# Career or freedom?



## LostTheMarbles (Mar 4, 2012)

It seems like a trait of the ENTP, always looking for a better option and never wanting to sit still.


I've spent 7 years getting to where I am as a Software Engineer, I was always good academically so I was driven down the track of getting a degree and starting a career, nothing else ever really crossed my mind.

Last year things were going badly at work so I needed to get out, rather than applying for a new job I decided to go travelling instead to see if having a break would refresh my views. I accepted that it was a bit of a risk to my career, Software Engineering is an industry that moves quickly, it's all about keeping your skills and knowledge up to date, as much as I learned from travelling, being out of the industry for too long could really knock me back. From my experience, the industry is full of people who've got a real passion for technology which is something I never really had, I loved the problem solving but the technology aspect just seemed to get in my way.

So now that I'm back over 7 months away and I've got to get my life sorted, I'd still like to go out and experiment a bit more, try some new things but I don't know how long I can leave my career on hold while I do so.

So, the questions I have is, is a career really that important?


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

Something to consider is how do you want to define yourself and pay the bills, as careers tend to be about these concerns more so than anything else. If you have the inclination, you could possibly consider getting into management and moving up the corporate chain that way. The other thought in terms of career progression would be to become an architect that works on solving problems but not necessarily staying way down in the details.

For myself, career is important in that it is part of my identity. Getting to do a job I really enjoy and in a way gush about when I do talk about it is quite a nice treat. If you can find a way to see your job as where you use your gifts and talents well, that may be the better solution for you.

For whatever it is worth here, I've been a Web Developer for over 13 years and have had a couple of periods in my life where I didn't work for a few months. The question is to know what are the skills you have that make you valuable and what role do you want to have in a company.


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## ThatName (Nov 9, 2011)

career is important to me. it's the only place where my talents shine, and I have feeling of worth to society. My ennegram is a five, and fives are at their best when feeling competant at something. This is especially important to me since I'm an introvert. i've spent half of my life feeling unnoticed by the world. I did not have many infj friends I could relate to growing up.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

I thought I wanted to be a teacher, until I found out it had more to do with paperwork and politics...I fell into IT as I had an intuitive talent for computers and networks. 8 years as a satellite network support technician. Much better field for me.


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## infinitewisdom (Jan 23, 2011)

Unless you are independently wealthy of course a career is important.

You did not mention what went badly at work. Is it something that was temporary, fixable, or a realization it is time to move on? Are you certain this industry is not for you any longer? Certainly you were entertaining ideas of what other careers, work environments, or company where you envisioned yourself working. What do you see yourself doing?

Let me share my story with you on how I relate to your message. I identified my need and desire for a good work life balance and good (not extravagant) compensation early on. This took me on a path of piece work, performance related pay and bouts of entrepreneurialism involving several different professions. I was paid a fixed piece rate for each action performed or sales made regardless of time. I made more money and worked less hours than most of my friends. This enabled me more time with my family, alone time to unwind, read books etc. I think I would have killed myself waiting for the time to hit five O'clock or Friday despite having completed my assigned work load much earlier. Fast forward a few years. I've had a lot of freedom, which I needed for my personal well being but it came at a price. I do not have the retirement or medical benefits my hourly/salary wage slave friends have. One day I will not be as productive as I have been and my earning power will decrease. It's something I wish I would have considered earlier. I hope you find what you're looking for.


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## LostTheMarbles (Mar 4, 2012)

infinitewisdom said:


> You did not mention what went badly at work. Is it something that was temporary, fixable, or a realization it is time to move on? Are you certain this industry is not for you any longer? Certainly you were entertaining ideas of what other careers, work environments, or company where you envisioned yourself working. What do you see yourself doing?


I don't really know what was bugging me about working in the industry, that's part of why I came here, to get a better understanding of my personality. All along I felt I was just surviving rather than moving forwards, not through a lack of ability or results but because I couldn't relate to the people I worked with or get on handle the office politics. I decided I was too different from the other Engineers, I don't have a passion for new technology and I don't like learning for the sake of learning.

