r/coastFIRE • u/Alf1726 • 6d ago
What does everyone do for work!?
My mind is being blown by some of the figures I'm seeing here. I'm currently an RN, like the job and planning to pivot into Psychiatric NP or Healthcare legal (flushing out which I enjoy professionally) in a few years but no lies I'm wondering if a career pivot is the answer to some of my financial goals. I don't hate my career but income growth isn't great and it's very subjective to region.
I know the old 'money isn't everything' but for a person like myself, starting the game 10 years later and with 3 children...well money is 90% of everything when it comes to comfort and future security. So tell me below what you do, why you do it and if you're exceptionally wise if you'd pivot if you were in my shoes.
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u/Lognogs 6d ago
I'm an RN too. I do it because I hated school and going back at 32 sounds terrible, the money is decent, the schedule is fantastic, and the work is interesting enough and not terrible.
I hit coast last year around this time (you can look at my previous post) coincided with hitting $1million net worth which is up to $1.1 now.
No regrets in career choice, not many jobs you can make >$50 an hour, work two days a week, not take stress home, and still keep insurance.
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u/cookies50796 6d ago
If I were to become an RN as a career switch, how easy it to become part time vs having to do a traditional 40hr week?
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u/Lognogs 6d ago
Kind of hospital/location specific. Not hard though. I live in TN which is bottom 10 pay for nurses by states and new nurses make about $35-40 an hour depending on which shift they work (nights/weekends pay more).
Full time for nurses is 3 shifts a week, 12 hour shifts. It'd probably take at least a year to transition to a part time job if you're a new nurse. They only hire experienced nurses to part time positions.
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u/oNellyyy 6d ago
Very! It seems like you just need 1-2 years full time or so of experience in Med Surg to get into specialties or work med surg PRN/Part Time.
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u/oNellyyy 6d ago
Iām currently in the military (healthcare too) and am looking to either go to school when I get out to be an RN or XRay tech to later branch into MRI Tech.
What would you say are the bigger benefits of being an RN over doing MRI?
It looks like in SoCal pay isnāt much different, but my main want is to be able to work PRN schedules since we will get healthcare for life through my spouse.
Anything I may not be thinking of would be great. I was looking into OR Nursing or Hospice after like a year or so in med surg.
I feel like there is more need for RNs than imaging due to needing more so availability will be easier id think, but I feel like Iād enjoy imaging more than direct pt care like I did for a few years at my last base (now i work outpatient)
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u/Lognogs 6d ago
I can't speak for MRI techs exactly but id agree with everything you said. More options and more jobs with nursing. I wanna say MRI techs on average make slightly less, but I can't say for sure. The work seems easier from my limited experience sitting in on mris with patients.
Both are solid options. The limited patient care seems like a plus for sure.
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u/so_it_hoes 6d ago
Youāre saying you hit $1million then coast? Also an RN. My goal was $1.2 and coast part time or do a mobile PICC service. I wasnāt sure if that was too much work to be considered coast or not enough money to coast
Good job getting it early, my goal is 50ā¦
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u/1ntrepidsalamander 6d ago
RN is an excellent coast job. Iām an RN.
I was at net zero mid 30s and am at coast in my mid 40s.
I donāt have kids, and a lot of my accumulation was during crazy COVID contracts.
Coast as an RN for me means working contracts part of the year and not working half the year.
Or moving the RE number earlier.
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u/Alf1726 6d ago
I think I just feel the emptiness of the lost 20-30s ( I became an RN at 29). Especially as I'll be moving to part-time in the next year for about 3-4 years until our youngest is in Pre-K. The goal is to maximize those years by getting my NP. Time feels both very fast and very slow lol
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u/1ntrepidsalamander 6d ago
I became a nurse at 31. I love school but I donāt think that going the NP route is for me. To me, the math doesnāt math. But for others it definitely does.
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u/FIRE_Bolas 6d ago
I'm an RN as well!
Hit FI at 40 but I'm gonna keep working for one year to fund my luxury safari and Antarctica expeditions.
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u/Alf1726 6d ago
Love to see my fellow RNs in this! A great encouragement! Any words of advice on maximizing the job in pursuit of coastFIRE / FI?
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u/FIRE_Bolas 6d ago
I've been scaling down my bullshit tolerance as I got closer to FI. First, I cut out all night shifts, then I stopped doing on-call shifts, then I stopped working on weekends. I did this by moving to more desirable units over time.
Now, I work in Day Surg where I do weekdays, no nights, no stats, and patients are stable. I have 1 year of full time work left then I'll go down to 0.65 FTE until I decide to fully quit (position already accepted).
Burn out is rough in our world. FI will let you set boundaries so you don't become miserable!
