I'm 22 and I told a couple coworkers at lunch that I wish I could do my job part time, and that I'd give up half my salary to just have all that free time back. They thought I was crazy.

I am 60 and I have (almost) always just worked about 32 hours per week. When working for large companies, like SAIC, I would just not come in on Mondays and put 32 hours a week on my time card; same at other companies. I did this for over 30 years. I think in retrospect that this was a great decision.

Kudos to you if you manage half time.

One of my employees is about your age. He works four days a week and uses the spare day to catch up on other things, rest, whatever he wants. Obviously earns a bit less, but that's his choice.

If you want to do it, see if your employer would allow it. Don't regret not doing so ten years down the track.

I for one, wish that we could have one career half the week and a completely different career with no overlap the other half of the week.

I do that. I'm a freelance developer part time, and a freelance musician part time. It's difficult, and way more work than just doing one or the other. You have to constantly guard your ability to do it -- if you let them, people will demand your absolute full time devotion to them. But I've found when you lay out th rules early on, they usually accept that they can't have you body and soul. If not, they weren't a good employer for you anyway.

I suspect that it requires other ancillary skills like negotiation, self-marketing and sheer chutzpah which I don't necessarily have all at the same time.

I like programming, but sometimes I wish I could do it only a few days a week and spend the rest doing something where I wasn't hunched over in front of a box 13 hours a day. Sales! Photography! Helping injured animals! I've never done anything that didn't involve sitting alone a desk all day...

Oh dear Lord God, you are not crazy! I've never understood the sheer insanity of the workaholics I find myself surrounded by.

Recent college grad here too. Strongly suggest that. Work just enough to get by, pay the bills, eat, etc. Dedicate atleast 2-3 hours, completley focues and uninterrupted, to your passion,purpose, craft. Or socialize purposefully - building relationships and allies sort of speak.

> Or socialize purposefully - building relationships and allies sort of speak.

I would probably agree with this a couple of months ago but I don't know any more. I just love meeting people, everyone is so different and interesting.

Your approach is great if the only thing that's going to make you happy is money and success but I've realised, only just lately for me, that it's not everything.

Just do what ever maximises your happiness and feeling of self-fulfilment. I'm sure money and success are great and can even be a source of happiness but I'm know if I was a millionaire tomorrow, I wouldn't feel content.

Why did you drag money into the conversation where it wasn't before, and then try to pin it on someone else?

Apologies, I falsely assumed 'socialize purposefully' meant to socialise with successful people in aid of personal success.

I'd suggest doing a little more than "just enough to get by". Partly because scraping through by the skin of your teeth is stressful and distracting, and partly because working the bare minimum for too long will hamper your professional development.

The second part gets a bit more complicated if you want to freelance or start your own company, but IMO you can still learn a lot early on "working for the man" that will help carry you forward in your own ventures.

Nobody said he would make money off his True Craft.

I'm 22 and that's pretty much what I do. In Denmark you get payed to go to the university. I spend maybe 10 hours a week on it, and the rest is for making music and socializing.

I have never been happier.

That's not a career though. It's community-subsidized time for you to find yourself and/or your calling.

My univsersity education is my career though. I'm in my first year, and everything is still starting up. When it's time to take my bachelor, of course i'll suit up. For now though, I'd rather spend my time exploring.

That's fantastic. Keep it up. So few people live well that it's actually of value to everyone just to see examples of it.

Don't feel guilty about being subsidized. There's more than enough wealth from technology for everyone, we just don't know how to spend it properly.