this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
8 points (100.0% liked)
AskMenOver30
157 readers
2 users here now
AskMenOver30 is a place for supportive and friendly conversations among adults over 30,
founded 1 month ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Ive got no ideas but I can tell you about my father.
My father was an all American gymnast. He has a teacher say he was too tall so he made it his profession. I don't know much about gymnastics but for people who do... Boys club, then Maverick club in Amarillo Texas. Traveled the world doing gymnastics. Then he opened a successful gym and trained some people as kids (tumbling?" Who became Olympic athletes (he coaches kids so I'm sure there was other coaches in their life lol) He was good at gymnastics is my point. Successful. He drove a Porsche back then. Not millionaire but successful.
He met my mother because he was coaching her daughter mandi. They got married. One day my mother playfully said "I'm a teacher. Exercising a brain is more difficult than other muscles"
It was a joke. My father took it as a challenge.
At 35 he sold his gym and got a master's degree. Became a technology teacher at the poorest school in town. He learned to write grants. Outfitted the school with brand new iMacs. He also noticed the kids who stayed late in his lab because "they didn't want to go home" he had a rough childhood himself so he gave them extra time. A few of them have very good jobs in the tech field. Got them out of the cycle.
At about 45 he moved up to a grant writer for the district and got his same technology program spread across the whole town .He was awarded "apple distinguished educator" and lunch with Steve jobs atleast once. My dad said it was the most expensive chicken he'd ever eaten but he preferred Popeyes. He wrote a few things for technology text books that I'm sure are outdated now.
He retired at like 65... Then wrote a fucking book. Also I should mention he legally adopted my mom's 3 kids when they first got married and two more with her. Raised is all. He was a good man. He passed but even that was an epic story.
My point is, you could start a hobby... You could also start a whole new fucking life right now and still have time to be wildly successful at it.
I've switch gears a few times. I'm an expert leathersmith. 15 years at a custom shop. Then I got bored and started an entry level cashier job at a dollar branded store. Less than a year later I was a general manager.
I recently quit that too and started an entry level job at McDonald's on Friday. I don't mind flipping burgers for a little while because I have plenty of time to move up ... If I want to.
Lastly my youngest child is 17 and I'm thinking about going to college for history. Get a degree finally. Not to shift careers but for fun. I like history. I'm going to try to get a master's degree... As a hobby ...
There's time my friend to do whatever you want.