you. Have you worked with outside recruiters to have them give you their thoughts? Or a career coach? May help.

[Simple Logic]

I'm in my late 30's now and been knocked around enough in the job market from 2005 to 2013 to cherish a stable job. Of course more money is always a good thing but if that particular job is not stable then that higher salary means nothing. I don't expect someone who is 26 to think about stability but once you are about to enter your 40's I think that is the time to see what jobs will always be around. So far I been employed 3 years and 3 months without any interruption which is the first time since 2001 to 2004.

 

So after being laid off 4 times I kind of what to have a consistent cash flow which has been the case with two friends of mine the past 17 years because they were in the right line of work. Not only that, the fact that Unemployment is only 6 months now, I rather stay in jobs that will always be around.

 

Work fields I am trying to avoid in the future is sales, workforce development, marketing, and any type of non-profit job.

 

 

You are completely wrong in your evaluation of the real world. Rather than seeking stability, which is a fools errand today, you need to determine where the next demand in the labor market will be occuring and prepared to go there.

[4kad]

I don't know, to me they go hand and hand to some degree as well as, much more common now, the need to move from company to company to continue with increases (at a faster rate than staying with a company).

 

I think either way it is about taking calculated risks appropriately and making sure what whatever you are doing is adding to your resume. I would jump around in different fields, per say, as unless it is well thought out can keep you at a certain threshold.

 

I am 40 and at the point in my career that to make it to the top level of my field I will need to go somewhere else as well as seeing what I have done at my current employer I can do again (and not a one hit wonder). So I guess I am warring a bit with the known and taking the risk on the unknown. I am trying to make sure that the move is the right one, for the right company, so I can keep moving things forward.

 

So I think it really depends and depending on your actual background and resume it may depend on what is best for you. Have you worked with outside recruiters to have them give you their thoughts? Or a career coach? May help.

 

 

My next transition will probably involve dealing with kids or senior citizens which tend to be very stable fields.

[4kad]

You are completely wrong in your evaluation of the real world. Rather than seeking stability, which is a fools errand today, you need to determine where the next demand in the labor market will be occuring and prepared to go there.

 

Isn't that the same thing? Seeking stability/demand in labor market?

[preraph]

My thought has always been that if I enjoy what I'm doing, I'm probably going to be viewed as good at my job and cooperative with coworkers. Of course, you run into obstacles under any circumstances, but I think being happy at the job is probably the most important thing. There are many times I've had to have second jobs to support a full-time job I was happy with though, but I don't regret that.

 

Stability is certainly important. As far as the age goes, over 40, it is harder and harder to climb the ladder and make more money, more so for us females than males. At that age, a lot depends on who likes you as a buddy. If you find a place you fit in and you can survive on it, I think that's as good as it gets for most people. A small second job if necessary.

 

And I advise on small second jobs that you take ones you enjoy because no small job pays much, or jobs that teach you a new skill. For example, my second jobs have included motorcycle escort and then training and working on ATM maintenance.

 

Now I mostly work at home but my second job, which is mostly for tax purposes and to get me out of the house so I'm not a hermit, is in a small office where my boss is very flexible and I got an agreement at the job interview to be able to take off if I had a rush job at home since rush jobs pay twice as much as my normal home work and I can make more in a day on the rush job than I will make in two weeks at the second job. He gets that. And he's in the same field of work, so that's why he gets it.

 

My other interview agreement was I don't have kids, but my pets are my kids and if one gets sick, I will want to go deal with it. I came to work the day I had to put my last dog down and when he found out, he told me about how sad he was about losing his cat and to please feel free to take off, but I felt work was a welcome distraction.

 

Don't write off a small job because it pays so little. If you get one you enjoy, say, all day Saturday in retail somewhere that you might meet and make friends or meet someone, and say you work only about 15 hours a week, so maybe one weekend day and one night, if you are only making $8 an hour, that still adds up to about $5,000, at $10 an hour, $7200, at $12 an hour $8600 a year on top of your other salary. It could be a long time before you get a promotion that adds up to that at your big job.

[d0nnivain]

In my late 30s I jumped off the really scary cliff & opened my own business. I had no stability & no money but I knew it was sink or swim on my own. I managed to turn a profit every year.

 

 

You need to build up a nest egg & save for retirement. It's closer than you think so money is important. I'd rather hop from well paying job to well paying job with some p/t stuff thrown in for good measure just to boost retirement.

