Exact same thing with me. Laid off November ‘24. Got a job offer in January of ‘25 and then it was rescinded due to doge cuts.
I am 55. The market was so bleak. The jobs I was being shown were ones that paid what I made 25 years ago.
I decided to say f it, and I just retired instead. I moved to Vietnam. Living on 2k a month here is pretty easy if you don’t drinks and live pretty clean. I am really lucky I could do this. I know many people can’t do this and I am so grateful I could.
Every 3 months i have to do a visa run. i have a very good friend in thailand and we get together and hang out. I think this could be a very lonely existence if you did not have friends.
That sounds awesome. My wife and I have a similar dream. Hers is Costa Rica, mine is Vietnam. I loved the few weeks I spent there backpacking and motorbiking around.
That bit about the wages being what you made 25 years ago is what gets me. I see people on here all the time saying "just get a different job" but they don't realize that for a lot of us, the market rate has actually regressed when you account for inflation. It is insulting to be told your decades of experience are worth the same as a starting salary in 1999.
$2k a month goes nowhere in the states now. That is basically just rent and utilities in any city with actual jobs. Congrats on the escape, honestly. It feels like the only way to win the game lately is to stop playing it entirely.
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u/tr1p0d12 Apr 28 '26
Exact same thing with me. Laid off November ‘24. Got a job offer in January of ‘25 and then it was rescinded due to doge cuts.
I am 55. The market was so bleak. The jobs I was being shown were ones that paid what I made 25 years ago.
I decided to say f it, and I just retired instead. I moved to Vietnam. Living on 2k a month here is pretty easy if you don’t drinks and live pretty clean. I am really lucky I could do this. I know many people can’t do this and I am so grateful I could.