Help me make lemonade

[Greenhand]

You were planning on selling everything and leaving later this year? Layoffs usually include a severance package. With that, you should only be off by a couple of months from your original estimates.

As a software architect without significant savings, I suspect you have been living to your income, rather than to your dreams. Of course, that might not be the case, but if it is, start living on that shoestring budget right now, get everything on the market, and you could well just not spend at least as much money as you would have put into savings. If you can't find an apartment to downsize to, try living in a smaller space within your current house by shutting off rooms and saving on heating bills. The other plus of this plan is that it gives you an idea of your comfort level living minimally.

Depending on your original plans, you may also be able to downsize your expectations of that yacht to save quite a bit.

Even if he wants another job, the issue isn't going to be so much his age as his desire to only work for a few months to follow through with your original plan.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Greenhand

You were planning on selling everything and leaving later this year? Layoffs usually include a severance package. With that, you should only be off by a couple of months from your original estimates.

As a software architect without significant savings, I suspect you have been living to your income, rather than to your dreams. Of course, that might not be the case, but if it is, start living on that shoestring budget right now, get everything on the market, and you could well just not spend at least as much money as you would have put into savings. If you can't find an apartment to downsize to, try living in a smaller space within your current house by shutting off rooms and saving on heating bills. The other plus of this plan is that it gives you an idea of your comfort level living minimally.

Depending on your original plans, you may also be able to downsize your expectations of that yacht to save quite a bit.

Even if he wants another job, the issue isn't going to be so much his age as his desire to only work for a few months to follow through with your original plan.

Hi Greenhand.

Im chuckling a bit as I read your post. We havent been "living our incomes" as much as paying off debt and paying off support agreements. Its shockingly expensive to have 4 child support payments and 1 alimony. Without going into detail, when we met, his support payments exceeded my salary, which is pretty middle class.
But we are down to 2, one will be paid off in a few months (mine) and his will be paid off in a couple of years. Thats the one expense that will follow us off shore.

We actually already live small in our house. And keep our personal expenses very low. Saving for the future ya know?
I dont have any real worries that we, as a couple, won't "fit" on a small boat. Though we can't cruise just yet, we do spend our vacations on our 26 foot boat. Usually 10 days at a stretch. With the dog. And we still want to cruise. Alas, its all inland lake but the major points are the same.
Im perfectly happy with the idea of a 30 ft cape dory or similar. My SO dreams of bigger. But I think he will love any boat he can stand up in, sleeps well on, keeps him safe.

[the_fixer]

A couple of things to think about from a fellow Coloradoan.

1. The housing market in Colorado is on fire (rental and sales) will it still be in another year or two? A big part of our economy is from oil and if it stays low it may impact other areas of growth. Might be worth thinking about what the market will be like now VS when you are planning to sell. Time to cash out and run?

2. The rental market in Colorado is thriving you could always rent out your place in Colorado and move to a coastal community where you can rent for less and end up on the plus side.

3. When your income changes do the alimony and child support payments change? I do not have kids but have friends that are in similar situations and when their income goes up they have to pay more so I would think the opposite would be true. Of course you want to make sure the kids are taken care of but just another thing to look into.

4. If he can code and do project management he has the perfect job for working part time or freelance. Great skill set for a flexible lifestyle. He really should think about how he can put the skills to work and I am guessing that he will feel more passionate about using his skills in that manner opposed to the grind he has been dealing with for so many years.

Also keeps his skills fresh and relevant so if you do need to work in the future he will be able to keep work coming in. Also adds a way to generate a little money when he has time while cruising maybe allowing you to stay out longer or pay for the unexpected expense here and there.

Best wishes

[Cheechako]

In some ways it's a perfect situation/opportunity:
-Move to the coast,
-find the right boat,
-meantime work and see how that job works out.
- Then decide if to work a bit more or go!
-finding the boat, outfitting, getting accustomed will likely take you a a year or two anyway ...
-No panic! See what the world offers you!

[Sea Dreaming]

Ya "just go" has certainly bee on our minds. Even if we do move to the coast and find other jobs for a couple of years we are both good and ready for a new view!

the_fixer: You are right. CO real estate is just crazy. I definitely don't want to wait until adverse markets change the scene. On the other hand we are in Westminster, so property values should hold or suffer little. But right now, we are seeing homes being sold 2-3 days after listing. That is ideal. Who knows where we will be in a year?

