Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 85 posts

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#61

Post by codethief »

jaybrendansmith wrote: post #58

- The amount of calories you need after 50 drops almost in half. You slowly become allergic to many foods. Regulate your diet better. - Use it or lose it. That means the ability to climb stairs, walk, run, pushups, jumping jacks, but also play an instrument, type, write, do math. Go out of your way to keep doing these things. Get a personal trainer if you can afford it. - Travel as much as you can now. It's more fun…

> Money spent now is worth more than money spent later in more ways than one.

On the other hand, money saved & invested now will (quite literally) be worth more than money saved later.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#62

Post by seer »

jaybrendansmith wrote: post #58

- The amount of calories you need after 50 drops almost in half. You slowly become allergic to many foods. Regulate your diet better. - Use it or lose it. That means the ability to climb stairs, walk, run, pushups, jumping jacks, but also play an instrument, type, write, do math. Go out of your way to keep doing these things. Get a personal trainer if you can afford it. - Travel as much as you can now. It's more fun…

> Money spent now is worth more than money spent later in more ways than one.

This is so true, thank you for expressing this thought so concisely. In my language (Bulgarian) there's a saying "whatever you eat and drink now, nobody can take away from you", which has a similar sentiment, but also acknowledges the risk of unforeseen future circumstances - nobody can predict if there's going to be another pandemic, economy crisis, war - when calculating future gains one needs to also take the risk of those into account.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#63

Post by paologiacometti »

my two cents, even if I am not 60 but nearly. Do not underestimate the role of chance and fortune in all the decision you made. Don't even think for a moment that all the efforts you put in your job/career, relations and to stay health will somehow led to a positive (for you) outcome. The mantra "if you dream of it you can have it" leave to the posters because it's totally wrong and it can bring you to mental problems if you embrace it. I know it sound depressing but I see lots of people at my age (55) that are nearly broken because for example they sacrifice everything for their careers and goals and now that they don't get what they want are a complete mess. On the same way I see woman that sacrifice they own being for the children and now that they children as grown and do not care so much about their parent are loosed in a life without meaning for them.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#64

Post by xtracto »

WelcomeShorty wrote: post #49

Treat your partner well, you got some daunting times ahead of you as a team. Your children will (need to) leave the house. Prepare and assist them. Your family home will be oversized, if you can, pass it to one of the kids who needs it most. Moderate your financial fix costs. Get your car / bike / sailing / paragliding licence now. You are still a player in the "looking for a partner" market, go for it now or forget…

My dad found the love of his life at around 68yo. In the last 5 years I've seen him happier love-related than ever.

So I dont think your snippet about that is necessarily accurate.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#65

Post by xtracto »

I like the advice provided by Jack Ma.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/jack-ma-dont-fear-making-mis...

At 40, I'm just doing what I'm good at, learning things that interest me here and there. But my main dedication is to my health and wellbeing. I changed jobs to WFH and stopped being a manager/VP to return to be an IC in something I like that is low pressure.

Because I've loved the thrill of startups, I do tech Advisorship for new startups, particularly for people that want to do something tech, but have no clue how to start. I charge in equity only, which makes it thrilling for me.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#66

Post by Bradlinc »

codethief wrote: post #61
jaybrendansmith wrote: post #58

- The amount of calories you need after 50 drops almost in half. You slowly become allergic to many foods. Regulate your diet better. - Use it or lose it. That means the ability to climb stairs, walk, run, pushups, jumping jacks, but also play an instrument, type, write, do math. Go out of your way to keep doing these things. Get a personal trainer if you can afford it. - Travel as much as you can now. It's more fun…

> Money spent now is worth more than money spent later in more ways than one. On the other hand, money saved & invested now will (quite literally) be worth more than money saved later.

Both of these statements are true. Getting the right balance is something I struggle with. I am glad I traveled when I was younger. I couldn't repeat the same trips today. However, getting my BMW detailed at 24 was a waste, though it would be a waste today too.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#67

Post by scarface74 »

I’ll be 50 next year so I’m right in the middle.

