Day Job
When I relocated to Sweden from Singapore slightly more than a year ago, my intention was to enjoy an early retirement. I am, afterall, 45 (soon—in September). I had in mind to do all the things I had wanted to do but didn’t because I was working a job I loved. It’s a job that took me more than a decade to shape and develop into exactly what I had envisioned it to be before I released it back to the gods for Sweden.
What I had in mind to do are study Swedish full-time and ultimately be eligible to enrol into a university program for free. That was my grand plan. On top of my grand plan, I imagine myself to be sketching, reading, and writing.
I was doing really well with my Sfi and Sva grunläggande delkurs 2—so well that when I decided to be practical with my Swedish language and submitted my CV and cover letter, I got myself a job. In my dream company. Five years ago I’ve dreamt about working there (when I was still just a ‘visitor’) and now I am an employee!
Just like that my early retirement ended prematurely in June 2022.
Not one day in my life after June 2022 have I not questioned myself if I had done the right thing by accepting the job offer. Do I need this job? No. Do I want this job? Yes. Do I dream about quitting? You bet, but not because it’s terrible; it’s actually really relaxing and it’s not a senior role, so I don’t lose a lot of money to tax (it’s still a lot but it’s tolerable). Do I resent this job not being a senior role? Hell, no! I’m trying to strike a balance between the level of responsibility and effort exerted for the income earned, which—by the way—gets knocked off substantially by tax, which then renders the whole equation not very feasible if I do take on something more glamorously titled (it’s bad ROI). So I’m happy with what I get because it’s exactly what I want. It’s good pocket money. Does this mean I have no ambition? Far from it; I’ve done ‘career ambition’ for many years and achieved what I set out to do, so it’s now time for a ‘different strategy’. I’m in Sweden for Pippi’s sake!
Read them! They’re good for you. I promise.
Which brings me to what I read in 2012 and it’s one of my all-time fav book by Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist (SLAA). Kleon is a genius—I absolutely love him and he is my spirit animal. I have read all his three books and they follow me to every country I moved to, including Sweden. So, coming back to SLAA, I feel comforted when I re-read the lines from page 123 (bold is mine):
A day job gives you money, a connection to the world, and a routine. […]
The worst thing a day job does is take time from away from you, but it makes up for that by giving you a daily routine in which you can schedule a regular time for your creative pursuits.
What a great reminder! I genuinely love routine. Going to work Mondays to Fridays is a nice routine because walking to work takes only 10 minutes in total, and when I’m done at work I come home and do everything I love to do. There are many things I can learn from my work and the human beings who work there. Austin Kleon says this in closing (p.125),
The trick is to find a day job that pays decently, doesn’t make you want to vomit, and leaves you with enough energy to make things in your spare time.
I’m happy to say I have found my happy (work)place.