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Sea Dreaming,
If you guys are not so worried about eating into your savings, then go as soon as you can. As said above, you can get more money, but not more years. A huge factor in Jim and my leaving when we did was the sudden death of one of his age cohorts from cancer. We have found cruising to be a pretty healthy lifestyle.
Furthermore, if your hubby is feeling a bit burnt out, working on boat projects, for yourselves, will probably make him feel a lot better. Maybe tired, but sleep well. ;-)
Ann

++ 1

Originally Posted by Seymore

I can't believe that a software guy would have a problem finding work. I have in mind that there are always openings for software guys out there.

I think I understand his pain - been there done that… it’s a matter of motivation. To get a good job you have to show you are motivated and when we are burned out (as I think he is), its hard to project that image.

Like Ann said, you’ll get more money but you ain’t be getting more years….
Go now.
Buy a motorhome to live in and travel to the coast, start downsizing and getting used to small spaces - when you find the boat, sell it and you’ll be ahead even losing money on the sale.
Moving to the coast to look for boats is like shooting at a moving target, which coast? Which city? What if you have to travel up and down the coast or even to the other side to look at the boats? It all contributes to savings erosion, but not if you take your home with you.
Just a thought

[a64pilot]

If CO real estate is "just crazy" for goodness sake, sell now.
It is not crazy in the rest of the US and hasn't been for a long time. I got lucky selling my house and land and you would think I gave it away

[SV MAKAI]

What I would do....buy a boat with savings and move to the coast...put the house up as a rental for passive income..use a property manager..do freelance work from the boat to cover refit and slip cost till you are ready to go.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[PlumKrazy]

As someone said earlier, I'm glad he's still at work!

I may not have seen as many highs and lows as others who are posting, but I really felt like I could contribute by sharing something I've learned recently.

From a live-aboard's perspective, it seems like most people who are sailing the world are able to figure it out along the way and even how to make money occasionally when needed.

That reminded me of something I heard recently. Marina's are always looking for tech guys. I'm sure there are a lot of people to help with their needs. If you're at-sea people's different abilities are even more valuable because there isn't a multitude of people out there available like there might be in the big city or anywhere stateside for that matter.

Basically what I'm getting at is that people's skills are always in demand somewhere. I know that software architecture isn't the same as being a tech guy, but just working with the technology he has for so long should qualify to help others who aren't tech savvy. That can translate to so many things.

One great thing to take advantage of, which people have already mentioned and really does pay the bills, is working from home, or maybe in your situation, working from boat. You can pick up contracts, fill every need, get a paycheck and never leave your cabin. (I've thought about doing this and have a couple of online profiles with different websites to do it.)

I guess the root of what I'm saying is this skills can be taken anywhere and everywhere. I've always felt that to be very liberating, "I can do anything and go anywhere and still be relevant."

[Rock-Head]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Funny enough, I wondered if they would lay off my SO and then ask him back as a consultant. Its how he got the job in the first place![/FONT]

This would ruin my sleep. I could be wrong here but one could assume such a corporate decision would be framed in cost savings, hiring back at a reduced pay rate... with none of the benefits of full time employment. If it twer me, I would be looking at alternative opportunities ASAP... so I could tell those suits to pound sand.

Good luck with it!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Bertie68]

Originally Posted by Rock-Head

This would ruin my sleep. I could be wrong here but one could assume such a corporate decision would be framed in cost savings, hiring back at a reduced pay rate... with none of the benefits of full time employment. If it twer me, I would be looking at alternative opportunities ASAP... so I could tell those suits to pound sand.

Good luck with it!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Well, the thing is not to be hired back with full time dedication, but in degraded working terms... As for me, I've remained in good terms with my former employer and it's still one of my best customers, but I have others, of course, and there is no assumption of working hours, other than attending to required meetings. Just finishing the projects with quality and on time. Just my experience, anyway.

But in fact IT consultancy/developing (I cannot separate both things, if you don't have contact with 'bare metal' coding, you lose grip with current technology) is an activity that lends itself to working from anywhere - including a boat.