[4kad]

My thought has always been that if I enjoy what I'm doing, I'm probably going to be viewed as good at my job and cooperative with coworkers. Of course, you run into obstacles under any circumstances, but I think being happy at the job is probably the most important thing. There are many times I've had to have second jobs to support a full-time job I was happy with though, but I don't regret that.

 

Stability is certainly important. As far as the age goes, over 40, it is harder and harder to climb the ladder and make more money, more so for us females than males. At that age, a lot depends on who likes you as a buddy. If you find a place you fit in and you can survive on it, I think that's as good as it gets for most people. A small second job if necessary.

 

And I advise on small second jobs that you take ones you enjoy because no small job pays much, or jobs that teach you a new skill. For example, my second jobs have included motorcycle escort and then training and working on ATM maintenance.

 

Now I mostly work at home but my second job, which is mostly for tax purposes and to get me out of the house so I'm not a hermit, is in a small office where my boss is very flexible and I got an agreement at the job interview to be able to take off if I had a rush job at home since rush jobs pay twice as much as my normal home work and I can make more in a day on the rush job than I will make in two weeks at the second job. He gets that. And he's in the same field of work, so that's why he gets it.

 

My other interview agreement was I don't have kids, but my pets are my kids and if one gets sick, I will want to go deal with it. I came to work the day I had to put my last dog down and when he found out, he told me about how sad he was about losing his cat and to please feel free to take off, but I felt work was a welcome distraction.

 

Don't write off a small job because it pays so little. If you get one you enjoy, say, all day Saturday in retail somewhere that you might meet and make friends or meet someone, and say you work only about 15 hours a week, so maybe one weekend day and one night, if you are only making $8 an hour, that still adds up to about $5,000, at $10 an hour, $7200, at $12 an hour $8600 a year on top of your other salary. It could be a long time before you get a promotion that adds up to that at your big job.

 

 

I would be open to a second job but it seems like most places want you for at the minimum 20 hours a week which is too much. For me it would have to be 8 to 10 hours and close to home.

[4kad]

In my late 30s I jumped off the really scary cliff & opened my own business. I had no stability & no money but I knew it was sink or swim on my own. I managed to turn a profit every year.

 

 

You need to build up a nest egg & save for retirement. It's closer than you think so money is important. I'd rather hop from well paying job to well paying job with some p/t stuff thrown in for good measure just to boost retirement.

 

That's what I am doing now, building savings and managing credit and that is only possible if your job is ongoing unlike 6 years ago.

[carhill]

If you want stability and money, try this. No degree required. Great medical and retirement benefits and the salary isn't bad and you can sleep whenever you want.

 

More generally, to plagiarize a line from one of the Bourne movies, look at what they make you give. Spend your whole life in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Somewhere, someone is laughing at us. Ants to the anthill.

 

I'm close to 60, my industry is long gone from the US except for robots and niches, and I'm looking for what will give me peace and pocket change for the next 20 until I'm dead. Water. I like water. We all need water to live. More people equals need for more water. Might be something for you to consider too. Good luck!

[4kad]

If you want stability and money, try this. No degree required. Great medical and retirement benefits and the salary isn't bad and you can sleep whenever you want.

 

More generally, to plagiarize a line from one of the Bourne movies, look at what they make you give. Spend your whole life in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Somewhere, someone is laughing at us. Ants to the anthill.

 

I'm close to 60, my industry is long gone from the US except for robots and niches, and I'm looking for what will give me peace and pocket change for the next 20 until I'm dead. Water. I like water. We all need water to live. More people equals need for more water. Might be something for you to consider too. Good luck!

 

 

Just stability not money.

[preraph]

That's why you look for Saturday jobs, because retailers are busy on Saturdays (and industries who support retail as well, like my ATM job -- and my motorcycle job, I could work if I wanted to or not, and they were busiest on Saturdays). I once sat in the office of fancy model homes so the regular sales guy there could have a day off. I just held down the fort, didn't sell or anything, took numbers and called him if someone was a hot prospect. There are more very part time jobs than you think. That builder at the time needed a guy with a pickup to just go take down signs (open house) at dusk. There are many kinds of hidden small jobs around.

 

I have had three on-call jobs where I got paid a small hourly fee whether they needed me or not. Ask people if they need Saturday help. Just go around asking. Or call around. You can get ones with smaller hours. I never took anything that was over 20 hours and most of mine were 12-16 hours a week. Mine now I am "on call" for only a couple of hours 4 days a week and get paid for a minimum of 8 hours per week. Some weeks, I only work 2 hours; when it's busy, I may work 16, but that has been rare. The way I approach getting these situations is I send out resumes or make a call telling them this is what I'm looking for: 12-15 hours. Business have peak times that they could use a modestly paid dependable full-grown responsible adult instead of the young inexperienced flakey ones they can mostly get at their pay scale.

