“Getting a job is just one of many paths.”

I. Am I Falling Behind Like This?

After giving up on preparing for the civil service exam and trying to get a job, I didn’t even know how to write a resume or a cover letter. I had no TOEIC score worth putting down either.

I couldn’t stay at my parents’ house in the countryside as an unemployed graduate, so I swallowed my embarrassment and settled back at the university I had already graduated from.

Juniors I knew would ask,
“Oh? Didn’t you already graduate?”

At dawn, I delivered newspapers. During the day, I worked part-time at the student union building. At night, I attended English classes.

My family wasn’t well-off. I was desperate to get a job as soon as possible, to return to a “normal” life and live up to my parents’ expectations. Six months was the absolute maximum time I allowed myself for job preparation.

During those six months, I studied only English. But my skills didn’t improve.

My determination slowly crumbled. My heart grew heavier by the day, and it felt like this life would never end.

“Am I falling behind like this?”

II. Even After Getting a Job, Reality Awaits

Back then, getting a job was my life’s goal. But once you enter the company you dreamed of, this is the reality.

In your late 30s, the work is repetitive, and companies don’t want to pay more for someone with more years. Unless you are exceptionally skilled or well-connected, companies quietly hope you’ll leave. This is the reality for about 95% of office workers.

In your mid-40s, you might think you’ll become an executive. But only 1–2% actually do. A junior who once worked under you becomes the team leader. With nowhere else to go, you endure disrespect from your superiors.

This is why the average retirement age for office workers is 49.3.

“Staying in a company at 50 without being an executive?”
Watching younger colleagues scold him in meetings was embarrassing even for those sitting nearby.

Because of college tuition for his children and immediate financial pressure, he endured everything. The man who once spoke up against injustice was gone. All that remained were repeated words:
“I’m sorry. Yes, I understand.”

III. Knowing All This, Was My Goal Still Just Employment?

Even after desperately getting a job, surviving for 20 years is not easy.

And after enduring those 20 years, once you retire, you face the same bleak job-hunting reality all over again.

Reemployment at a typical small or mid-sized company is nearly impossible. In most cases, only two options remain.

Start your own business,
or
work part-time or as a non-regular employee with half the salary you once earned.

Late 20s: part-time jobs while preparing for employment
→
Company life
→
Late 40s: part-time work or self-employment

In the end, part-time work returns after 20 years.

Knowing this reality, were we really that desperate for employment, to the point of thinking,
“Am I falling behind like this?”

IV. “Something I Can Do on My Own Later”

The life goal of getting a job in your 20s does not solve the problem of making a living after 50.

If you are feeling desperate like I once did, believing employment is the only path and despairing with thoughts like “Am I falling behind like this?”, you need to see reality more clearly.

A job is just one path among many.

To survive financially in your 50s, your top priority should be deciding what you can do on your own later.

Whether it’s a job or part-time work, whether the pay is high or low, it doesn’t matter.

Rather than chasing a seemingly respectable job that comes with a halved salary in your 50s, it is a far wiser decision to start experimenting early with work you can do independently later in life.