Would You like a feature Interview?
All Interviews are 100% FREE of Charge
To escape the 60-hour workweek, a San Francisco Gen Xer quit his job to become an “old dad”: “By the time my son graduates from high school, I’ll be 70 years old.”
June 2022, Randy Gerstbacher’s decision was years in the making: He quit his job as a project manager.
Gerstbacher, 50, from San Francisco, told Business Insider in an email that she was “really unhappy” with her job.
“I was tired of being forced to work 50-60 hours a week with no overtime, only getting a 1.5% raise at the end of the year, little to no bonuses and only being given the opportunity for lateral moves within the company,” he said.
But he said there were a few other main reasons he left his job.
First, he’s an “older father” and wanted to maximize the time he could spend with his 3-year-old son. He said he was further motivated by data he had seen about male life expectancy: The average life expectancy of a man in the United States is: 74.8 years old As of 2022, according to the CDC.
“I’ll be 70 by the time my son graduates from high school, so I felt like I should spend some quality time now,” Gerstbacher said, adding that a “narrow encounter with death” several years ago also prompted her to prioritize time with her family.
And perhaps most importantly, his financial situation allowed him to give up his previous income: Gerstbacher says his wife, who is the “breadwinner” for the family, supported his decision to quit his job. He also says he’s generally responsible with his finances, which has allowed him to build up a sizable savings.
While the vast majority of working-age American men have jobs, Gerstbacher is part of a growing percentage of men who have, at least temporarily, stopped looking for work over the past few decades. In 1950, about 97% of American men ages 25 to 54 had jobs or were actively looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of April, that number had fallen to about 89%.
Some men have dropped out of the labor market because they have trouble finding high-paying jobs. While some people without college degrees have seen wages rise substantially in recent years, this generation’s employment and income prospects still have taken a hit over the past few decades. Other factors, such as disabilities or health issues, can also make it difficult for men like Gerstbacher to work. Gerstbacher said he had lingering physical disabilities after surgery related to his cancer treatment.
But the decline in working men is also due to some positive developments, such as the rise in women in the workforce, which has allowed men like Gerstbacher to become stay-at-home dads, and some men to save up enough retirement savings to retire earlier than planned.
Gerstbacher shared how he’s doing financially and how he got back to work.
It was worth going back to work to have a flexible and interesting job.
Gerstbacher said her focus on budgeting, saving and investing, along with the income from an investment property and low mortgage rates on her home, also helped her quit her job.
Gerstbacher said he and his wife haven’t saved on child care costs by spending more time at home — they’re lucky to have a “great support group” around them that provides child care essentially for free — but he said the big savings came when he and his wife decided a few years ago to downsize from two cars to one.
“My wife drives to work in the family car, and I and my baby walk, bike or take public transport to get around,” he said.
Mr. Gerstbacher’s return to work could also improve his family’s financial situation in the coming years. Mr. Gerstbacher said he never intended to say goodbye to work forever, just that he wanted to return on his own accord.
Since leaving his job in 2022, Gerstbacher said he has been checking job boards to find a less demanding role that he’s “really interested in.” He was interested in recycling and composting, which is what inspired him to start a business. Local jobs in waste management companies Recology.
But until a few months ago, he said, his job search could be very time-consuming, with him sending out about a dozen applications and going on just a few interviews. He said he had worked briefly as a substitute teacher but was no longer working in that role.
But Gerstbacher has recently begun looking for work more actively, and in June I accepted a temporary consulting position at a securities firm. data migration He said he has a job and is taking the exam to become a park ranger in San Francisco and is currently on a waiting list, but his son will start kindergarten soon, which should give him more time.
Gerstbacher said that while he is in the process of returning to work, spending time with his son continues to be a priority.
“The most valuable thing to me at the moment is time,” he says. “The company I work for is very flexible with start and finish times so I can pick up my baby after work.”
Are you a man who is out of work or struggling to find work? Want to share your story? If so, contact this reporter. jzinkula@businessinsider.com.