My 2 cents, these jobs don't last forever. The type of companies with unlimited PTO or sick plans usually will lay off people in this position eventually, or get acquired, shutter offerings etc. Best to improve yourself while you have the time. Prep for a career change, get an MBA or another cert. Check out WGU and see if you can commit the time. Ride it out sure but once it dries up you're kind of assed out man. Much harder to find a job in your 50s even in mamagement

Depends, of course. I'm not personally wildly ambitious about work so that would be fine with me. If no raise though, that money will not be enough in 15 years. So it would need to come with raises to meet inflation at least.

Retirement at 62 would be a big upgrade from what I expect to be able to do, but I did raise a lot of kids.

Is it work from home? Might be able to swing a second job during the do nothing 8-5 to bump up the numbers if you’re able.

Finish the PhD, then get a new job.

$65k will be worth half of what it is or less in 10 years. You will, at best, get a raise of about 5% per year. You will see a 20% - 30% raise if you jump ship with the PhD provided you go for corporate positions (you'll barely be treading water if you decide to teach).

The stability of the current job is an illusion - they will let you go the moment it becomes profitable for them to do so. The only person who can ensure you stability is you, and the only way you can do that is by maximizing your earning potential so you have enough wealth to survive a jobless period. Do not rely on unemployment benefits - they're a joke and often arrive as much as a year late.

Source: I took the stable route at that same salary number. Was laid off after 10 years during COVID, while I was sick. My next position I jumped from 65k to 90k, and with the next to 110k within three years. It took over 18 months for me to receive my unemployment benefits.

Companies have no loyalty to you. You are a resource to be exploited. Treat them the same way, and you'll be much wealthier and likely happier for it.

Sounds a hell of a lot better than the dead end job I just left. Are they hiring?

52,832 more dollars a year than I survive on. Unless you think your job will evaporate soon you have a pretty good thing. Get your PhD. Keep your job as long as you can. Jumping at somthing new has a very good chance of blowing up in your face in this market. Caveat, I don't work so what do I know? But if you aren't severely depressed about it I'd stay

Are you happy?

The location matters. $65K in Arkansas is not the same as $65K in California.

Ride it out. No question. You have unlimited opportunities to grow outside the job.

No employer is going to hire a 47 year old. Too old to train and not enough experience in the field to be a good manager.

If you aren't getting enough excitement from the job, go out and start dating or find a hobby.

Heck, the the year's salary you have saved there are dozens of businesses you could start.

Never hurts to look.

I think the better question is "What offer would cause you to leave the position?"

You live comfortably and have 1 year’s salary saved.

At 47? That sounds pretty bleak from a retirement perspective. If I could find a job in the six figure range, I'd bounce in a heartbeat.

I had a job kinda-sorta similar to this when I was in my 20s. Best decision I every made was to jump to a higher paying job at a faster growing company in the O&G sector. Ultimately tripled my salary over ten years, and I'm sitting on well more than one year's salary with all the same benefits and some additional perks.

You are given 6 college credits per semester to use at the local university. You’re currently working on a PhD.

What are you even going to do with a PhD once you've finally got it? This seems like a hobby more than a career plan.

Unless your salary is inflation adjusted over those 15 years, you are going to end up in a bad place if you ride it out. I personally couldn't make it on $65k and would be looking to either supplement my income or find a higher paying job ASAP. If it was a reasonable income for where I live and covered my bills, and resulted in me being able to still afford retiring at 62, I might stick with it if it wasn't driving me totally crazy with boredom.

Do you absolutely LOATHE your life right now the way it is? Do you regret EVERY choice you ever made in your life that steered you to where you are now? If yes, then you are probably part of the majority of Americans your age. Go ahead and look for change, because no matter what happens, you won’t miss where you are now.
BUT if you answered no, then congratulations, you are happier than most people your age, and keep looking for other ways to find joy because more than likely you’ll end up in a worse spot for you and regret ever shaking things up.

I’d shoot my shot. If I’m working towards a PhD I am too smart to waste my life working a boring job for a comfortable but not great salary.

Despite having your needs satisfied, you sound unfulfilled. More money won't necessarily change that.

People say, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life," but the truth is the opposite. When you do something every day, you become good at it. That skill, that proficiency fosters enjoyment and leads to us loving what we do. I'm not in my career field because I love it, I love what i do because I'm very good at it and mastery is its own reward.

Are you certain there's no way to monetize your PhD? Surely you could teach with those credentials?

Another word for scholarship is leisure.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

What does showing up entail here? How many hours a week? Use the time to slowly build towards another career, something that uses both so you don't start at square one maybe.

No dependents? Big.

Do you have shelter and food accounted for in a reliable way? That’s really what matters.

Disclaimer: No idea what amout of wealth that translates to in your specific location.

I think the work itself really does matter, what use is wealth if the job is destroying your mental or physical health? What you'll do with that depends on what other (theoretcially) marketable skills you have, how the actual market for those skills is right now, and how long it would take to take any relevant training (that's on your own time, not while you're already employed). Do you have any idea what you'd do instead of your job?

Also, how certain are you that you actually get to retire at 62? 15 years is a long time for some asshole politician to decide that whatever retirement plan you may have isn't worth the paper it's printed on ...

Are you looking for advice? Cause that's how it sounds lol. The answer and reasons are different for everyone.

Ultimately the question is, how does the job make you feel? If I hate getting up everyday to go to work, I'm probably going to at least look at my options if not straight run out of there crying.

If it's ok but nothing too exciting. I don't dread it but, I also don't look forward to it, I might stay. But only if I can find a way to spice it up a bit. Maybe that's a new podcast to listen to while working. Maybe it's finding something to do in my down time, maybe it's researching a new hobby or something.

If I like the job but I'm not going anywhere but I'm that close to retirement, I'm going to probably stay. Until they give me a reason to hate it. Then, I'm out.

Strictly me with my life experience, at 20 I would try and find something else more exciting and fulfilling, today in my mind theories I would stay especially with my phd in progress it would give me time to do it properly, and give me enough money to at least stay alive, and not be pressured into any bullshit stressful situation at work which has been my experience with jobs so far.

This pretty much was my job up until recently, though we get better leave than that in Australia.

If they allow remote work, I'll take it since I'm about to lose my job and, with the shitty USD <-> JPY rate, I only made slightly under that last year.

Were I you, though, I'd be looking.

You are working on a PhD, depends on the suject and your effort, you likely will have a better job in no time, right :)