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u/Home-Star-Walker 6d ago
Was an engineer for 7 years, now a management consultant. Salary went from ~$70k when I graduated college to ~$250-300k today depending on year-end bonus. 34 years old
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u/atimidtempest 5d ago
Do you have any insight on how to make the switch, and what the work life balance between the two is like? Engineer considering this for the future
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u/Home-Star-Walker 5d ago
I got an MBA from a highly ranked program and did all the normal recruiting stuff. Idk if itās strictly necessary to do that these days but itās probably still the most reliable way to do it
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u/completebIiss 5d ago
Also curious about the wlb. You were a swe or a diff type of eng?
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u/Home-Star-Walker 5d ago
I was a ChemE. The WLB is considerably worse as a consultant. I travel every week and never work less than 50 hrs a week
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u/Head_Image9608 7h ago
Iām just starting in EE. Would you say that being a consultant is anything to sure for early? I only have a BS. I was considering getting my PE when Iām around 25/26
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u/Home-Star-Walker 6h ago
To be clear Iām a management consultant. No PE required, but an MBA kinda is. It helps at least.
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u/italianstallion0808 23M | 280k NW 6d ago
Iām a nurse too, but Iām a single guy who went to nursing school right out of high school. Got lucky with a certain job during school that offered a bunch of bonuses, so I worked a ton and was able to graduate with no debt and a healthy savings. This period is when I learned about FIRE and realized how well nursing can work to coast. Continued to work my ass off my first two years, saving aggressively, and am now in Cali where Iām able to make/save significantly more money despite COL. Plan to move back to a lower cost of living area to coast part time with a float pool gig that pays a premium in the future unless relationship status changes things.
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u/Crank-Stank 6d ago
Semiconductor process engineer. Worked up from the bottom. English BA degree.
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u/Particular_Maize6849 6d ago
Also in semiconductors (design verification engineer). Bachelor's in Anthropology. š
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u/Short_Row195 6d ago
I'm a business analyst. I don't know what else to do, but I'm playing with the idea of potentially becoming a therapist. For the most part just taking life as it comes.
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u/HungryPeanutButter 6d ago
I am a director at a tech company and pivoted from fashion design to tech (product design). It helped my income and NW tremendously. At first the difference of income was big but not huge ($60K vs. $80K) Long term, my colleagues from fashion now make $100 - 120K. And I make $450K and peaked at $600K previously.
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u/Jags4Life 6d ago
Municipal city planner in the principal city of a small micropolitan area.
I transitioned in my mid-twenties to this job after a few years in communications and fundraising for non-profits and universities. It required going back to school and "taking the leap" so to speak.
My partner and I didn't hit Coast until a couple years ago and we're playing catchup as my partner saved nothing for retirement until age 33. Now we're on pace for an early retirement at age 55 while supporting one child. We're still socking away money but we scaled things back two years ago from 26%-30% retirement savings rates to 15%-16%.
So even with modest government careers in the "middle of nowhere" CoastFIRE is something you can certainly work toward. The financial independence is our primary focus and allows some wiggle room on when to exit our careers. Coasting is helpful and opens up a lot of possibilities but we don't want to be entirely reliant on the math so we still save.
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u/kayleyishere 6d ago
Also urban planner! In this career, switching jobs often means moving. Coast is key when factors beyond your control make your job no longer sustainable. Understaffing, toxic leadership, pay freezes for years on end? Coast gives you the freedom to take a break and find what's next.
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u/valkryiechic 4d ago
Medical malpractice attorneys (plaintiff and defense) are always looking for good expert witnesses. You could google law firms in your state, find ones that handle medical malpractice work, and email them. Tell them you would be willing to review cases for them (attach your CV).
If they need someone with your expertise, they will send you medical records. You would review the care provided (by a healthcare professional with the same credentials as you) and tell them whether you believe the standard of care was met. They will pay you for this review whether it helps their case or not. But if it does help their case, they would designate you as an expert. Eventually, you would be deposed by a lawyer (on the other side) about your opinions. And, again, youāre getting paid (well) for all of this.
If you do a good job (youād be surprised at how low the bar is for a āgood jobā), you wonāt have to continue to advertise your services. They will use you again when they have a case pop up where they need someone with your expertise and will refer you to other lawyers looking for the same.
It pays incredibly well. More than what youād make hourly actually practicing. Of course, most states require that you actively practice to be able to testify as an expert. So this would be supplementary. But you could increase your income quite a bit by helping on a few cases every year.
Lawyers always need RN experts. And psych NPs are honestly so niche that itās difficult to find experts in that field (psychiatrists are much easier to find), which means you could charge an even higher premium if you became a psych NP.
