As you get older, are you "coasting" in your career?

I am getting older and I continue to coast as a time-serving careerist but like a lot of whores I'm a good faker so I am successful in my chosen profession which I despise. It's a money thang.

not at all. I'm getting better. It surprised me.

Yeah, I'm coasting. And counting the years till retirement. It's really all I think about nowadays.

I'm coasting and I'm only 35

46. Coasting. It’s not that I don’t care. I want to do a good job. However, no one else seems to give a crap, from the clueless manager to the new employees who feel they’re worth so much extra.

I grew my own skillet. Everything in it burnt to a crisp.

I slacked in the last seven pre-retirement months. It wasn’t on purpose, really. It was more like, What are they gonna do, fire me? I just couldn’t work up any significant amount of shit-giving.

I did leave the project I worked on in good order, though, and I consider that sufficiently noble, given what a viper’s nest the place was.

Been coasting downhill for years now.

SylviaFowler, always so fragrant, good to hear from you!

You mean like those old rock stars and beauty queens who don't produce any more new content, but think the masses are just content to masturbate over how they once looked? or better yet how they hope they still look, thanks only to trick photography and plastic surgery??

Ugh, please KILL me if I ever get to that point!

Kinda looking for advice, or maybe just venting. Real question: when do I leave?

I keep wanting to hang around until my net worth hits $xxx so I feel more comfortable to be unemployed in emergencies or even go on a few months' sabbatical. Currently in a manufacturing desk cubicle job that bores me. I would rather work for a "fun" company like Disney? HBO? in a boring, entry level role there and would even take a pay cut to care more about my work (and enjoy it more)

Having recently turned 60, I have no problem telling people (even my boss) that the only reason I still work is that I'm too young for Medicare.

Another phrase I use is that I jumped off of the career ladder years ago.

Seriously, I am trying to slow things down, mainly because I'm now dealing with high blood pressure, aggravated by stress

Imposter syndrome is real. I feel like I’m coasting, but, logically, I know I’m really good at what I do.

62.5 years old - I’ve been coasting for the last 2 years at my corp job. I have a terrible boss who is data focused and doesn’t understand how the field works. Suggesting improvements would just cause me more work. I just agree with my boss and do minimally viable work. Stopped working overtime (I’m salaried). I’m counting weeks until the big R.

I worked my ass off for about 15 years, then started figuring out how to optimize some of the things I was doing that took days or weeks to finish. For the past ten years or so, I am definitely coasting. Higher ups do not understand that I "automated" most of the big data tasks that are part of my portfolio, so what used to take me 10-12 days work, I now do in an hour or two. My staff has been reduced by 50% in the last five years, with the requisite apologies from the bosses. They seem to think that I just push through and do everything and more than I did ten years ago by being a very hard worker. The truth is, I set things up and press a few keys and wait.

Most days I stream movies or TV shows while at my desk. If it weren't for the incessant meetings (almost always via zoom recently), I would probably get in a few hours sleep in my office in addition to bingeing TV. Instead of 40 weeks a year sweating bullets trying to keep my head above water and six weeks of relatively slow time, every week is just coasting. I have another ten years before I can retire, so I hope my secret stays secret until then.

53 and quit to coast. Took much lower stress job. I may never get to the $xxx goal - but I won’t die miserable. Too many died saving for retirement. Enjoy now. Especially after 50.

[quote] I would rather work for a "fun" company like Disney?

Disney is not fun to work for.

57 here, and definitely coasting. I've been in the same job for 14 years and see no reason to leave before I hit retirement age (70, or earlier if one or both parents dies before then - yes, I know how morbid that sounds, but each of my parents retired right after their surviving parent died, so it's a long family tradition).

I interviewed Disney for a job in the 1990s. I was going to be one of their in-house lawyers, back office, not dressed as Mickey. They told me no facial hair, no jewelry, no drinking. Just like Walt who swallowed a bottle of Scotch on his way to work every morning... Pass

I worked in a corporate role for Disney in the 1990s and it was anything but fun. Very good experience and useful for advancing my career elsewhere, but not a place I would have stayed longer than my 5 years. The corporate culture makes no apologies for working people into the ground and squeezing every last drop of blood from you in the process.

Thanks all for the reality check on Disney. As a kid I knew what commercialism things made me happy and I thought (still think?) I want to work for them in an commonplace entry-level role.

Disney (probably not anymore). HBO. CBS (I like a few of their hit shows lol).

Mattel toys. Hashbro toys. Nintendo.

Seemed like it would just give the job a bit more excitement than being a manufacturing cubicle engineer zzz.

As I became an elder gay time became more valuable to me than money. I'm definitely a coaster but still decent at my job. The fact we're short on people helps me out as well. When I was younger didn't mind spending time to stay current in skill set. But it's not really how I want to spend my time going forward.

I find it a strain keeping up the friendships with people you are choosing towards retirement or are retired.

I'm embarking upon new and exciting projects while they are gardening or holidaying with their spouses. Its a little bit of a damper to accommodate their views on life and work now.

I am growing distant from them.

Retiring by the end of the year, and will be in good shape financially. Workplace thinks I'm leaving in two years, so they'll be surprised when I give a two week notice. Leaving with no hard feelings, not coasting, and still give my best each day. But the amount of ongoing managerial overturn in the last 5 years has left the company in perpetual crisis management. Getting out at the right time.

I inherited property so I'm "coasting" and it's fantastic. The only downside is that you have to be on good enough terms with your family so that when they die they'll leave you their stuff. That means you have to be with them when they die, you have to love them, you have to give a shit. It's hard work but it pays.

