My physician executive position has been eliminated in a reorganization at work, so I will not have a job after the year ends. I've worked, either for income or toward a degree, for as long as I can remember.
My social security statement notes my first W-2 income in 1985, when at the precocious age of 12 I earned $18 leading a children's service at my house of worship.
I was at a lunch with friends/colleagues who are a few years younger, and they were curious as to how I will navigate my next chapter. These are friends who are aware that my wife and I hit our number for financial independence.
We had a wonderful conversation, and I enjoyed their questions. When explaining what lay ahead, I noted recent personal milestones:
- I purchased a membership at the local art center, entitling me to a discounted rate for a drawing class that I will commence in January.
- I solidified plans for a dirtbag trap to raft the Russian River this summer with two close friends from college.
- I entered and had a sculpture accepted at the annual art show at our local library., where I have previously shown and sold photography and wire portraiture.
- I have taken bike rides nearly every day I was not in the office.
- I had two separate coffee dates with good friends, and took major hikes with two other.
- I bought four domain names for ideas I have about AI businesses I am considering starting up to learn more about entrepreneurship and AI in the coming year, and learned to have AI build a website for one of those businesses.
- I applied and was approved for two credit cards that will allow my wife and I to travel two for one for the coming two years using a companion pass program on a major domestic airline.
Would I be seeking employment as a physician executive again, my friends asked? Would I try to leverage my experience into a position with a health plan?
I explained that I would make a lousy employee at this point in my financial life. I want to work on things that interest me, on my terms and at my convenience. While I am an early riser, I do not like being told where to be nor at what time to be there. I am prioritizing time with my wife and kids, maintenance of my body (the parts, I am reminded all too often, are no longer under warranty), and connections to people and institutions I care about deeply. I am enjoying exploring new creative outlets. I am in two book groups, and find myself devouring more fiction than ever.
All to say, I have become the opposite of what typical employers are looking for: I have boundless curiosity, but zero ambition.