I'm planning to settle down eventually, I'm 28 at the moment so I'd be hoping to get everything sorted by the time I'm 35, until then I'm considering just experimenting. My brother always tells me I'm too serious and I'm starting to understand why, my job and education has been everything in my life so far, getting away for 6 months taught me a lot and now I want to keep that moving.


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## cookie_thief (Sep 12, 2012)

LostTheMarbles said:


> I don't really know what was bugging me about working in the industry, that's part of why I came here, to get a better understanding of my personality. All along I felt I was just surviving rather than moving forwards, not through a lack of ability or results but because I couldn't relate to the people I worked with or get on handle the office politics. I decided I was too different from the other Engineers, I don't have a passion for new technology and I don't like learning for the sake of learning.
> 
> I'm planning to settle down eventually, I'm 28 at the moment so I'd be hoping to get everything sorted by the time I'm 35, until then I'm considering just experimenting. My brother always tells me I'm too serious and I'm starting to understand why, my job and education has been everything in my life so far, getting away for 6 months taught me a lot and now I want to keep that moving.


Keep moving. There are plenty of ways to support a life of travel. If you've learned that much in 6 months, think of what you could learn in a couple of years.


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Career is only important of terms of "can I support myself?" and are you comfortable with the idea of being 40 years old and just starting to settle down? I mean there's no problem with that, you probably have a good 30-50 years to live past 40 to be "settled" and committed to something, so as long as you aren't having these conversations like "I have to be married by this time, and buy a house by this age, and I don't feel like a real grown up unless I have a career" then picking freedom is fine, especially if you don't have kids yet or don't want kids.

I chose freedom and think people who tie themselves down to anything before they're ready are doing the world and themselves a real disservice. These are the people who cheat on their spouses, abandon their children, or just quietly resent their families; or conversely hate every second of their job but feel like they are enslaved to it so they can pay their mortgage or have the title of being a lawyer or whatever the fuck they are. Some of those people commit suicide or lose their minds if they happen to get laid off or something.

Don't be that person; only tie yourself to a family or a career if you're ready and that's what you really want. That way, when you're actually ready to "settle down" you'll actually be CONTENT to do so, and won't mess up your own future, or hate your life, or count the seconds until retirement.


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## bellisaurius (Jan 18, 2012)

LostTheMarbles said:


> I don't really know what was bugging me about working in the industry, that's part of why I came here, to get a better understanding of my personality. All along I felt I was just surviving rather than moving forwards, not through a lack of ability or results but because I couldn't relate to the people I worked with or get on handle the office politics. I decided I was too different from the other Engineers, I don't have a passion for new technology and I don't like learning for the sake of learning.
> 
> I'm planning to settle down eventually, I'm 28 at the moment so I'd be hoping to get everything sorted by the time I'm 35, until then I'm considering just experimenting. My brother always tells me I'm too serious and I'm starting to understand why, my job and education has been everything in my life so far, getting away for 6 months taught me a lot and now I want to keep that moving.


I'm an entp engineer too. 

So, it sounds like you got your head screwed on right. It'd be nice if you had an exit plan as it's pretty easy to lollygag after you've been out of work a while, but if you're looking for engineering without the new technology or being forced to learn new stuff there's always more troubleshooting oriented jobs like production plant engineer. New problems all the time because things are always breaking, but the sphere of knowledge allows for a lot of a more settled atmosphere.


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## Masterboy (Jul 22, 2011)

The sky is the limit, especially for the ENTP. You can leave the IT world behind for as long as you like, and if you are talented and have good people skills, can go back any time, whenever you feel like it. I've spent a considerable part of my twenties growing tech startups, leaving to build my acting and other careers, and asked to help manage other businesses after a multi-year sabbatical. If you are looking to pay the bills while you explore, there's plenty of work to the proactive individual. I've documented all of this in my books and courses (see here).



LostTheMarbles said:


> It seems like a trait of the ENTP, always looking for a better option and never wanting to sit still.
> 
> 
> I've spent 7 years getting to where I am as a Software Engineer, I was always good academically so I was driven down the track of getting a degree and starting a career, nothing else ever really crossed my mind.
> ...


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