My dad worked at his company for forty years. He hated the last ten or so. Being a high school graduate (as well as a veteran) with a family, he told me he didn’t feel like he had a choice–he felt he had to stay where he was or we would suffer for it. My dad drug his ass to work five days a week for the last ten years. I admire that dedication to family, that patience, although I don’t share it.
We have a history of heart disease from my dad’s side. That being said, I feel like the unhappiness and anxiety related to his job probably contributed a little to dad’s congestive heart failure, heart attack, etc., which has left him with a pacemaker and on boatloads of medications. His heart condition also, although an oddly positive result, led to his being let go of the company he had dedicated his life to (he could no longer perform the very physical aspects that his job entailed).
Don’t die unhappy. After forty years, some companies will let you go if you no longer serve the distinct purpose you were hired on for. A good company, however, will grow with you, work with you, and value you regardless of when life hits. Most of us will grow older, slower, etc. Don’t end up doing something you hate, for whatever reason you might have, for the rest of your life. It isn’t worth it. I don’t care how much they pay you. I’ve been given a lot of shit for jumping around in jobs before, as with a lot of other millennials. I am highly educated, a hard worker, a fiercely compassionate person, and I will NOT be treated with anything other than total trust and respect from my employer. You shouldn’t either. I started my own business, but you don’t have to be an entrepreneur to demand to be treated fairly. If your company doesn’t appreciate you, no matter what anyone says, LEAVE. Some other company will.
P.S. If you can swing it, take retirement when you become eligible for it. Don’t continue to work out of some misplaced loyalty. I don’t care how great the company is, your family, your non-working years, are yours and you’ve earned the time to rest. Rest.
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