 

Just saying keep an open mind and go looking for opportunity.

[carhill]

Government jobs like that janitor are very stable at the basic level. I'm the son of a government guy. Had a paycheck there every month from the late 40's until he retired and then a defined benefit pension and full medical after that. Things these days aren't as lucrative but the stability is still there. A good meld of government and water would be a state or municipal water job. Play the game and it's as stable as anything you'll find in life. There's no free lunch. If you want stability, or money, or both, you gotta play the game. Everyone else who's interested in the same thing is your competition.

 

Long term, if wanting stability, shoot for something that doesn't tear your body up or toxify you. A lifetime of work takes its toll, depending on one's job. That toll can be physical or emotional or both. I was watching an interview last night with the Benghazi three (GRS operators) and could see on their faces what one kind of toll was, the physical emotional toll of killing and having brothers killed next to them. Look what they gave.

 

Choose wisely.

[4kad]

Government jobs like that janitor are very stable at the basic level. I'm the son of a government guy. Had a paycheck there every month from the late 40's until he retired and then a defined benefit pension and full medical after that. Things these days aren't as lucrative but the stability is still there. A good meld of government and water would be a state or municipal water job. Play the game and it's as stable as anything you'll find in life. There's no free lunch. If you want stability, or money, or both, you gotta play the game. Everyone else who's interested in the same thing is your competition.

 

Long term, if wanting stability, shoot for something that doesn't tear your body up or toxify you. A lifetime of work takes its toll, depending on one's job. That toll can be physical or emotional or both. I was watching an interview last night with the Benghazi three (GRS operators) and could see on their faces what one kind of toll was, the physical emotional toll of killing and having brothers killed next to them. Look what they gave.

 

Choose wisely.

 

 

It would be something involving administrative support in a office setting. I know all about choosing a job wisely and have some friends who are miserable at their jobs because they were too focused on the money and not the job itself.

[Got it]

Seconding carhill - get a federal government job for stability. It is hard to get fired and get retirement.

[Got it]

Federal Government Jobs

https://www.usajobs.gov/

[mightycpa]

The only way sales doesn't pay is if you can't sell. Every company will hire a proven salesperson. Sales is how a company stays alive.

[preraph]

^ In one job, I took my branch from being way down the sales rung to number one in the country. But what I've found with sales jobs is that once you outperform, they simply change the quota upwards so they don't have to keep paying you the big commissions. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I've seen that over and over, pressure, pressure, pressure, even encouraging you to use stupid sales tactics or call in favors that you know will only create returns in the future, and then once you do, they just up the bar, so you never make more money than you would have if you'd been mediocre and kept the business stable.

[Miss Peach]

I don't know if I would say I value stability more than money. But I have tried to arrange my life in such a way that I can make my own stability (i.e., keep expenses low, save aggressively, etc.) I don't feel it's good to rely on that in the job market because employers will always try to make due with less, skills needed change, etc.

[4kad]

I don't know if I would say I value stability more than money. But I have tried to arrange my life in such a way that I can make my own stability (i.e., keep expenses low, save aggressively, etc.) I don't feel it's good to rely on that in the job market because employers will always try to make due with less, skills needed change, etc.

 

But in order to save aggressively your paycheck has to be ongoing.

[PhillyLibertyBelle]

I think stability is vitally important. If I was young and doing it all again 3 things would be on my list: 1. A job that couldn't be automated 2. Something that I could make into my own business 3. Something where ageism wouldn't be a factor. Here's what I came up with

 

Doctor

Dentist

Orthodontist

Hair Dresser

Plumber

Electrician

Lawyer

Accountant

Physical Therapist

Actuary

 

(Mix of lots of education and less education)

[dichotomy]

Stability and security was my goal from day one. Money as well but not rich - just comfortable. I choose my whole career almost 30 years go simply based on stability/security/.money forecasts at my high school career center. I joked if I had seen "sewer inspector" as the job for all that - I would have done it.

 

These days at 52 - seeing an end in 12-15 years I just want to avoid the B.S. and stress and dont want to work much overtime.

 

Generally speaking I have some protection from ageism in my field

 

I am glad to see more and more companies embrace work life balance these days - a number also support part time and work form home options. This was never the case 15 years ago.