Sort of. I'm two years away from retirement, but not quite advertising that (yet). I manage a group of research scientists and delegate more and more. My focus is on developing my staff members' careers, which is hard to do in these uncertain times of pandemic, climate change, and war. I have to manage everything from their perfectionism and over-achievement ambitions with work-life balance suggestions to motivating those who are clearly depressed and have given up. Not taking on any new abstract/bullshit projects that my boss imagines -- only things that deliver immediate results. Not kissing ass (not that I ever did). I'm more opinionated and matter of fact about the types of technology investments that need to be done. In short, I'm exercising more authority without fear of potential consequences or pushback. There's a huge demand for my experience and I'm bombarded by headhunters, but am too tired to change jobs. If only this had been my reality 10 years ago. I'm up late, posting on Datalounge, and will sleep in tomorrow. I guess that's a twisted form of "coasting".

Yep, I'm at the top of my game and at the end of my career. I could retire, but work is fun now that I don't need the job. I get the plum assignments, set my own schedule and still enjoy working. I have a great boss who's a few years younger, so I'll go when he does. I'm not up for training yet another new boss.

Everything's paid for and I don't need much, this is what I've work my whole life for

Would you say you have had a good, productive life when you finally beat the tape at the end of your employment?

" beat the tape "

???

Breast, not beat. Sorry.

" breast the tape "

???

Maybe I need more coffee

Let me tell the benefits of being a teacher.

First, yeah, the job isn't for most people. If you don't master the energy exchange, you'll get eaten alive. Also, you wouldn't want to work in a terrible school, or city, or country were everyone is 100% cynical.

But I mastered the energy exchange and and I got better and better - say, every five years I could see I was better at it. And when you master the energy exchange it's obvious that most students benefit from and appreciate getting good teaching. So they give you good energy back, when you give them energy. You can see they learn something and they light up. Some of them even express gratitude.

New fresh college faces every year. I only wish it was like the old days. When I was in college, I had emeritus professors who could teach a course or two until they dropped dead, if they chose to, and students never complained. I would like to be that prof. I've got tenure and I was expecting that. But nowadays in my state system they force out profs permanently and completely at 65. It sucks for me. I'm afraid because students are the good and reliable energy sources in my life. I've got others but this is the most reliable. I invest in my job, don't coast, and every year I get the energy returned.

^ You're very lucky to do what you love. Best of luck to you

Totally coasting here. I used to be a big achiever--all through school and early in my career.

Now I have about 10 years before retirement and I'm coasting. I'm getting lots of work done but not going over and above any more

Im like r22. Opted out of the race to the top for more quality time. I worked my ass off in advertising for 20 years, shot up the ladder, then hopped off. I'm a mid-level creative now on the client-side of things, working only 40 hours a week. I'm making 30% less than I used to but now I can go to the gym more, cook, spend more time with my husband, read more books and just ... be in the moment.

I'm not coasting, I'm too neurotic for that. I'm obsessed with doing the best job on a project I can. But I'm no longer obsessed with careerism. And if I get kicked out of here, I'll happily work at a wine store or something (luckily I have a gainfully employed partner - I know that's not the case for many people).

I wouldn't say I am coasting but I'm not exactly setting the world on fire with ideas and results these days. My company is an acquisition target and I am not sure I would survive the cut, but I would give it a go, even though it would be like starting a brand new job. I'm 55. I need the healthcare benefits and 401K contribution.

By contrast, one of my peers, a former coworker who is just a few years older than me, started a new job just before the pandemic, and is now finishing up a second masters degree which she needed to get to the next level. I commend her dedication but don't think I would ever do that in my late 50s. I guess in her mind the eventual payoff is worth it.

I'm 34... Have been slacking/coasting since I started working at 25. Planning on attaining a financial independence and early retirement goal of $2m in liquid assets, with at least $1 m in my taxable brokerage account with Vanguard, and then retiring in my 40's to live a life of leisure. I paid of my mortgage on my condo right before I turned 30, have zero student loans or any debt at all, and plan to live off of 30-40k a year until I turn 60, at which point I'll start withdrawing from my Roth IRA and 401k as well without any tax penalty.

I just need to get through the next decade and grow my net worth as high as possible... But I'm not willing to put in more than 40 hrs per week of "work" time, or realistically, 10 hrs per week of physically doing actual work.

R37 what's your job title (and salary if you don't mind)? I am also a practitioner of the movement seen on the subreddits financialindependence and leanFire.

Roth IRA contributions (not the growth earnings) can be withdrawn without tax penalty at any time.

R38 I'm a pharmacist. Make between 130-140k a year.

Some good answers here. As we age-out it's not always easy to get feedback from your peers to gauge whether or not you're on the right track. Seems I'm right in line with a lot of you. Good to know

- r27

Yes, definitely. I've been coasting since around 1980

I'm of a certain age and generation where I/we cannot coast because of the economic conditions I/we were born into.

I'd like to be a successful writer so i can write into old age. My horror is working for 40 years as a drone in an office with colleagues I hate doing work that i hate and retire doing nothing but leisure activities.

I don’t work and a frreeloader

^ How's that working for you?

I mapped out my finances and can retire in 2023 or 2024. I wouldn’t say I am coasting because I am responsible for a large statewide program, including 15 staff and raising money, but I am working less on weekends and starting to leave a path for someone else to take over. It’s good to leave a place in better shape than when you started.

R37 34 25 $2m $1m 40's 30 zero 30-40k 60 401k 40hrs 10hrs

Lemme guess--you're a numbers guy.

I used to lead new projects early in my career. I got lots of awards and recognition.

Then it hit me that none of this matters at all. Every time an amazing staff member retires or leaves the job, they are forgotten within a week.

That’s when I decided to latch on to projects started by younger, more energetic people, and give advice, resting in my laurels.

No need for late nights in the office anymore. Life is so much better