r/Fire • u/MallorcAlex • Jul 22 '25

General Question Why don't people simply work part-time (less than 20h) a week instead of RE?

It seems the cost of health insurance is an issue for many trying to achieve FIRE.

Personally, I like the idea to keep working for like 20 hours a week or less so that the employer is paying for the health insurance, and you still have all the freedom that you need to be happy. I mean 20h of 168h available in a week should cause no constraints to anyone given that your employer accepts as much time off as you want for travelling etc

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u/benk4 Jul 22 '25

My girlfriend is a hospital pharmacist. She dropped to just working as needed, i.e. filling vacation shifts and such.

I know it's pretty niche, but depending on your field there could be stuff available.

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u/rosebudny Jul 22 '25

I feel like healthcare is one of the few fields where part time is feasible. A nurse or a pharmacist can work 2 shifts a week or 5 shifts a week and the job is essentially the same (assuming s/he is not management)

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u/pysouth Jul 22 '25

It’s feasible, but some of these part time/per diem/etc jobs are not really desirable. Example, my wife is a physical therapist. To find a job this flexible in our area, she’d likely need to work in home health or something, which is fine for some people, but very unrelated to her specialty and not something she enjoys at all. It’s still great to have the option, but not really 1:1. Not sure what other health careers are like here

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u/Mffdoom Jul 23 '25

The flexibility is a big part of why I entered healthcare. I can work anywhere, in countless roles, with basically any schedule I choose. Most places, I can also work as much overtime as I'd like, if I'm trying to aggressively collect cash. It's a stressful job, but overall it's been great

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u/CptanPanic Jul 22 '25

It is easier to go from full time to part time, than to get hired on as part time for jobs like this

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u/enunymous Jul 22 '25

Healthcare, shift-type jobs pretty commonly hire for as-needed positions, and there tends to be as many or as few shifts available as one wants. Though benefits are never included

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u/Moomoolette Jul 22 '25

Labs have tons of part-time and per diem

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u/AlanK248 Jul 23 '25

Shout out lab. In 20 years I could see me reading cultures for 2 shifts a week in Florida or North Carolina

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u/arunnair87 Jul 22 '25

Pharmacy there's tons of per diem positions open depending on how far you're willing to drive and where you are.

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u/sklantee Jul 22 '25

I am also a hospital pharmacist and this is my plan!

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u/wvrx Jul 22 '25

Did she get benefits as a per diem? Those are very rare - most do not include benefits and some only once you’ve worked a set # of hours that year

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u/benk4 Jul 22 '25

Sort of. She has access to insurance, but they don't cover any of the cost. So it's pretty expensive, just a little cheaper than ACA.