Anyone broken free from professional life? Warning: rant

Almost 18 months ago, after 2 decades, I gave up selling IT solutions for problems created by the IT solutions I'd sold in the 2 decades before that. (Top tip...the solution is always XL). I retrained as a cycling instructor. Worked a year in London. Now I've moved to Gloucestershire and I'm working as an instructor here. No end of work. The money won't fund a world cruise but life is half the price of London and it's not a race. My wife works too; between us we're comfortable and frankly, at my age (62), that's a winner. I have spare time, my days aren't long, I can do work at home that I was paying others to do in London. I have time to cook, we eat better and cheaper, and a night out costs a fraction of prices in the smoke. Finally, to give you a taste of the place, I had a penalty notice from Gloucestershire County Council pointing out that I'd driven in a bus lane in restricted hours but that since it was my first offence in the county they'd issue a warning and no fine. Imagine that happening in Haringey!!!! Don't get me wrong. I love London. I walked the streets of the City for years (working, not begging...although thinking about it I was in IT sales), and I feel truly at home there even though I'm from ooop North. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd become a cycling instructor and until this year I though Gloucester was landlocked (seagulls??? Wha?). Anyway, time to get up...it's nearly 8.30. Cheers Mel

I met some of your colleagues last week when doing a PCA for a new instructor.

I lived in Zurich, which is 200 miles from the sea. There were masses of seagulls.

Oh shit. Maybe I'm in Zurich then.

Only a warning and no fine? Nah, definitely not Zurich.

Had a mate drive through Switzerland on the way to Austria by Motorbike. He was over the speed limit on a mountain road. Got caught out. The fine was mind blowing; he said a few Km over that and he would have been in prison or something.

They have very strict speeding laws including one that covers reckless driving.
The moment you are more than 50kmh the limit in settlements, 60 outside or 80 on the Autobahn you go to jail for at least one year.

Here in Germany you can go double the speed limit, kill someone and walk out with a fine and a few months on probation.
Same as the UK I guess.

I think I know which system I prefer

Which?

The one where they take motoring offenses seriously obvs

Just asking. You never know on this forum these days.

A friend of mine was a teacher, jacked it in a became a private tutor for a seriously HNW family and spent winters in Verbier (dahling) in a paid for 2 bed appartment

Not bad job if you can get it, he now works for google

So work is offering voluntary serverance.
Years salary, which would be tax free for me as I’m part time. I’m the main care-er for our children few weeks and 3 years. My wife works crazy hours and is appropriately renumerated.
So I’m in a very fortunate position. Could be a good opportunity to change path to something I’m more passionate about or even something closer to home and flexible for future child care arrangements.
I’m also nervous as I’ve always had a job and wanted to maintain at least working part time.

I believe Steve Miller has your answer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WCFUGCOLLU

Yeah it’s just that uncertainty. I’ve probably always played it safe career wise.

I fully appreciate playing it safe and having some certainty (I'm massively risk adverse when it comes to employment), but if your employers are offering voluntary severance it sounds like there's not a great deal of certainty in your current position. Good luck, whichever way you decide to play it.

Yeah it’s just that uncertainty

Yes but you have a year to work that out. :)

I’d agree. If it offers protection should it not be granted maybe it's a win win.

They have been great with my circumstance. And it’s a good place to work just doesn’t excite me.

So I floated the idea to my boss, who was warm to the idea.
First hurdle cleared a few more to go yet!

Update: So I quit my job as a doctor shortly after starting this thread. My first job was doing marketing and webdesign for a telemedicine startup. I enjoyed the job and had great colleagues, but the company went bust 6 months later and we all left. I left with some great friends there, and ran a PR company with one of my former colleagues for a while, but I found the nature of full-time PR (you're on the hunt round the clock for media opportunities for your clients) meant I had eventually given up my hobbies and other interests.

I spent the past two months doing a lot of DIY and applying for hundreds of web dev, data analytics, creative technologist jobs, and haven't been successful because I have no agency experience and I read like a bit of a jack of all trades. I also find the tick-box approach of recruiters and HR departments tiring. Are all jobs like this? Recently starting to think about building a niche using my various skills and freelancing/contracting.

I have quite a lot of technical/creative experience, but it is mostly built up through personal projects and hobbies: Webdesign, graphic design and branding (I designed the logo and event publicity for City Cycle Style 2010), engineering CAD, Google Analytics/content marketing/SEO/paid advertising.

Now to find a niche and start marketing myself...

5 day 8 hour working schedule sux but its good for someone above you :)

I've quit the City life to try out as a bike mechanic, not much luck at the moment! Any pointers?

Pretty handy with bikes, was the mechanic at a recent polo tourney with 70+ players. Can do 40+ hours a week.

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/332163

Thanks, just emailed them.

I tried another recent job posting, went for a taster/trial session and just didn't get any further shifts e.g. No time to look at work schedule or canceled in the morning when I was supposed to come in.

Have you considered buying bikes, repairing them and selling on? Get to do the spannering on your own terms and potentially more money. I did this part time to get cash together to buy my flat. Worked out at a very good hourly rate if you look at it that way