And as for the marina tech services, my guess is also that there could be demand from it. Not long ago, a friend told me how much (and how long!) it was taking the repair of his radar. In smaller towns, they have to send the equipment to wherever the service centers are, or dispatch a technician. Maybe there could be an opportunity for on-site repair, installation and even configuration of onboard electronics gadgets. I've got the feeling that not many boat owners know much about them...

[monstads]

>>>>>>>
My SO feels that his cognitive skills cant keep up. He feels as though he does not think as fast as he once did and is not as smart (his words). He says he can go back to coding but that he has worked too hard to get where he is and coding is far below what he does now.
>>>>>>

Being in a similar position in IT, although some years younger, this is one of the things I am consciously trying to avoid. (And, it scares the crap out of me)..

Keeping yourself current, challenge yourself and never loose your "roots" is essential in the software field, in particular as you you are moving up. Suspect it's the same in other industries.

As an aside, from my observations, the middle managers, "ivory tower architects" and people in tech that draw a large salary without the current skills to personally write code are the only segment in IT that is actively being reduced. Statements like "coding is far below what he does now" don't bide well.

My suggestion? Look at what good coders that are able to get a security clearance can make in the Washington/Virginia market. Far enough south for decent boating, and far enough north to be lucrative. My guess is that it'll be significantly more than a (non executive) software architect makes in Colorado. Assuming he actually can still code.

[Bertie68]

Originally Posted by monstads

>>>>>>>
Being in a similar position in IT, although some years younger, this is one of the things I am consciously trying to avoid. (And, it scares the crap out of me)..

Keeping yourself current, challenge yourself and never loose your "roots" is essential in the software field, in particular as you you are moving up. Suspect it's the same in other industries.

It seems this thread is drifting towards becoming a software engineers' support group In fact, maybe we're the first aging generation of computer geeks, and we're finding out that being a developer/tech guy/whatever-you-call-it is akin being an actor or a NBA star... You're at your best in your 20's, 30's, but once you get to the 40's, it's no longer possible to pull a 24 hours coding marathon. Hopefully, diminishing stamina is compensated by experience, but that's not always good. My impression is that some companies are reluctant to hire over a certain age, not because of lack of productivity, but rather because you know too much.

Oh, I think this forum was about

[SaltyMonkey]

SeaDreaming:

I can confirm that the market is very difficult for older tech workers to find jobs, even in a greater area such as SF Bay. I have seen it in others and experienced it myself. There is a precedent that younger tech workers want to work with people their own age, and not with their fathers or grandfathers. There's also a idea fixee that older tech workers are not progressive or as skilled as the young coming out of training from school. I'm just repeating here what has already been voiced and what I've experienced.

Moreover, if you do happen to find a position, it's very difficult that will let you work remotely full time (as much as remote work has become more prevalent these days). The pendulum has swung the other way, what with Agile and ExTreme practices, where everyone needs to be in the same room to get stuff done. There are exceptions, of course, but being available via hipchat or slack is the norm and you need to be available both on and off hours for that frat setting.

Coming back into the market is also hard. Technology changes very quickly these days, and you need to be able to have hands on experience on tools and services that are not avail to pick up outside of a corp env. When you are younger, it might be able to come back in just by nature of how well you integrate into the team. When you get older, they are already skeptical and have marks against you.

One idea worth pursuing is leap frogging. Sail your boat somewhere for a few weeks, come home and work, sail some more. Or consider chartering.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Bertie68

It seems this thread is drifting towards becoming a software engineers' support group In fact, maybe we're the first aging generation of computer geeks, and we're finding out that being a developer/tech guy/whatever-you-call-it is akin being an actor or a NBA star... You're at your best in your 20's, 30's, but once you get to the 40's, it's no longer possible to pull a 24 hours coding marathon. Hopefully, diminishing stamina is compensated by experience, but that's not always good. My impression is that some companies are reluctant to hire over a certain age, not because of lack of productivity, but rather because you know too much.

Oh, I think this forum was about

So true! The younger guys are intimidated and eger to make their mark. They dont make room for the older guys. Its a weird business.