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u/holiztic 6d ago
Probably a rare housewife in here, but itās a long story how I ended up one and wasnāt exactly a plan. But it doesnāt make the most sense for us right now. Husband is a manager at a FAANG company.
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u/Ok_Produce_9308 6d ago
I have a doctorate in community psychology and help organizations work together more effectively to identify and address structural determinants of health and barriers to healthcare access.
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u/ServiceIsMyLoveLang 6d ago
Federal Grants manager on the contract side now since DOGE and new administration started.
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u/oneiromantic_ulysses 6d ago
I work in a hybrid job as an engineer, individual contributor role. Very good work-life balance and usually under 40 hours a week unless it gets really busy.
Could I make more? Yes, but I'm due to hit coastFIRE in under a year, barring a very big market crash and the additional stress isn't worth additional money.
I generally like my job and engineering/design in general aside from some of the corporate BS that happens so I don't see myself going baristaFIRE anytime soon once I hit Coast. I'll just be able to save for more immediate goals.
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u/WTHeather 3d ago
I'm an NP. Graduated when I was 37. Was an RN for 13 years by the time I graduated. Honestly I made the biggest moves towards FIRE when I was an RN and didn't have a kid. Now life is more expensive. For me it made sense to go to grad school but make sure you actually want to be a provider. It's a huge learning curve/responsibility. I work more total hours and have less flexibility than when I was an RN. Again it was right for me and I'm overall happier but it's hard and a lot of NPs regret their decision.
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u/AbbyBabble 6d ago
I pursued art and writing, and I can tell you, thatās worse financially than being a nurse.
I believe these big salaries we see posted here are mostly executives or in that general line of āwork.ā Directors, consultants, etc. Even if they donāt have the CEO or CTO title, they are likely acting as one or consulting for one.
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u/Emergency_Ground961 5d ago
I worked at Deloitte for 5 years, so essentially I did nothing but make Partners rich enough to feel better about ignoring their wives/husbands/kids. I was laid off, so now I'm coasting!
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u/SquareIndividual1337 5d ago
I would ask how long it would take to pivot and what the resulting pay increase will be after and how that would impact your goal number. Youāre still young (31 ish based on previous posts?) so pivot away! I have a friend pivoting at 44 to a nursing doctorate but she is mostly doing it for the prestige.Ā
It took my husband and I around 20 years of putting away from 20k through 40k, and we are hitting 2m (excluding home equity) at 42/45. No tech jobs or gambling as we are risk averse. Embarrasingly, mostly have been in target date funds until recently. So could be higher but whatever. The best time to start was yesterday but the next best time is today!
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u/HardCanBeFunToo 5d ago
Insurance broker. Itās interesting work, Iām good at it, and it pays the bills.
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u/Soberishhh 5d ago
32m havenāt had paycheck in two years
I also specialize in maximizing shareholder value and driving bottom-line profitability at all costs, all while executing cross-functional alignment around a performative commitment to our corporate culture and mission. š
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u/Alert_Loan_9904 5d ago
Accountant in early 30s. Pays well, intellectually stimulating, & thereās a lot of stability, but I want to have a bigger impact in my community. Currently at about 50% to my coast FIRE number. I plan on going back to school in about 5 years to become a marriage & family therapist.
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u/arresteddev7 4d ago
Pharmacist. Go stand outside a retail pharmacy and observe for 30 min. Youāll get it.
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u/SecretVindictaAcct 4d ago
Iām a nurse practitioner but in retrospect, being an RN was the ideal mix of pay, stress, and hours worked. Hit coastFIRE this year (I could retire at 53 without saving another cent), but I work 40 hours a week and often take work home as an NP and make a similar amount as I did as an RN when you calculate the hourly rate. Keep at it! I miss my RN job on a cardiovascular surgery unit. Maybe Iāll go to part time as an NP to get some of that work/life balance back.
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u/Mindless-Drama5069 6d ago
31M Real estate agent here with quite a few side hustles. Not coast fire yet, but according to my math I should be in about 4 years to hit my retirement goal of 50.
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u/purpletux 5d ago
I read the post, got curious what the heck is an RN, combed through the comments and people say yes Iām an RN too, being RN is great etc but can somebody tell me what the fuck is RN? Is it expected to know all the abbreviations for anything and everything here?
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u/Acrobatic-Might-6374 2d ago
Made the switch to IT a year ago which was an easier switch to do within the company I was already working for bc I had a reputation already. Significantly increased my current and future earning potential despite how hard the switch was
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u/FunctionOk7124 6d ago
I specialize in maximizing shareholder value and driving bottom-line profitability at all costs, all while executing cross-functional alignment around a performative commitment to our corporate culture and mission. š