on what side of the camera?

Neither! Where do you think you got your Internet pron fix from. :D

After getting out of the Army, working as a gantry crane operator on the swing shift at a steel company, carrying 17 units in college during the day.

Ten years ago for me. Married 3 kids, first house, working way to hard as a regional sales VP for a telecom. Just bought my 911, a bone stock 86 Carrera.

Now, still married to same beautiful woman, 3 older kids 18, 15,12. Second house, I like this one. Regained my sanity and went back to enterprise account manager for a network company, no more baby sitting idiots. My 911, 100,000 miles later, a serious track weapon and much shaper and faster than when I bought it. I have a two plus inch folder of recipts to prove it.

That was 6 years ago for me. Had been married going on 4 years. Wife and I were starting to do quite well in our careers. My goals were limited at the time. We had bought our first house 4 years earlier at the same time we got married. I wanted to have $100k in our 401k by age 30. No kids in our plans just working hard and taking advantage of being free to travel as we wanted.

Flash forward to 34..... Missed my $100k 401k plan by a couple k but more than made up for it in the last couple years x 3 or 4..... on our 3rd home, this time with a couple acres to spread out a bit. Still no kids and no plans for them. Just working on an exit plan from the 9-5 now and enjoying what little time we have on the weekends. I hope to have more time than I know what to do with by my late 30s to early 40s....

Ten years ago for me.

I had just lost my job. The house we were renting was sold out from underneath us. I was facing homelessness for the umpteenth time.
I had just recently begun experimenting what what ultimately became my profession, had just met the person who was to become my wife via a guitar forum, and moved across the country...

When I was that age, I was looking for people like you! :D

I was a sergeant in the Marine Corps, just finishing my 3-year tour as a Marine Recruiter. After 33 months, I had found 93 young Americans who were anxiously proud to serve their God, Country and Corps. Desert Shield/Storm was just kicking off at the time.

I was married with a 3 year old daughter, had just passed on an opportunity to become an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy (SoCal), and had a renewed commitment of my own to serve my country for 10 more years until retirement. I figured, how could I expect anyone else to serve, even for just 4 years, if I wasn't willing to do it myself?

Randy

Hmm, lets see. 28 now. 1 wife, 0 kids. Nice house, nice cars, boats, etc. Working as a project manger for a civil engineering firm. Making decent money but the stress is starting to get to me after 7 yrs, don't know why. I convince myself daily that I like what I do but I don't. Basically I picked the wrong career for my personality. I should have been a business major.

Looking into my options very seriously....think of changing it all before its to late.

Just out of the military, married, one child mortgage and new job.

32 years later, retired 4 years, married (same woman), one child 37 yo, enjoying life. Oh yeah, no debt!!!

Let's see.. at 28 I was 6 years into my real estate career, wife(teacher), kid, first house, Peugeot 504 sedan in the driveway(sunroof and red leatherette seats), MGB-GT with real knockoff wheels(seldom ran) purchased from Smalley's Garage in Watkins Glen, pretty much into my life pattern by then.

Just starting Modern Dad magazine. great girlfriend (should have married her). Coaching women's rowing. Race Jetta with Audi 2.0. Living in Chicago in a bad part of town. Perhaps one of the happiest times of my life.

Eating Quaaludes and screwing everything in sight.

Hmmm, perhaps a few years earlier you might have said that... and a bit more in my case. Still remember the 7/14 very well....

at 28 I just moved to Florida - Sort of mid life crisis for me - I was living in the san francisco bay area. I decided that I needed a fresh start after working in telecom for 5 years out of college. The company I was working for was consolidating. Hoursing was (and still is) expensive in the SF Bay area. I loaded up a 24 foot box truck and moved 3008 miles.

I did not enjoy California - I wanted to live somewhere where I could wear shorts and flip flops on the weekends - and be on a boat as much as possible. Boating/sailing is great in SFO - but the water is too damn cold.

2 years after moving bought my first house - I was married at the time = only been for a year and a half - and we had hit some rocky patches.

It was a good move.

I had just finished my first deployment flying with the Navy. My best friend and I were in the process of buying a house in Coronado, Ca...for the then princely sum of $165k.:)

I was single in San Diego, doing something I loved surrounded by a confederacy of fun and adventurous dunces.:cool:

Same thing I'm doing today, whatever the hell I want to do, each and every day.

Just like now (at 47), I was trying to decide what I'm going to do when I grow up...

ps: "The journey is prize", not the destination and I have no regrets :)

That was like a little more than a year ago... let's see. Had a Bachelors and Master degree in Engineering. In an MBA program. No family of my own. Been maxing out the roth IRA and 401K for 3 years at that point. Owned a house that I bought 3 1/2 years earlier, sold it a couple of months later after I moved to Seattle and got lucky on the timing for that one.

Now: Made a couple of career moves to the tune of about a 1/3 raise. In an apartment, moving to TX in a month and a half and buying a place over there. Completing the MBA after I get there. Still no family but getting married in 8 months.

long time ago!
 

on my 28th birthday. i had just graduated from artillery ocs and was living at lawton, okla....got drafted into the us army at 25 years and 11 months...just two weeks before my 26th birthday which would have excluded me from the draft! married with no kids making 4 times what i made as a basic training slicksleeve, 30 days vacation, full medical...did not realize how fortunate i was???

Apparently you're in a different universe than I was at 28. I was a burned out bartender trying to make it through college, no savings, no 401K, no investments, a broken down '85 Mustang, and ~ $40 in my checking account.