Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I've been a lurker for about 3 years and I've finally decided to post I started with Get Rich Slowly about 10 years ago, then moved to MMM maybe 7 years ago, then ERE 3 years ago.

I'm a grad student in my late 20's living in the US.

I plan to make a journal to keep track of money, but actually mostly to log how thoughts/feelings/attitudes towards money and life change as time goes on. I've gained a lot of knowledge from this forum over the years and I'm just curious to have snapshots in time of how my attitudes change. Who knows, maybe I will be able to contribute something meaningful too Feedback in the journal is also appreciated

So hello to everyone, it's great to join to discussion!

Welcome to the forum. What lead you to FIRE and in turn ERE?

Welcome!

Have you already got a good job within chemical industry?

Welcome! A lot of talk here about the downsides of college let alone graduate school. Would you take the same path if you could redo? And do you have a plan to shorten your time to ERE?

I feel odd asking without sharing so I ended up going to college and I graduated at 30 before having a career (aka making decent money). In software as a developer and I felt like I was behind so I saved and invested and eventual ended up here (after MMM/financial subreddits/investing forums/money forums). I didn't really have a plan -- it just worked out well so far.

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

@prognastat the answer is complicated. It's been a decade-long journey so far, which I can elaborate on elsewhere (journal, probably). The short version is anxiety over what the future may hold. I didn't want to be held to be tied to a job or employer I didn't like. The fear and desire for FU money eventually morphed into FIRE and now I'd say I've come back around to a more comfortable relationship with money. Right now I'd say my goal is semi-ERE.

@wolf Unfortunately no. I'm still a grad student and have a couple years left. My stipend is pretty generous though, by my standards. My savings rate right now is about 50%, and I'm still in school. It will be very high after I graduate. Probably in the neighborhood of 80%.

@SavingWithBabies I'm not sure. I think you'd have to ask me a decade from now. In retrospect I look at all the paths that I could have taken, and I think I made the right choices for me personally. But I don't think I'd recommend it for most. Different people are different. All those other paths - this one wouldn't be the most "enjoyable", per se. I'm not quite sure how to put it. Maybe I mean that in the moment, some was fun, some was heart-wrenching, some was satisfying, and some was boring. And if I think I made different choices, the ones that I was tempted to make to play it safe, I would have missed out on a great number of things that changed my life, for better or worse. So yes, I think I'd take the same path. I don't have definite plans to shorten my time to ERE currently. I generally like my job and I hope I continue to like it. And when I no longer like it, I hope to have enough money that I can change careers to something I do enjoy. Or to take time off to find that thing that I'll like to do when the time comes that chemistry is no longer fun. I think my experience is similar to yours - it's worked out well so far, somehow. I did kind of have a plan, and do. But best laid plans and all that

Nice answer and I have much the same thoughts on my choices. I'm looking forward to your journal (if you chose to make one ).

Since you're already at 50% savings rate while still in college if you play it smart after graduating by moving in a a well paying position without inflating your lifestyle you could be well on your way to FIRE/ERE.

Definitely understand not wanting to be stuck/beholden to a job/boss etc.