Short version: after Covid, we realized we didn’t care about “stuff” and we wanted “experiences”.

After Covid lifted, even though it didn’t affect anyone fatally in my immediate or extended circle fatally. It did make me change my perspective and priorities.

In June 2020, my youngest (step)son graduated from high school and decided to work and not go to college. I made it clear to him and his mom since he was 9 (when we first got engaged) that I would find a way for him to college. For all intents and purposes they were my “sons”. I had planned to cash flow his college expenses. But after asking him repeatedly, he assured us he didn’t want to go.

The same month at 46, I fell into a fully remote role at $BigTech and assigned to a virtual office that meant a significant pay increase.

In 2022 my wife and I both decided we wanted to move to Orlando for a change of pace and decent weather all year.

We found what we thought was a nice condo and learned it was a unit in a condotel. An arrangement where we own the condo unit. But could only stay there 6 months out of the year. The rest of the year it was rented out like a room in a hotel and we got half the proceeds.

My wife then had the brilliant idea of us “nomadding” for the other 6 months (actually 7 from March through October).

We sold our cars and now we take Uber everywhere when we are traveling and use SixT and do monthly rentals when we are home. We fly from city to city in the US and stay in midrange hotels.

Everything we physically own that’s not real estate fits in four suitcases. It would be three. But I have one packed with my “business clothes” for the occasional corporate trip

My wife is deep in the fitness industry and before we go to a new city, she reaches out to instructors in that area to take and guest teach classes.

When we are “home” we pay one fee that covers all utilities, internet, access to a gym, a lake, and multiple large pools, three restaurants and a convenience store onsite.

We threw out everything and downsized from a 3200 square foot house in the burbs of Atlanta to a 1300 square foot condo that was the same price in 2022 that our house was in 2016. We rent our house out to our son and two friends

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#68

Post by scarface74 »

gigatexal wrote: post #8
PreInternet01 wrote: post #6

Not quite in my 60s just yet, but close. Anyway: Work: find your niche. Accept that you're not going to be a hotshot coder/consultant/whatever forever. However, outside of 'fashionable tech' there is an entire world where you can make a comfortable living and nobody cares about your age. That doesn't mean you can stop learning: remaining up-to-date on relevant skills is important, but 'relevant' does a lot of heavy l…

This should probably be enshrined on tablets somewhere. I too am worried about either moving into management or starting my own company or something else because there’s no way I’m going to be a worthwhile IC into my 50s. I need to do something more.

Why not? I’ll be 50 next year and I’m very much an IC.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#69

Post by scarface74 »

epicureanideal wrote: post #16
gigatexal wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This should probably be enshrined on tablets somewhere. I too am worried about either moving into management or starting my own company or something else because there’s no way I’m going to be a worthwhile IC into my 50s. I need to do something more.

I sure hope I have a big exit sometime before 60 (20 years from now), because the cost of living in the Bay Area is crazy. It would be awful to work as a "well paid" (but most of it goes to living expenses and raising kids) software engineer for many years, and then need to retire in some rural area on social security, with bare minimum quality of life...

Hoping for a big exit is about like those hoping to retire from winning the lottery.

Only 1 out of 10 companies “succeed” and that definition of success is the VCs make their money back.

Better idea, leave the Bay Area.

Re: Ask HN: What 60 folks can give career and general life advice for 40 folks

#70

Post by WalterBright »

ianai wrote: post #30
WalterBright wrote: post #7

Max out contributions to your 401k, IRA, Roth IRA, and HSA accounts.

That actually assumes quite a high income unless you’re just telling 40 somethings to live very austere.

401k often comes with employer contributions, as well as your contribution is tax deductible. If you do only one, that's it.

The IRA and the HSA are also tax deductible.

Spend your health care expenses with the HSA, making them cheaper for you.

I'm not a tax accountant, and if you want accurate advice consult with a CPA.

Post reply on HN